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{{Short description|British actress (1928–2006)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2022}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| name          = Diana Coupland
| image        = Diana Coupland.jpg
| image        = Diana Coupland.jpg
| imagesize    =
| caption      = Coupland {{circa}} 1973
| caption      = Coupland {{circa}} 1973
| birthname    = Betty Diana Coupland
| birthname    = Betty Diana Coupland
| birth_date    = {{birth date|1928|3|5|df=y}}
| birth_date    = {{birth date|1928|03|05|df=y}}
| birth_place  = [[w:Leeds|Leeds]], [[w:West Riding of Yorkshire|West Riding of Yorkshire]], England
| birth_place  = [[Leeds]], [[West Riding of Yorkshire]], England
| death_date    = {{death date and age|2006|11|10|1928|3|5|df=y}}
| death_date    = {{death date and age|2006|11|10|1928|03|05|df=y}}
| death_place  = [[w:Coventry|Coventry]], England
| death_place  = [[Coventry]], England
| yearsactive  = 1943–2006
| yearsactive  = 1943–2006
| othername    =  
| othername    =  
|occupation=Actress
|occupation=Actress
| spouse        = {{ubl|{{marriage|[[w:Monty Norman]]|1956|1975|end=divorced}} |{{marriage|Marc Miller|1980}}}}
| spouse        =  
*{{marriage|[[Monty Norman]]|1956|1975|end=divorced}}
*{{marriage|Marc Miller|1980}}
| children      = 1
| children      = 1
}}
}}
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==Early life==
==Early life==
Coupland was born in [[w:Leeds|Leeds]], [[w:West Riding of Yorkshire|West Riding of Yorkshire]] in 1928, the only child of Elsie (''née'' Beck) and Denis Coupland. She originally wanted to be a [[w:ballet|ballet]] dancer but could not fulfil this ambition, owing to a [[w:Equestrianism|horse-riding]] accident. Her music career began when she was 15; [[w:Barney Colehan|Barney Colehan]], a [[w:BBC|BBC]] producer, heard her sing and invited her onto one of his [[w:radio|radio shows]].<ref name="Telegraph.co.uk">{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/news/2006/11/11/db1102.xml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071021050152/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/news/2006/11/11/db1102.xml|url-status=dead|archive-date=21 October 2007|title=Diana Coupland |newspaper=Telegraph |date=11 November 2006 |location=London}}</ref> By the time she reached the age of 18, she was singing full-time at the [[w:Mecca Leisure Group|Mecca]] Locarno in Leeds, and the following year, moved to London with her parents, where she became a resident singer at Mecca's [[w:Mecca Dance Hall Tottenham|Tottenham Court Road ballroom]]. Coupland became a leading singer of the 1940s and 1950s, working at the [[w:Dorchester Hotel|Dorchester Hotel]] and the [[w:Savoy Hotel|Savoy Hotel]].
Coupland was born in [[Leeds]], [[West Riding of Yorkshire]] in 1928, the only child of Elsie (''née'' Beck) and Denis Coupland. She originally wanted to be a [[ballet]] dancer but could not fulfil this ambition, owing to a [[Equestrianism|horse-riding]] accident. Her music career began when she was 15; [[Barney Colehan]], a [[BBC]] producer, heard her sing and invited her onto one of his [[radio|radio shows]].<ref name="Telegraph.co.uk">{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/news/2006/11/11/db1102.xml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071021050152/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/news/2006/11/11/db1102.xml|url-status=dead|archive-date=21 October 2007|title=Diana Coupland |newspaper=Telegraph |date=11 November 2006 |location=London}}</ref> By the time she reached the age of 18, she was singing full-time at the [[Mecca Leisure Group|Mecca]] Locarno in Leeds, and the following year, moved to London with her parents, where she became a resident singer at Mecca's [[Mecca Dance Hall Tottenham|Tottenham Court Road ballroom]]. Coupland became a leading singer of the 1940s and 1950s, working at the [[Dorchester Hotel]] and the [[Savoy Hotel]].


