© Copyright Harutyunyan 2024

sunfilm-logo
Home/Rosalind Knight
Rosalind Knight‌

Gender

Female

Birthday

calendar1933-12-03

Popularity

star6.3

Rosalind Knight

Marylebone, London, England, UK

Rosalind Knight

Marylebone, London, England, UK

Gender

Female

Birthday

calendar1933-12-03

Popularity

star6.3

Biography

Born in Marylebone, London, versatile character actress Rosalind Marie Knight was born to theatrical parentage. Her father was the accomplished thespian Esmond Knight. Her mother, the comedienne Frances Clare, often featured in Ivor Novello operettas. Rosalind's interest in theatre was first kindled at the age of six when she and her mother attended a staging of Novello's "The Dancing Years" at Drury Lane. Rosalind was evacuated to the countryside with her nanny during the war years. In 1949, she accompanied her father to the Old Vic Theatre and became enthralled by a production of "The Snow Queen", primarily performed by drama school novices. The following year she won an audition and spent two years at the Old Vic Theatre School. This was succeeded by a lengthy apprenticeship in repertory which led to her gaining further experience as assistant stage manager for the West of England Theatre Company, the Midland Theatre Company in Coventry and the Piccolo Theatre Company in Manchester. In 1955, she made her first impact on screen as a lady-in-waiting in Laurence Olivier's Richard III (1955), which also featured her father in the cast. A year later, having come to the attention of a movie producer, she played Annabel, one of the schoolgirls, in Blue Murder at St. Trinian's (1957) (decades later, she would return as a teacher in the sequel The Wildcats of St. Trinian's (1980)). This set the tone for a number of subsequent comedic roles which included a couple of early Carry On's and the Tony Richardson-directed Tom Jones (1963), in which she played the giddy Mrs. Harriet Fitzpatrick. While doing the Carry On films she was not under any form of contract and was paid a mere $50 a week. In 1957, Rosalind joined her father in an early BBC adaptation of Nicholas Nickleby (1957) as the spiteful Fanny Squeers. In a later miniseries based on Charles Dickens, Martin Chuzzlewit (1964), she was a splendidly shrewish Charity Pecksniff. During her prolific career, Rosalind relished every opportunity to portray a diverse range of characters, good and bad, from servants to princesses (Alice of Battenberg in The Crown (2016)) to old maids (Aspasia Fitzgibbon in The Pallisers (1974)) to wealthy socialites (Margot Asquith in Nancy Astor (1982)) and unpleasant aristocratic dowagers (Daphne Winkworth in Jeeves and Wooster (1990)). She even essayed a retired prostitute turned landlady in the sitcom Gimme Gimme Gimme (1999). In addition to a staple of period dramas she guested in numerous episodic TV dramas, including Poirot (1989), Dalziel and Pascoe (1996), Heartbeat (1992), Marple (2004), Midsomer Murders (1997) and Sherlock (2010). All the while, she remained heavily engaged in theatrical work with the Old Vic, The Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Court Theatre, her last appearance being the strict, incorruptible governess Mrs. Prism in Shaw's "The Importance of Being Earnest". Rosalind was married to director/producer Michael Elliott from 1959. In 1976, she helped rebuild and re-open the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester, of which her husband was involved as one of five artistic directors. She was also a patron of the Actor's Centre in London and the Ladies' Theatrical Guild (a charity founded in 1891). Rosalind Knight continued to perform as an actress right up to her death on December 19 2020, at the age of 87.

Movie Credits

About a Boy

About a Boy‌
star6.7
calendar 2002

The Lady Vanishes

The Lady Vanishes‌
star6.0
calendar 1979

Carry On Teacher

Carry On Teacher‌
star6.2
calendar 1959

Royal Celebration

Royal Celebration‌
star6.0
calendar 1993

That's Carry On!

