Georgina Hale

Georgina Hale
Hale (right) and actor Murray Melvin in 2007
Born	Georgina Hale (1943-08-04)4 August 1943 Ilford, Essex, England
Died	4 January 2024(2024-01-04) (aged 80)
Education	Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1963–2016
Spouse	John Forgeham (1964 – c. 1969)[a]
Awards	BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles

Georgina Hale (4 August 1943 – 4 January 2024) was a British actress. In a career spanning six decades, her credits include work in radio, stage, film, and television. She was the recipient of such accolades as a British Academy Film Award, in addition to a nomination for a Laurence Olivier Award. In 2010, she was listed as one of ten great British character actors by The Guardian.^[3]

Early life and education

Georgina Hale was born in Ilford, Essex, to publicans Elsie (née Fordham) and George Robert Hole. She later said that she had:

...a really bad education. I couldn't write, spell, or read, so it was a real problem, because that sort of thing wasn't acknowledged then. There was a real shame in it, and you were the dunce of the class, always getting whacked around the head. We were on the move a lot as well, so going to so many schools, always being the new girl, it was so frightening and so nerve-wracking as a kid, and it really affected me.^[4]

As a teenager, she worked as an apprentice hairdresser and studied Stanislavski's method approach to acting at a fledgling studio, the Chelsea Actors' Workshop, in London,^[5] and subsequently was accepted into the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, where she graduated in 1965.^[6]

Acting career

Stage

In 1965, Hale made her professional debut playing unnamed parts with the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1965.^[7] She appeared in repertory theatre at Canterbury, Windsor and Ipswich, then at the Playhouse in Liverpool, in 1967, where her parts included the title role in Gigi and Juliet in Romeo and Juliet. At the Thorndike Theatre in Leatherhead in October 1975, she played Eliza Doolittle in Pygmalion, followed by a portrayal of Nina in Chekhov's The Seagull at the Playhouse in July 1976, making her West End debut in the production when it transferred to the Duke of York's Theatre in August 1976.^[8] The Stage review found her performance “tender, thoughtful and charming”.^[9]

Other roles included Marie Caroline David in The Tribades (Hampstead Theatre Club, May 1978); Melanie in Boo Hoo (Open Space Theatre, July 1978); and Bobbi Michele in Neil Simon's Last of the Red Hot Lovers (Royal Exchange, Manchester, April 1979 – transferring to the Criterion Theatre in November 1979).

In 1981, Hale played the leading role of Josie in Nell Dunn's play Steaming at the Comedy Theatre in London and received a nomination for a 1981 Olivier Award.^[10] In 1982, she appeared with Annette Crosbie and Richard O'Callaghan in a production of Noël Coward's Star Quality at the Theatre Royal, Bath. In April 1983 she starred opposite Glenda Jackson and Gary Oldman in Summit Conference at the Lyric Theatre, London, playing Benito Mussolini's mistress Clara Petacci. Later that year, she starred with Colin Blakely, Jane Carr and Paul Eddington in the play Lovers Dancing, directed by Donald McWhinnie, at the Noël Coward Theatre. She followed with roles in two productions at The Old Vic: Aricia in Phédre (1984) and Crystal Allen in The Women (1985).

In 1991, Hale starred opposite Glenda Jackson in Mourning Becomes Electra by Eugene O'Neill,at the Glasgow Citizens Theatre. In 1993, she appeared in a production of Alan Ayckbourn's Absurd Person Singular at the Theatre Royal, Bath. In 1994, she appeared opposite Rupert Everett in a production of Tennessee Williams' The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore at the Glasgow Citizens Theatre. In 1997, she appeared opposite Alan Bates in Life Support by Simon Gray at the Aldwych Theatre in London. Critic Sheridan Morley wrote in The New York Times that Hale, as the bed-bound Gwen, was "supremely touching even in almost total paralysis".^[11]

Other stage appearances include The Guardsman at the Noël Coward Theatre (2000), where critic Sheridan Morley noted that Hale added "superbly timed comic support",^[12] Semi-Monde at the Lyric Theatre (2001), Britannicus and as Madame Ranevsky in The Cherry Orchard at the Glasgow Citizens Theatre (both 2002), and Chéri and Take a Chance on Me at the New End Theatre (both 2003).

Hale's final stage role was that of Nell in a production of Samuel Beckett's Endgame at the Gate Theatre, Dublin and then the Barbican Centre, London, as part of the Beckett Centenary Festival in May 2006.