==Career==
==Career==
Coupland serenades the opening scene of the film ''[[w:Flannelfoot|Flannelfoot]]'' (1953) in which she featured as a [[w:nightclub singer|nightclub singer]]. In 1959, she was unexpectedly cast by [[w:Joan Littlewood|Joan Littlewood]] as Sally in the [[w:Theatre Workshop|Theatre Workshop]] musical ''Make Me An Offer'', and soon appeared in [[w:West End theatre|West End]] shows such as ''[[w:Gigi (play)|Gigi]]'' and ''[[w:Not Now, Darling|Not Now]]''.<ref name="Telegraph.co.uk"/>
Coupland serenades the opening scene of the film ''[[Flannelfoot]]'' (1953) in which she featured as a [[nightclub singer]]. In 1959, she was unexpectedly cast by [[Joan Littlewood|Joan Littlewood]] as Sally in the [[Theatre Workshop]] musical ''Make Me An Offer'', and soon appeared in [[West End theatre|West End]] shows such as ''[[Gigi (play)|Gigi]]'' and ''[[Not Now, Darling|Not Now]]''.<ref name="Telegraph.co.uk"/>


She made her television debut in a 1961 episode of ''[[w:Emergency – Ward 10|Emergency – Ward 10]]''. Her other early roles were in ''[[w:Dixon of Dock Green|Dixon of Dock Green]]'', ''[[w:The Wednesday Play|The Wednesday Play]]'', ''[[w:Softly, Softly (TV series)|Softly, Softly]]'' and ''[[w:Z-Cars|Z-Cars]]''. After playing a mother in ''[[w:Please Sir!|Please Sir!]]'' and the [[w:Siberia|Siberia]]n wife in [[w:Mel Brooks|Mel Brooks]]'s film ''[[w:The Twelve Chairs (1970 film)|The Twelve Chairs]]'' (1970), she was cast as Jean Abbott, the long-suffering wife of Sid James's character, in ''[[Bless This House (British TV series)|Bless This House]]'', which began its run in February 1971. She reprised the role in the 1972 [[w:Bless This House (film)|feature film]], and continued in the role until James died in 1976. She appeared in several other films, including ''[[w:The Millionairess|The Millionairess]]'' (1960), ''[[w:The Family Way|The Family Way]]'' (1966), ''[[w:Charlie Bubbles|Charlie Bubbles]]'' (1967), ''[[w:Spring and Port Wine|Spring and Port Wine]]'' (1970), ''[[w:The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer|The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer]]'' (1970), ''[[w:The Best Pair of Legs in the Business|The Best Pair of Legs in the Business]]'' (1972) and ''[[w:Operation Daybreak|Operation Daybreak]]'' (1975).
She made her television debut in a 1961 episode of ''[[Emergency – Ward 10|Emergency – Ward 10]]''. Her other early roles were in ''[[Dixon of Dock Green|Dixon of Dock Green]]'', ''[[The Wednesday Play|The Wednesday Play]]'', ''[[Softly, Softly (TV series)|Softly, Softly]]'' and ''[[Z-Cars|Z-Cars]]''. After playing a mother in ''[[Please Sir!|Please Sir!]]'' and the [[Siberia|Siberia]]n wife in [[Mel Brooks|Mel Brooks]]'s film ''[[The Twelve Chairs (1970 film)|The Twelve Chairs]]'' (1970), she was cast as Jean Abbott, the long-suffering wife of Sid James's character, in ''[[Bless This House (British TV series)|Bless This House]]'', which began its run in February 1971. She reprised the role in the 1972 [[Bless This House (film)|feature film]], and continued in the role until James died in 1976. She appeared in several other films, including ''[[The Millionairess|The Millionairess]]'' (1960), ''[[The Family Way|The Family Way]]'' (1966), ''[[Charlie Bubbles|Charlie Bubbles]]'' (1967), ''[[Spring and Port Wine|Spring and Port Wine]]'' (1970), ''[[The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer|The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer]]'' (1970), ''[[The Best Pair of Legs in the Business|The Best Pair of Legs in the Business]]'' (1972) and ''[[Operation Daybreak|Operation Daybreak]]'' (1975).


She also dubbed the singing voices of actresses who could not sing, including [[w:Lana Turner|Lana Turner]] in ''[[w:Betrayed (1954 film)|Betrayed]]'', and was the playback singer for Ursula Andreas's dubbed performance of the song "Underneath the Mango Tree" in the first [[w:James Bond|James Bond]] film ''[[w:Dr. No (film)|Dr. No]]''.<ref>Jon Burlingame, ''The Music of James Bond'', page 10, Oxford University Press, 2014</ref> She gave up professional singing in the 1960s.
She also dubbed the singing voices of actresses who could not sing, including [[Lana Turner|Lana Turner]] in ''[[Betrayed (1954 film)|Betrayed]]'', and was the playback singer for Ursula Andreas's dubbed performance of the song "Underneath the Mango Tree" in the first [[James Bond|James Bond]] film ''[[Dr. No (film)|Dr. No]]''.<ref>Jon Burlingame, ''The Music of James Bond'', page 10, Oxford University Press, 2014</ref> She gave up professional singing in the 1960s.


