Eleanor Summerfield

British actress (1921–2001)

Leonard Sachs

(m. 1947; died 1990)

Children2, including Robin Sachs

Eleanor Audrey Summerfield (7 March 1921 – 13 July 2001) was an English actress who appeared in many plays, films and television series. She is known for her roles in Laughter in Paradise (1951), Final Appointment (1954), Odongo (1956), Dentist in the Chair (1960), On the Fiddle (1961), The Running Man (1963) and Some Will, Some Won't (1970).

Early life and career

She was born as Eleanor Audrey Summerfield in St Pancras, London, on 7 March 1921.^[1] Summerfield trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 1937.^[2]

Summerfield made her screen debut in the 1946 television drama A Phoenix Too Frequent, which was based on a play of the same name.^[3] Her first stage show was Her Excellency at the London Hippodrome in 1949.^[4] In the mid-1960s, she played P. G. Wodehouse's character Aunt Dahlia on the black-and-white television series The World of Wooster (1965–1967) aired on BBC One.^[5] She was also a regular member in the panel game Just a Minute and was a team member for the entire 15-year run of Many a Slip (1964–1979).^[6]^[7] During her career spanning nearly half a century, she appeared in a number of films and television series.^[3] Other TV series she appeared in included Lovejoy: Season 2: Episode 5, 1991 "Who Dares, Sings" as May Walker; and Midsomer Murders: Series 1: Episode 4, 1998 "Faithful Until Death" as Elfrida Molfrey.^[8]^[9]

Personal life

Summerfield was married to actor Leonard Sachs from 1947 until his death in 1990.^[1] They had two sons: Robin Sachs, who was also an actor, and Toby Sachs.^[7]

She died in Westminster, London, on 13 July 2001, aged 80.^[3]

Filmography

Take My Life (1947) - Miss Carteret
London Belongs to Me (1948) - The Blonde
The Weaker Sex (1948) - Clippie (uncredited)
The Story of Shirley Yorke (1948) - Doris
All Over the Town (1949) - Beryl Hopper
Man on the Run (1949) - May Baker, Anchor Hotel
No Way Back (1949) - Beryl
The Third Visitor (1951) - Vera Kurton
Laughter in Paradise (1951) - Sheila Wilcott
Scrooge (1951) - Miss Flora
The Last Page (1952) - Vi
Mandy (1952) - Lily Tabor
Top Secret (1952) - Cecilia
Street Corner (1953) - Edna Hurran
Isn't Life Wonderful! (1953) - Aunt Kate
Face the Music (1954) - Barbara Quigley
Murder by Proxy (aka Blackout) (1954) - Margaret 'Maggie' Doone
Final Appointment (1954) - Jenny
Lost (1956) - Sgt. Cook
Odongo (1956) - Celia Watford
It's Great to Be Young (1956) - Barmaid
No Road Back (1957) - Marguerite
A Cry from the Streets (1958) - Gloria
Dentist in the Chair (1960) - Ethel
The Millionairess (1960) - Mrs. Willoughby
Carry On Regardless (1961) - Mrs. Riley (part cut) (uncredited)
Spare the Rod (1961) - Mrs. Harkness
Don't Bother to Knock (1961) - Mother
On the Fiddle (1961) - Flora McNaughton
Petticoat Pirates (1961) - Chief Wren Mabel Rawlins
Guns of Darkness (1962) - Mrs. Bastian
On the Beat (1962) - Sgt. Lucilla Wilkins
The Running Man (1963) - Hilda Tanner
The Yellow Hat (1966) - Lady Xenia
The Spy Killer (1969, TV movie) - Mrs. Roberts
Foreign Exchange (1970, TV movie) - Mrs. Roberts
Some Will, Some Won't (1970) - Elizabeth Robson
The Watcher in the Woods (1981) - Mrs. Thayer
The Island of Adventure (1982) - Aunt Polly

References

^ ^a ^b "Eleanor Summerfield". The Independent. 10 March 2014.
^ "Eleanor Summerfield — RADA". www.rada.ac.uk.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Eleanor Summerfield". BFI. Archived from the original on 12 August 2017.
^ "Actresses Eleanor Summerfield l Sandra Martin Two Editorial Stock Photo – Stock Image | Shutterstock". Shutterstock Editorial.
^ "Broadcast – BBC Programme Index". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. 16 September 1965.
^ "Many a Slip - UKGameshows".
^ ^a ^b "Obituary: Eleanor Summerfield". The Guardian. 16 July 2001.
^ "Lovejoy : Who Dares Sings (1991) – John Woods | Cast and Crew | AllMovie" – via www.allmovie.com.
^ "Midsomer Murders: Faithful unto Death". TVGuide.com.