That's Carry On!‌
star5.7
calendar 1977

Start the Revolution Without Me

Start the Revolution Without Me‌
star5.8
calendar 1970

There Was a Crooked Man

There Was a Crooked Man‌
star6.0
calendar 1960

Eskimo Nell

Eskimo Nell‌
star3.9
calendar 1975

The Old Curiosity Shop

The Old Curiosity Shop‌
star4.0
calendar 1975

Carry On Nurse

Carry On Nurse‌
star6.3
calendar 1959

Friday Night Dinner: 10 Years and a Lovely Bit of Squirrel

Friday Night Dinner: 10 Years and a Lovely Bit of Squirrel‌
star7.8
calendar 2021

Swords at Teatime

Swords at Teatime‌
star0.0
calendar 1992

The Alchemistic Suitcase

The Alchemistic Suitcase‌
star4.2
calendar 2009

The Lady in the Van

The Lady in the Van‌
star6.4
calendar 2015

Doctor in Love

Doctor in Love‌
star5.5
calendar 1960

As You Like It

As You Like It‌
star0.0
calendar 1963

The Wildcats of St. Trinian's

The Wildcats of St. Trinian's‌
star4.4
calendar 1980

The Shell Seekers

The Shell Seekers‌
star7.0
calendar 2007

It Could Happen to You

It Could Happen to You‌
star1.0
calendar 1976

Claws

Claws‌
star0.0
calendar 1987

Afraid of the Dark

Afraid of the Dark‌
star5.3
calendar 1991

Prick Up Your Ears

Prick Up Your Ears‌
star6.6
calendar 1987

Gunslinger's Revenge

Gunslinger's Revenge‌
star4.5
calendar 1998

Pleasure

Pleasure‌
star8.0
calendar 1994

Baby Blues

Baby Blues‌
star0.0
calendar 1973

Solitaire for 2

Solitaire for 2‌
star4.0
calendar 1995

Fortune Is a Woman

Fortune Is a Woman‌
star6.7
calendar 1957

The Kitchen

The Kitchen‌
star7.0
calendar 1961

Blue Murder at St. Trinian's

Blue Murder at St. Trinian's‌
star6.4
calendar 1957

The Lost World Cup

The Lost World Cup‌
star7.2
calendar 2011

On the Eve of Publication

On the Eve of Publication‌
star0.0
calendar 1968

Tom Jones

Tom Jones‌
star5.9
calendar 1963

The Disappearance of Harry

The Disappearance of Harry‌
star0.0
calendar 1982

Tv Credits

Midsomer Murders

Midsomer Murders‌
star7.6
calendar 1997

Wycliffe

Wycliffe‌
star6.0
calendar 1994

Jeeves and Wooster

Jeeves and Wooster‌
star8.0
calendar 1990

The Beverly Hillbillies

The Beverly Hillbillies‌
star6.9
calendar 1962

Gimme Gimme Gimme

Gimme Gimme Gimme‌
star7.0
calendar 1999

Heartbeat

Heartbeat‌
star7.0
calendar 1992

Dalziel & Pascoe

Dalziel & Pascoe‌
star6.3
calendar 1996

Up the Elephant and Round the Castle

Up the Elephant and Round the Castle‌
star5.3
calendar 1983

Nicholas Nickleby

Nicholas Nickleby‌
star0.0
calendar 1968

Within These Walls

Within These Walls‌
star5.3
calendar 1974

Agatha Christie's Poirot

Agatha Christie's Poirot‌
star8.1
calendar 1989

Nicholas Nickleby

Nicholas Nickleby‌
star0.0
calendar 1957

I Thought You'd Gone

I Thought You'd Gone‌
star0.0
calendar 1984

Martin Chuzzlewit

Martin Chuzzlewit‌
star0.0
calendar 1964

Mapp & Lucia

Mapp & Lucia‌
star4.7
calendar 1985

Friday Night Dinner

Friday Night Dinner‌
star7.8
calendar 2011

Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real Story

Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real Story‌
star6.8
calendar 2001

The Wednesday Play

The Wednesday Play‌
star4.5
calendar 1964

Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes‌
star8.0
calendar 1984

Berkeley Square

Berkeley Square‌
star7.8
calendar 1998

Sherlock

Sherlock‌
star8.5
calendar 2010

The Crown

The Crown‌
star8.2
calendar 2016

Midsomer Murders

Midsomer Murders‌
star7.6
calendar 1997

Playhouse

Playhouse‌
star7.0
calendar 1974