During the late 1970s and 1980s, Coupland appeared in ''[[w:Wilde Alliance|Wilde Alliance]]'', ''[[w:Triangle (1981 TV series)|Triangle]]'', ''[[w:Dickens of London|Dickens of London]]'' and ''[[w:Juliet Bravo|Juliet Bravo]]''. Her casting in ''Triangle'' occurred after the death of the actor originally due to play the owner of the shipping line. She had been on the set with her husband, a director on the programme, and was offered the part. She appeared in an episode of ''[[w:One Foot in the Grave|One Foot in the Grave]]'' in 1992, and in 2000 had a six-week role as [[w:Maureen Carter|Maureen Carter]] in ''[[w:EastEnders|EastEnders]]''. Following this, Coupland appeared in ''[[w:Doctors (2000 TV series)|Doctors]]'', ''[[w:Casualty (TV series)|Casualty]]'' and in 2005 ''[[w:Rose and Maloney|Rose and Maloney]]'', her final television appearance.
During the late 1970s and 1980s, Coupland appeared in ''[[Wilde Alliance|Wilde Alliance]]'', ''[[Triangle (1981 TV series)|Triangle]]'', ''[[Dickens of London|Dickens of London]]'' and ''[[Juliet Bravo|Juliet Bravo]]''. Her casting in ''Triangle'' occurred after the death of the actor originally due to play the owner of the shipping line. She had been on the set with her husband, a director on the programme, and was offered the part. She appeared in an episode of ''[[One Foot in the Grave|One Foot in the Grave]]'' in 1992, and in 2000 had a six-week role as [[Maureen Carter|Maureen Carter]] in ''[[EastEnders|EastEnders]]''. Following this, Coupland appeared in ''[[Doctors (2000 TV series)|Doctors]]'', ''[[Casualty (TV series)|Casualty]]'' and in 2005 ''[[Rose and Maloney|Rose and Maloney]]'', her final television appearance.


==Personal life==
==Personal life==
Coupland married twice. She and her first husband, composer [[Monty Norman]], divorced after 20 years of marriage, having had one daughter.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,60-2451001.html |title=Diana Coupland |newspaper=The Times |date=13 November 2006 |location=London}}</ref> In 2001, she gave evidence in a [[High Court of Justice|High Court]] case after her former husband sued ''[[The Sunday Times (UK)|The Sunday Times]]'' following a 1997 article suggesting that Norman had falsely taken credit and [[royalties]] for the [[James Bond Theme|''James Bond'' theme music]], which was claimed actually to have been written by [[John Barry (composer)|John Barry]]. Coupland described the article as "blatantly untrue"; Norman was awarded £30,000.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/news/2006/11/11/db1102.xml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071021050152/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/news/2006/11/11/db1102.xml |url-status=dead |archive-date=21 October 2007 |title=Diana Coupland |newspaper=Telegraph |date=11 November 2006 |location=London}}</ref>
Coupland married twice. She and her first husband, composer [[Monty Norman|Monty Norman]], divorced after 20 years of marriage, having had one daughter.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,60-2451001.html |title=Diana Coupland |newspaper=The Times |date=13 November 2006 |location=London}}</ref> In 2001, she gave evidence in a [[High Court of Justice|High Court]] case after her former husband sued ''[[The Sunday Times (UK)|The Sunday Times]]'' following a 1997 article suggesting that Norman had falsely taken credit and [[royalties|royalties]] for the [[James Bond Theme|''James Bond'' theme music]], which was claimed actually to have been written by [[John Barry (composer)|John Barry]]. Coupland described the article as "blatantly untrue"; Norman was awarded £30,000.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/news/2006/11/11/db1102.xml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071021050152/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/news/2006/11/11/db1102.xml |url-status=dead |archive-date=21 October 2007 |title=Diana Coupland |newspaper=Telegraph |date=11 November 2006 |location=London}}</ref>