Film

In 1971, Hale made her film debut as Betsy Balcombe in the historical drama Eagle in a Cage. Roger Greenspun of The New York Times noted that, at age 24, Hale displayed "a kind of mature intensity that argues for at least 30 years' experience on the stage".^[13]

Hale appeared as Alma Mahler in Ken Russell's Mahler (1974), opposite Robert Powell as Gustav Mahler. Her performance was called "excellent" by both Time Out and Radio Times, and earned her the 1975 BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles.^[14][15][16] Stephen Farber of Film Comment wrote:

Georgina Hale gives an electric performance as Alma. She is touchingly vulnerable in all the flashback sequences, while in the scenes on the train she presents a completely different side of Alma’s character-a supremely bitter, savagely sarcastic shrew. Alma’s imperious, ice-cold facade is the mask she has chiseled to conceal her frustration and disappointment over the stifling of her creative potential. The tension is palpable: We can feel the anger and pain seething beneath her sardonic exterior.^[17]

Hale also made appearances in a number of Russell's other films, with roles in The Devils (1971), The Boy Friend (1971), Lisztomania (1975), Valentino (1977), and Treasure Island (1995). Russell later referred to Hale as "an actress of such sensitivity that she can make the hair rise on your arms".^[18]

Hale played a supporting role in the romantic drama The World is Full of Married Men (1979), based on the novel of the same name by Jackie Collins. Variety noted that Hale was "effective as a laconic wife who’s come to terms with the sexcess scene".^[19]

Hale had a small role in the film The Watcher in the Woods (1980), starring Bette Davis. Hale took the role of the younger version of Davis' character largely because of her admiration for Davis.^[20]

Her other film appearances included supporting roles in Butley (1974), Sweeney 2 (1978), McVicar (1980), Castaway (1986), Preaching to the Perverted (1997), Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont (2005), and Cockneys vs Zombies (2011).

Television

Hale's television career spanned six decades. Her first major television appearances were supporting roles in plays filmed for The Wednesday Play, ITV Playhouse and ITV Play of the Week. Recurring roles in primetime series followed, first opposite Adam Faith in Budgie (1971) as his wayward wife, and then as Lili Dietrich in the miniseries The Strauss Family (1972).

In 1973, she starred in A.D.A.M. as a physically disabled woman who develops an unusual relationship with the sentient computer system that controls her home. Directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg, the drama was broadcast as part of the ITV Sunday Night Drama anthology strand. In 1975, Hale appeared in two television plays written by Simon Gray, broadcast as part of the BBC series Play for Today. These were Plaintiffs and Defendants and Two Sundays. In 1978, Hale appeared with Michael Gambon in the BBC Play of the Month adaptation of Anton Chekhov's The Seagull. In 1980, Hale portrayed Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged in the UK, in an episode of the drama series Ladykillers.

In 1990, Hale succeeded Elizabeth Estensen in the eponymous role of T-Bag, the villainous, tea-drinking sorceress in a succession of children's adventure series produced by Thames Television. Hale played the role in four series and two Christmas specials broadcast between 1990 and 1992.

In December 1992, Hale appeared in two television plays produced by Simon Curtis, broadcast as part of the anthology series Performance. These were Luigi Pirandello's Six Characters in Search of an Author and Terence Rattigan's After the Dance.

In 1994, Hale appeared in the sitcom pilot The Honeymoon's Over, written by Paul Whitehouse and Charlie Higson, broadcast as part of the Comic Asides anthology strand on BBC Two.

In 2007, Hale made a guest appearance in the crime drama The Commander. Television critic Nancy Banks-Smith noted in The Guardian that Hale "was able to do wonders with a mere sliver of a scene".^[21]

Other television appearances include guest starring roles in Upstairs, Downstairs (1975), Minder (1980), Hammer House of Horror (1980), the Doctor Who serial The Happiness Patrol (1988), One Foot in the Grave (1990), Murder Most Horrid (1994), The Bill (2002), Emmerdale (2006), Hollyoaks (2010–2011), Crime Stories (2012) and Holby City (2016).

Personal life and death

Hale married actor John Forgeham in 1964, but they later divorced.

