Imogen Hassall

2022-07-18T02:27:17Z

82.7.252.151: /* Personal life */

{{Short description|English actress (1942–1980)}}{{EngvarB|date=October 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2017}}
{{more footnotes|date=July 2008}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Imogen Hassall
| image = Imogen Hassell by Allan Warren.jpg
| imagesize =
| caption = Imogen Hassall in 1976 (Photograph by [[Allan Warren]])
| birth_date = {{Birth-date|25 August 1942}}
| birth_place = [[Woking]], [[Surrey]], England
| death_date = {{Death-date and age|16 November 1980|25 August 1942}}
| death_place = [[Wimbledon, London|Wimbledon]], [[London]], England
| othername =
| occupation = Actress, model
| years active= 1963–1980
| spouse = {{marriage|[[Kenneth Ives]]|1974|1978|reason=divorced}}<br>{{marriage|Andrew Knox|1979|1979|reason=divorced}}
}}
'''Imogen Hassall''' (25 August 1942 – 16 November 1980) was an English actress who appeared in 33 films during the 1960s and 1970s.

== Early life ==
Named after [[Shakespeare]]'s ''[[Cymbeline]]'' heroine, she was born in [[Woking]], Surrey, to a financially comfortable family of artists and businessmen. Her grandfather, [[John Hassall (illustrator)|John Hassall]], and her aunt, [[Joan Hassall]], worked as illustrators, while her father, [[Christopher Hassall]], was a poet and lyricist. She had a brother, Nicholas. Her [[godparent|godfather]] is said to have been the composer [[Ivor Novello]], with whom her father had worked extensively as lyricist; conversely, on occasion Hassall would proudly claim that this distinction was [[William Walton|Sir William Walton]]'s with whom her father had collaborated in [[William Walton#Postwar|the early 1950s]], denied by Lady Walton.<ref>Page 71, Biography: Leissner, D. (2002)</ref>

== Career ==
Hassall boarded and attended [[Elmhurst School for Dance|Elmhurst Ballet School]], Camberley 1952–1954 and the [[Royal Ballet School]], White Lodge, Richmond Park 1955–1958. Later in 1958 (aged 16) she studied in New York City, then returned to live with family in the [[Hampstead Heath#The Vale of Health|Vale of Health]] by Hampstead Heath, London. She continued her absorption of the theatre mode with study at the [[London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art]] 1960–1962, following which she joined the company of the [[Royal Shakespeare Company]] for one season.<ref>Biography: Leissner, D. (2002)</ref> After enjoying an appearance in the [[William Douglas-Home]] comedy "The Reluctant Peer" at the [[Duchess Theatre]] in 1964, she appeared in British TV adventure series of the 1960s such as ''[[The Saint (TV series)|The Saint]]'', ''[[The Avengers (TV series)|The Avengers]]'' and ''[[The Persuaders!]]'' In her first significant film role, she played Tara in ''[[The Long Duel]]'' (1967). She gained further public notice as a dominant cave-girl in ''[[When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth]]'' (1970) and played major roles in ''[[Carry On Loving]]'' and the cult horror film ''[[Incense for the Damned]]'' the same year. In 1973, she appeared in ''[[White Cargo (1973 film)|White Cargo]]'' alongside [[David Jason]].

== Personal life ==
Hassall was married to actor Kenneth Ives, and before they were married, they had a daughter called Melanie Ives Hassall, who died four days after being born in 1972.<ref>Fade to Black: A Book of Movie Obituaries, pp. 315–316 | https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=qAhtNiAl3YsC&pg=PA315</ref> She was briefly married to actor Andrew Knox (the son of actors [[Alexander Knox]] and [[Doris Nolan]], who later committed suicide in 1987), but they separated after a few months of marriage, and she lost the baby she was expecting.<ref>Fade to Black: A Book of Movie Obituaries, pp. 315–316 | https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=qAhtNiAl3YsC&pg=PA315</ref>

Hassall's private life was a regular subject of interest in tabloid newspapers. She was known for playing sexy, scantily clad characters in film and on TV. This, and the revealing outfits she wore at film premieres, resulted in her being referred to as the "Countess of Cleavage".<ref>A defining picture of the "Countess of Cleavage" enjoying the flash-bulbs at a premiere | http://media.gettyimages.com/photos/12th-march-1970-the-film-star-imogen-hassall-in-a-revealing-dress-picture-id3268681?s=594x594</ref>

== Death ==
After her failed relationships, the death of her child, her miscarriage, and her career decline, she became depressed. Following previous suicide attempts, she was found dead in her [[Wimbledon, London|Wimbledon]] home on the morning of 16 November 1980, when she failed to meet a friend, the actress [[Suzanna Leigh]], with whom she was due to go on holiday to [[Mombasa]] that day. She had apparently committed suicide by overdosing on [[Tuinal]] tablets.<ref>Fade to Black: A Book of Movie Obituaries, pp. 315–316 | https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=qAhtNiAl3YsC&pg=PA315</ref> She was interred in [[Gap Road Cemetery]], Wimbledon, London.{{Citation needed |date=July 2021}}

== Portrayal on stage and TV ==

Her appearance in the film ''[[Carry On Loving]]'' (1970) led many years later to her being portrayed as a character in the play ''[[Cleo, Camping, Emmanuelle and Dick]]'' written by [[Terry Johnson (dramatist)|Terry Johnson]]. The play was produced at the [[Royal National Theatre]] in September 1998 and received the [[Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Comedy|Olivier Award]] 1999 for Best New Comedy. Hassall was played by [[Gina Bellman]]. Johnson later adapted the play for a 2000 television film ''[[Cor, Blimey!]]'', although the character of Hassall does not appear in the television version, which was much changed by Johnson from his original play.

