Claire Nielson, best known for her roles in The Two Ronnies and Fawlty Towers, has died, aged 89.
The Scottish actor made a memorable appearance opposite John Cleese in series two of Fawlty Towers, which aired in 1979.
In “The Waldorf Salad”, Nielson, who died on 29 April, played Mrs Hamilton, a guest who arrives with her belligerent American husband (Bruce Boa).
However, her role in the sitcom prompted fury from her agent, who thought it would “ruin” her career as “back then, pretty young women who did light entertainment stopped being offered dramatic parts”.
This didn’t faze Nielson, who once declared, according to The Times: “I’d always preferred comedy, so I didn’t care.”
Nielson started acting after scoring a place at the Royal Scottish Academy of Dramatic Art – now known as the Royal Scottish Conservatoire – where she trained at Joan Littlewood’s Theatre Workshop.
While the actor had many stage and screen credits in dramatic projects – including 1960s crime series Ghost Squad, Scottish show Scotch and Wry, and 1971 film Kidnapped, in which she starred opposite Michael Caine and Trevor Howard – she featured in several sitcoms and sketch shows, including The Two Ronnies opposite funnymen Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett.
She also had roles in The Dick Emery Show and Upstairs Downstairs.
In the 1980s, when Nielson was in her late forties, she enrolled at King’s College, Cambridge to study English literature – at the same time her daughter studied at the same university.
Having performed Shakespeare for years, she credited the course with helping her broaden her understanding of the dialogue.
In the late stages of her life, Nielson wrote and illustrated The House at Strone, a children’s adventure book, as well as a guide to grandparenting alongside her husband, actor Paul Greenwood, best known for sitcom Rosie.
She also co-founded an acting workshop organisation in Stratford-Upon-Avon called Drama Pool.
Nielson married twice – the producer Dennis Vance in the 1960s, and Greenwood in 1994. She is survived by Greenwood and Peggy.
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