Heather Lloyd-Jones
Heather Lloyd-Jones (1935-2004) was a South African actress, dancer and singer.
Contents
Biography
Heather Lloyd-Jones was born in Grahamstown on 16 September 1935 to Sydney Lloyd-Jones and Phyllis Rautenbach. She was married twice, first in June 1960 to ballet dancer and choreographer Frank Staff and then, in 1966, to Norman Westcott. Both marriages ended in divorce. She retired from the stage in 1974 and subsequently opened an antiques shop in Parkhurst, Johannesburg. She died in January 2004, survived by her sons Nicholas and Warren.
Contribution to SA theatre, film, media and/or performance
Heather joined the Brian Brooke Company as an assistant stage manager and then rocketed to success in two Broadway hits, The Seven-Year Itch and Teahouse of the August Moon, both staged at the Brooke Theatre, and both directed by Michael Finlayson during 1955. Leon Gluckman directed Heather Lloyd-Jones in Romanoff and Juliet at the Reps in 1958. She starred in Leonard Schach’s Cockpit Players production of Basil Warner’s Try for White, in Cape Town circa 1959. It later opened at the Pretoria Opera House before moving to the Intimate Theatre for the remainder of their highly successful Johannesburg run. It also starred Nigel Hawthorne, Zoë Randall , Michael Turner, Marjorie Gordon and Minna Millsten. She starred in Thornton Wilder’s, The Matchmaker, which was staged by Leonard Schach’s Cockpit Players in 1959. This enduring show, also starring Marjorie Gordon as Dolly Levi, Nigel Hawthorne, Michael McGovern, Robert Haber and John McKelvey, became the musical Hello, Dolly!.
She enjoyed a trio of hits at the Brooke Theatre in 1959 – the comedies Champagne Complex and The Moon is Blue, and the comedy-drama Two for the Seesaw. She starred in the hit musical comedy Irma la Douce, staged by the Brian Brooke Company in 1960. Frank Staff did the choreography for this musical starring Siegfried Mynhardt, John Whiteley and Robert Haber. It toured all the major cities and the Rhodesias. She starred in Monte Doyle’s Time to Kill which was the first production at the Reps for 1961. It also starred British actor Brian Haines. She starred in Brian Brooke’s commercial hit The Sound of Music, which was staged at the Brooke Theatre in 1963. She starred in Brian Brooke’s Mary, Mary, which was staged at the Brooke in 1963. It also starred John Hayter and Shirley Firth.
She starred in Ronald Millar’s Abelard and Helöise for Pieter Toerien at the Civic in 1971 and in Jerome Chodorov’s A Community of Two, directed by Chodorov at the Intimate Theatre in 1974. Together with Joe Stewardson she starred in Night of January 16th at His Majesty's Theatre in 1977.
Film & Television Credits
1955 – Rogue Elephant (Episode of By an African Camp Fire) (Director: Darcy Conyers), 1956 – Where Are You Driving, Mrs. Dean? (Director: Alf Kjellin), 1957 – The Great City (Episode of Armchair Theatre) (Director: Rosemary Hill), 1957 – The Alibi (Episode of Web) (Director: Quentin Lawrence).
Sources
Tucker, 1997.
Obituary written by Mary Jordan, Business Day 2 February 2004.
Various entries in the NELM catalogue.
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