Vivienne Drummond

Vivienne Drummond (1927-1987) was a stage and film actress. (Her name wrongly spelled Vivien Drummond in some sources.)

Born in Pretoria, South Africa, and died on October 11, 1987 in England. Her husband, Alan J. Sharland, donated her papers to the Strange Library of Africana in Johannesburg.

She started her professional career with the National Theatre Organisation’s English touring company throughout 1948 and worked for them for a number of years.

She won renown for her performance in the title role in Peter Pan (1951). In 1952 starred in Ben Jonson’s Volpone (directed by Leonard Schach) and Aristophanes’s Lysistrata (directed by Leon Gluckman) for NTO.

Performed in Veronica's Room (for which she won a Best Actress Award) and in Home at Seven (at the Brooke Theatre).

Among her later roles have been "Princess Kosmonopolis" in Williams's Sweet Bird of Youth (Fleur du Cap Theatre Award, Best Actress, 1978), ** Eventually allowed alcohol to ruin her career and destroy her life [?*]. She starred in A Month in the Country, which Leonard Schach directed for PACT at the Alexander Theatre in 1969. It also starred Erica Rogers, Kerry Jordan and Siegfried Mynhardt. She starred in Rex Garner’s production of The Lionel Touch for The Academy Theatre of Laughter at the Alexander Theatre in 1971. It also starred Joe Stewardson, Kenneth Baker and Diane Appleby. She starred in Brian Brooke’s Any Wednesday with Victor Melleney and Helen Cotterill for the Brian Brooke Company in 1973 and in Children of the Wolf for PACT in the same year. Together with Brian Brooke she starred in Home at Seven which was staged at the Brooke Theatre in 1977. In 1981 she played Helen Hanff in 84 Charing Cross Road.

She would later do a great deal of stage and film work abroad, including a number of key plays at the Royal Court Theatre (.e.g The Entertainer, Look Back in Anger, The Member of the Wedding and The Apollo of Bellac), and Simon and Laura in the West End with Carol Browne in and Summertime with Dirk Bogarde in  Did Look Back in Anger on Broadway (1957).

Her 17 film and TV roles included Zulu Dawn (1979), Golden Rendezvous (1977) ; Money-Go-Round (a short, 1967) and The Gentle Touch (1956);  Simon and Laura (TV Movie, 1955)

TV roles in a number of TV series including Emergency-Ward 10 (1962 ); The Avengers ("The White Dwarf", 1963); Espionage ("A Free Agent", 1964); Theatre 625 ("The Fanatics",  1968); Gazette ("Exposure", 1968); The Expert ("A Family Affair", 1969) Rosemary Andrews - Episode #1.546 (1962) ... Rosemary Andrews

- Episode #1.545 (1962) ... Rosemary Andrews

- Episode #1.543 (1962) ... Rosemary Andrews

- Episode #1.541 (1962) ... Rosemary Andrews

- Episode #1.540 (1962) ... Rosemary Andrews

Show all 6 episodes

1962 Out of This World (TV Series) Maxine - Immigrant (1962) ... Maxine

1961 Top Secret (TV Series) Mariana - The Disappearing Trick (1961) ... Mariana

1956-1961 ITV Play of the Week (TV Series) Monique / Miss Kelly / Valentine Renaud / ... - Faraway Music (1961) ... Monique

- Fairy Tales of New York (1961) ... Miss Kelly

- The Traveller Without Luggage (1959) ... Valentine Renaud

- Look Back in Anger (1956) ... Helena Charles

1960 Armchair Theatre (TV Series) Sylvia Cintos - Guardian Angel (1960) ... Sylvia Cintos

1960 The Four Just Men (TV Series) Mrs. Fellows - The Discovery (1960) ... Mrs. Fellows

1958 BBC Sunday-Night Theatre (TV Series) Helena - A Midsummer Night's Dream (1958) ... Helena

1956 The Gentle Touch Second-year Nurse

1955 Simon and Laura (TV Movie) Miss Mills

http://rgreenroom.wikidot.com/lyceum-1957

(Tucker, 1997)

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Vivienne Drummond (****-****) is an actress. (Her name wrongly spelled Vivien Drummond in some sources.)

Toured with the National Theatre Organisation’s English touring company throughout 1948.

In 1952 starred in Ben Jonson’s Volpone (directed by Leonard Schach) and Aristophanes’s Lysistrata (directed by Leon Gluckman) for NTO.

Performed in Veronica's Room (for which she won a Best Actress Award) and in Home at Seven (at the Brooke Theatre).

Among her later roles have been "Princess Kosmonopolis" in Williams's Sweet Bird of Youth (Fleur du Cap Theatre Award, Best Actress, 1978), ** Eventually allowed alcohol to ruin her career and destroy her life [?*]. She starred in A Month in the Country, which Leonard Schach directed for PACT at the Alexander Theatre in 1969. It also starred Erica Rogers, Kerry Jordan and Siegfried Mynhardt. She starred in Rex Garner’s production of The Lionel Touch for The Academy Theatre of Laughter at the Alexander Theatre in 1971.It also starred Joe Stewardson, Kenneth Baker and Diane Appleby. She starred in Brian Brooke’s Any Wednesday with Victor Melleney and Helen Cotterill for the Brian Brooke Company in 1973. Together with Brian Brooke she starred in Home at Seven which was staged at the Brooke Theatre in 1977. (Tucker, 1997)

[GH, SH]

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Return to ESAT Personalities D

Return to South African Theatre Personalities

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