She married Marc Miller, a producer, in 1980. Coupland, who was a patron of National Lupus UK, died at the [[University Hospital Coventry|University Hospital]] in [[Coventry]] in November 2006, aged 78, after failing to recover following an operation to resolve long-term heart problems.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6136408.stm |title=Actress Diana Coupland dies at 74 |date=10 November 2006 |work=BBC News |publisher=BBC |accessdate=9 January 2012}}</ref>
She married Marc Miller, a producer, in 1980. Coupland, who was a patron of National Lupus UK, died at the [[University Hospital Coventry|University Hospital]] in [[Coventry|Coventry]] in November 2006, aged 78, after failing to recover following an operation to resolve long-term heart problems.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6136408.stm |title=Actress Diana Coupland dies at 74 |date=10 November 2006 |work=BBC News |publisher=BBC |accessdate=9 January 2012}}</ref>


==Filmography==
==Filmography==
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! Notes
! Notes
|-
|-
|1953|| ''[[Flannelfoot]]'' || The Singer ||
|1953|| ''[[Flannelfoot|Flannelfoot]]'' || The Singer ||
|-
|-
|1960|| ''[[The Millionairess]]'' || Nurse ||
|1960|| ''[[The Millionairess|The Millionairess]]'' || Nurse ||
|-
|-
|1966|| ''[[The Family Way]]'' || Mrs. Ross ||
|1966|| ''[[The Family Way|The Family Way]]'' || Mrs. Ross ||
|-
|-
|1968|| ''[[Charlie Bubbles]]'' || Maud ||
|1968|| ''[[Charlie Bubbles|Charlie Bubbles]]'' || Maud ||
|-
|-
|1970|| ''[[Spring and Port Wine]]'' || Daisy Crompton ||
|1970|| ''[[Spring and Port Wine|Spring and Port Wine]]'' || Daisy Crompton ||
|-
|-
|1970|| ''[[The Twelve Chairs (1970 film)|The Twelve Chairs]]'' || Madam Bruns ||
|1970|| ''[[The Twelve Chairs (1970 film)|The Twelve Chairs]]'' || Madam Bruns ||
|-
|-
|1970|| ''[[The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer]]'' || Mrs. Spimm ||
|1970|| ''[[The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer|The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer]]'' || Mrs. Spimm ||
|-
|-
|1972|| ''[[Bless This House (film)|Bless This House]]'' || Jean Abbot ||
|1972|| ''[[Bless This House (film)|Bless This House]]'' || Jean Abbot ||
|-
|-
|1973|| ''[[The Best Pair of Legs in the Business]]'' || Mary Sheridan ||
|1973|| ''[[The Best Pair of Legs in the Business|The Best Pair of Legs in the Business]]'' || Mary Sheridan ||
|-
|-
|1975|| ''[[Operation Daybreak]]'' || Aunt Marie ||
|1975|| ''[[Operation Daybreak|Operation Daybreak]]'' || Aunt Marie ||
|-
|-
|2001|| ''[[Another Life (2001 film)|Another Life]]'' || Mrs. Lester ||
|2001|| ''[[Another Life (2001 film)|Another Life]]'' || Mrs. Lester ||
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==External links==
==External links==
*{{IMDb name|id=0183646|name=Diana Coupland}}
*{{IMDb name|id=0183646|name=Diana Coupland}}
==Obituaries==
*[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6136408.stm BBC News - Actress Diana Coupland dies at 74]
*[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6136408.stm BBC News - Actress Diana Coupland dies at 74]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20071021050152/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/news/2006/11/11/db1102.xml ''The Daily Telegraph'' Obituary]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20071021050152/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/news/2006/11/11/db1102.xml ''The Daily Telegraph'' Obituary]
*[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,60-2451001.html ''The Times'' Obituary]
*[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,60-2451001.html ''The Times'' Obituary]


{{Authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Coupland, Diana}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coupland, Diana}}

Latest revision as of 16:04, 13 April 2023

Diana Coupland
Diana Coupland.jpg
Coupland c. 1973
Born
Betty Diana Coupland

(1928-03-05)5 March 1928
Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire, England
Died10 November 2006(2006-11-10) (aged 78)
Coventry, England
OccupationActress
Years active1943–2006
Spouses
​
​
(m. 1956; div. 1975)​
Marc Miller
​
(m. 1980)​
Children1

Betty Diana Coupland (5 March 1928[1] – 10 November 2006), billed as Diana Coupland, was an English actress, best remembered for her role in the sitcom Bless This House, as Jean Abbott, the wife of Sid James character Sid, which she played from 1971 to 1976.