== Filmography ==

=== Film ===
{{Div col}}
* ''[[The Bulldog Breed]]'' (1960) - Girl in Cinema (uncredited)
* ''[[The Cracksman]]'' (1963) – Guv'nor 's Secretary
* ''[[The Mind Benders (1963 film)|The Mind Benders]]'' (1963) – Girl Student
* ''[[The Early Bird]]'' (1965) – Sir Roger's Secretary
* ''[[Press for Time]]'' (1966) – Suffragette (uncredited)
* ''[[The Long Duel]]'' (1967) – Tara
* Bedtime (1967) - The Woman (Short film, banned by the [[BBFC]], limited London release)
* ''[[Take a Girl Like You (film)|Take a Girl Like You]]'' (1969) – Samantha
* ''[[Incense for the Damned]]'' (1970) – Chriseis
* ''[[Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny and Girly]]'' (1970) – Girlfriend
* ''[[El Condor (film)|El Condor]]'' (1970) – Dolores
* ''[[The Virgin and the Gypsy (film)|The Virgin and the Gypsy]]'' (1970) – The Gypsy's Wife
* ''[[Toomorrow (film)|Toomorrow]]'' (1970) – Amy
* ''[[When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth]]'' (1970) – Ayak
* ''[[Carry On Loving]]'' (1970) – Jenny Grubb
* ''[[White Cargo (1973 film)|White Cargo]]'' (1973) – Stella
* ''[[Licensed to Love and Kill]]'' (1979) – Miss Martin (final film role)
{{Div col end}}

=== Television ===
{{Div col}}
* ''[[The Sentimental Agent]]'' (1 episode, 1963) – Nikki
* ''[[Dickie Henderson|The Dickie Henderson Show]]'' (1 episode, 1963)
* It Happened Like This (1 episode, 1963) – Miss Jeryl
* ''[[Moonstrike]]'' (2 episodes, 1963)
* ''[[The Scales of Justice|The Scales Of Justice]]'' (1 episode, 1964) – Yvonne Purvis
* The Reluctant Peer (1 episode, 1964)
* ''[[The Saint (TV series)|The Saint]]'' (3 episodes, 1964–1968) – Malia / Nadya / Sophia Arnetas
* ''[[No Hiding Place]]'' (1 episode, 1965) – Jane Bowden
* ''[[Lance Percival|The Lance Percival Show]]'' - (1 episode, 1965)
* A Touch of Don Juan (1 episode, 1966)
* ''[[Theatre 625]]'' (1 episode, 1967) – Madame Kanyl
* ''[[The Avengers (TV series)|The Avengers]]'' (1 episode, 1967) – Anjali
* ''[[The Wednesday Play]]'' (2 episodes, 1967–1968) – Yasmina / Rogation (voice)
* ''[[Champion House]]'' (1 episode, 1967) – Christina
* ''[[Play of the Month]]'' (1 episode, 1967) – Ata
* Mickey Dunne (1 episode, 1967) - Veronica Cole
* ''[[The Troubleshooters]]'' (1 episode, 1967) – Nancy Clucas
* ''[[The Champions]]'' (1 episode, 1968) – Cleo
* ''[[Call My Bluff]]'' (1 episode, 1969) - Herself
* ''[[Softly, Softly (TV series)|Softly, Softly]]'' (1 episode, 1970) – Molly Carson
* ''[[Simon Dee|The Simon Dee Show]]'' (1 episode, 1970) - Herself
* ''[[Dear Mother...Love Albert]]'' (1 episode, 1970) - Girl (uncredited)
* ''[[The Persuaders!]]'' (1 episode, 1971) – Maria Lorenzo
* ''[[On the House (TV series)|On The House]]'' (1 episode, 1971) – Thelma
* Celluloid Love (The Hassalls) - (TV Documentary 1971) - Herself
* ''[[Jason King (TV series)|Jason King]]'' (1 episode, 1972) – Gina
* ''[[...And Mother Makes Three]]'' (1 episode, 1972) – Virginia
* ''[[Going for a Song]]'' (1 episode, 1972) - Herself
* Images (1 episode, 1972) - One-off special
* The Movie Quiz (2 episodes, 1972-3) - Herself
{{Div col end}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== Bibliography ==
* Biography: {{cite book |last=Leissner |first=D. |title=Tuesday's Child: The Life and Death of Imogen Hassall |publisher=Luminary Press |location=Baltimore, MD |year=2002 |isbn=1-887664-47-5}}
* Obituary: {{cite book |last=Donnelley |first=P. |title= Fade to Black: A Book of Movie Obituaries |pages=315–316 |publisher=Omnibus Press |year=2005 |isbn=1-844494-30-6}}

== External links ==
* {{IMDb name|0368302}}
* [http://horrorstars.net/imogen-hassall.html Imogen Hassall] at HorrorStars

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hassall, Imogen}}
[[Category:1942 births]]
[[Category:1980 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Woking]]
[[Category:Alumni of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art]]
[[Category:English film actresses]]
[[Category:English television actresses]]
[[Category:Drug-related suicides in England]]
[[Category:Barbiturates-related deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century English actresses]]
[[Category:British comedy actresses]]
[[Category:1980 suicides]]

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Imogen Hassall