She died on 4 January 2024, at the age of 80.^[22]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Director	Notes
1971	The Devils	Phillippe Trincant	Ken Russell
	The Boy Friend	Fay	Ken Russell
1972	Eagle in a Cage	Betsy Balcombe	Fielder Cook
1973	The Love Ban	Joyce	Ralph Thomas
1974	Mahler	Alma Mahler	Ken Russell	BAFTA Film Award for Newcomer to Leading Film Roles
	Butley	Carol Heasman	Harold Pinter
1975	Lisztomania		Ken Russell	Uncredited appearance
1976	Voyage of the Damned	Lotte Schulman	Stuart Rosenberg
1977	Valentino		Ken Russell	Uncredited appearance
1978	Sweeney 2	Switchboard Girl	Tom Clegg
1979	The World Is Full of Married Men	Lori Grossman	Robert Young
1980	The Watcher in the Woods	Young Mrs Aylwood	John Hough
	McVicar	Kate	Tom Clegg
1981	The French Lieutenant's Woman	Actress at Wrap Party	Karel Reisz
	Waiting Room	The Woman	Anwar Kawadri	Short film
1986	Castaway	Sister Saint Margaret	Nicolas Roeg
1988	Dogplant	Professor	Joe Fordham	Short film
1991	A Future in Fish	Mother	Jon East	Short film
1994	Beyond Bedlam	Sister Romulus	Vadim Jean
1995	Jackson: My Life... Your Fault	Josephine	Duncan Roy
1997	Preaching to the Perverted	Miss Wilderspin	Stuart Urban
1998	Gamal Abd El Naser	Lady Eden	Anwar Kawadri
2002	AKA	Elizabeth of Lithuania	Duncan Roy
2003	Photo Finish	Therapist	Douglas McFerran
2005	Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont	Shirley Burton	Dan Ireland
2012	Cockneys vs Zombies	Doreen	Matthias Hoene
2015	Angel	Iris	Ray Burdis

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1966	Way off Beat	Jill	The Wednesday Play
1967	Cross My Heart and Hope She'll Die	Ruth	Drama '67
	Strike Pay	Maud Wharmby	ITV Play of the Week: Stories of D.H. Lawrence
1968	The Judge	Pat Dean	ITV Playhouse
	Camille 68	Nanine	ITV Playhouse
1969	The Back of Beyond	Enid Clarke	W. Somerset Maugham (BBC series)
	Men of Iron	Mary Ann	Play of Today (BBC)
1970	Special Branch	Lisa	Episode: Love from Doris
	Menace	The Girl	episode: Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed?
1971–1972	Budgie	Jean	episodes: Brains, Dreaming of Thee, and And the Lord Taketh Away
1972	The Strauss Family	Lili Dietrich	miniseries
1973	A.D.A.M.	Jean Empson	ITV Sunday Night Theatre
	Only Make Believe	Sandra George	Play for Today (BBC)
1974	Electra	Chrysothemis	Play of the Month (BBC)
	Notorious Woman	Solange Dudevant-Sand
	Occupations	Polya
	Affairs of the Heart	Lola Skinner	episode: Adela
1975	Plaintiffs and Defendants	Joanna	Play for Today
	Two Sundays	Hilary	Play for Today
	Children of the Sun	Fran	Play for Today
	Upstairs, Downstairs	Violet Marshall	episode: An Old Flame
	Affairs of the Heart	Daisy Miller	episode: Daisy
1976	The Author of Beltraffio	Beatrice Ambient
	East Lynne	Afy Halljohn
1976-1977	Yes, Honestly	Georgina	episodes: Three's None and We've Never Sailed the Amazon, We've Never Reached Brazil
1977	The Late Wife	Andrea	ITV Sunday Night Drama
1978	The Seagull	Masha	Play of the Month
1980	Minder	Renee	episode: The Beer Hunter
	Lady Killers	Ruth Ellis	Episode: Lucky, Lucky Thirteen
	Hammer House of Horror	Stella	episode: The Mark of Satan
1981	Eden End	Lilian Kirby	Celebrity Playhouse
1987	Boon	Alison	episode: A Fistful of Pesetas
1988	Doctor Who	Daisy K	The Happiness Patrol, episodes 1, 2 and 3
	Gems	Lynne	36 episodes, series 3
	South of the Border	Joan Hartley	Episode 1.3
1989	Murder by Moonlight	Allison Quinney	TV film
1990	T-Bag and the Pearls of Wisdom	Tabatha Bag
	One Foot in the Grave	April Bluett	episode: Love and Death
	T-Bag's Christmas Ding Dong	Tabatha Bag
1991	T-Bag and the Rings of Olympus	Tabatha Bag
	Magic	Andrea Watson
	T-Bag's Christmas Turkey	Tabatha Bag
1992	The Count of Solar	Countess Solar	Screen Two
	T-Bag and the Sunstones of Montezuma	Tabatha Bag
	After the Dance	Moya Lexington	Performance
	Take off with T-Bag	Tabatha Bag
	Six Characters in Search of an Author	Leading Actress	Performance
1993	The Detectives	Irene Mazola	episode: Strangers in Paradise
1994	Murder Most Horrid	Lady Jamieson	episode: A Severe Case of Death
	The Bill	Julie Stone	episodes: Living Legend and Inquest
	The Honeymoon's Over	Norma	sitcom pilot for BBC Two
1995	Treasure Island	Mrs. Hawkins	TV film
	Crown Prosecutor	Maureen Sherman	1 episode
1998	A Rather English Marriage	Sabrina's Maid	TV film
2000	Casualty	Janet Henbury	episode: Choked
2002	Trial & Retribution	Tammy Delaney	1 episode
	The Bill	Marilyn Costello	episodes: Code of Conduct, Seeing Red, and Little White Lies
2005	Murder Investigation Team	Woman	episode: Professional
2006	Emmerdale	Beryl Chugspoke	4 episodes
2007	The Commander	Vivienne Littlewood	episode: The Devil You Know
2010–2011	Hollyoaks	Blanche Longford	7 episodes
2012	Crime Stories	Sally Woods	Episode: Family
2016	Holby City	Serephina Moore	episode: On the Ropes