Early life

Coupland was born in Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire in 1928, the only child of Elsie (née Beck) and Denis Coupland. She originally wanted to be a ballet dancer but could not fulfil this ambition, owing to a horse-riding accident. Her music career began when she was 15; Barney Colehan, a BBC producer, heard her sing and invited her onto one of his radio shows.[2] By the time she reached the age of 18, she was singing full-time at the Mecca Locarno in Leeds, and the following year, moved to London with her parents, where she became a resident singer at Mecca's Tottenham Court Road ballroom. Coupland became a leading singer of the 1940s and 1950s, working at the Dorchester Hotel and the Savoy Hotel.

Career

Coupland serenades the opening scene of the film Flannelfoot (1953) in which she featured as a nightclub singer. In 1959, she was unexpectedly cast by Joan Littlewood as Sally in the Theatre Workshop musical Make Me An Offer, and soon appeared in West End shows such as Gigi and Not Now.[2]

She made her television debut in a 1961 episode of Emergency – Ward 10. Her other early roles were in Dixon of Dock Green, The Wednesday Play, Softly, Softly and Z-Cars. After playing a mother in Please Sir! and the Siberian wife in Mel Brooks's film The Twelve Chairs (1970), she was cast as Jean Abbott, the long-suffering wife of Sid James's character, in Bless This House, which began its run in February 1971. She reprised the role in the 1972 feature film, and continued in the role until James died in 1976. She appeared in several other films, including The Millionairess (1960), The Family Way (1966), Charlie Bubbles (1967), Spring and Port Wine (1970), The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer (1970), The Best Pair of Legs in the Business (1972) and Operation Daybreak (1975).

She also dubbed the singing voices of actresses who could not sing, including Lana Turner in Betrayed, and was the playback singer for Ursula Andreas's dubbed performance of the song "Underneath the Mango Tree" in the first James Bond film Dr. No.[3] She gave up professional singing in the 1960s.

During the late 1970s and 1980s, Coupland appeared in Wilde Alliance, Triangle, Dickens of London and Juliet Bravo. Her casting in Triangle occurred after the death of the actor originally due to play the owner of the shipping line. She had been on the set with her husband, a director on the programme, and was offered the part. She appeared in an episode of One Foot in the Grave in 1992, and in 2000 had a six-week role as Maureen Carter in EastEnders. Following this, Coupland appeared in Doctors, Casualty and in 2005 Rose and Maloney, her final television appearance.

Personal life

Coupland married twice. She and her first husband, composer Monty Norman, divorced after 20 years of marriage, having had one daughter.[4] In 2001, she gave evidence in a High Court case after her former husband sued The Sunday Times following a 1997 article suggesting that Norman had falsely taken credit and royalties for the James Bond theme music, which was claimed actually to have been written by John Barry. Coupland described the article as "blatantly untrue"; Norman was awarded £30,000.[5]

She married Marc Miller, a producer, in 1980. Coupland, who was a patron of National Lupus UK, died at the University Hospital in Coventry in November 2006, aged 78, after failing to recover following an operation to resolve long-term heart problems.[6]

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1953 Flannelfoot The Singer
1960 The Millionairess Nurse
1966 The Family Way Mrs. Ross
1968 Charlie Bubbles Maud
1970 Spring and Port Wine Daisy Crompton
1970 The Twelve Chairs Madam Bruns
1970 The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer Mrs. Spimm
1972 Bless This House Jean Abbot
1973 The Best Pair of Legs in the Business Mary Sheridan
1975 Operation Daybreak Aunt Marie
2001 Another Life Mrs. Lester

Footnotes

  1. ^ "FreeBMD birth record". Retrieved 2021-03-21.
  2. ^ a b "Diana Coupland". Telegraph. London. 11 November 2006. Archived from the original on 21 October 2007.
  3. ^ Jon Burlingame, The Music of James Bond, page 10, Oxford University Press, 2014
  4. ^ "Diana Coupland". The Times. London. 13 November 2006.
  5. ^ "Diana Coupland". Telegraph. London. 11 November 2006. Archived from the original on 21 October 2007.
  6. ^ "Actress Diana Coupland dies at 74". BBC News. BBC. 10 November 2006. Retrieved 9 January 2012.

External links

Obituaries

Retrieved from "https://www.thegoonshow.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Diana_Coupland&oldid=46929"