Stage

Year	Title	Role	Venue
1965	The Comedy of Errors		Royal Shakespeare Theatre
1965-1966	The Jew of Malta		Aldwych Theatre
1966	The Knight of the Burning Pestle	Luce	Marlowe Theatre
	Tamburlaine	Anippe	Marlowe Theatre
1975	Pygmalion	Eliza Doolittle	Thorndike Theatre
1976	The Seagull	Nina	Duke of York's Theatre
1978	The Tribades	Marie Caroline David	Hampstead Theatre
	Boo Hoo	Melanie	Open Space Theatre
1979-1980	Last of the Red Hot Lovers	Bobbi Michele	Royal Exchange, Manchester & Criterion Theatre
1981-1982	Steaming	Josie	Theatre Royal Stratford East & Comedy Theatre
1982	Summit Conference	Clara Petacci	Lyric Theatre
	Star Quality		Theatre Royal, Bath
1983-1984	Lovers Dancing	Cheryl	Albery Theatre
1984-1985	Phèdre	Aricia	The Old Vic
1985	Copperhead	Lucille	Bush Theatre
1986-1987	The Women	Crystal Allen	The Old Vic
1988	Ear, Nose & Throat	Mavis	Theatre Royal, Brighton
1990-1991	Mourning Becomes Electra	Lavinia Mannon	Glasgow Citizens Theatre
1993-1994	Absurd Person Singular	Marion Brewster-Wright	Theatre Royal, Bath
1994	The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore	Witch of Capri	Glasgow Citizens Theatre
1997	Life Support	Gwen	Aldwych Theatre
2000	The Guardsman	Mother	Albery Theatre
2001	Semi-Monde	Suzanne Fellini	Lyric Theatre
2002	Britannicus	Albina	Glasgow Citizens Theatre
	The Cherry Orchard	Madame Ranevsky	Glasgow Citizens Theatre
2003	Chéri	Mademoiselle Poussier	New End Theatre
	Take a Chance on Me	Lorraine	New End Theatre
2006	Endgame	Nell	Gate Theatre & Barbican Centre

Accolades

Year	Award	Category	Nominated Work	Result
1975	British Academy Film Award	Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles	Mahler	Won
1981	Laurence Olivier Award	Best Comedy Performance	Steaming	Nominated

Notes

1. England and Wales Marriage Registration Index lists Hale and Forgeham's marriage as being registered in 1964.^[1] An obituary for Forgeham published by The Guardian notes his subsequent remarriage in 1970.^[2]

References

1. "England and Wales Marriage Registration Index, 1837-2005", database, FamilySearch (8 October 2014), Georgina A Hole and null, 1964; from "England & Wales Marriages, 1837-2005", database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com: 2012); citing 1964, quarter 1, vol. 5C, p. 1841, Hampstead, London, England, General Register Office, Southport, England.
2. Hayward, Anthony (13 March 2017). "John Forgeham obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
3. Younger, Kevin (3 August 2010). "Looks Familiar: 10 great British character actors". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 September 2010.
4. Cooper, Neil (5 March 2002). "Opposites Attract". Glasgow Herald. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
5. – recollections in biography, 2009, Mim Scala
6. "Student and Graduate Profiles". Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
7. Resource: Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. Photograph and cast, Comedy of Errors, May 1965 [1]
8. Who's Who in the Theatre, 17th edition (1981)
9. Smurthwaite, Nick (31 January 2024). "Georgina Hale Obituary". The Stage. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
10. "1981 Olivier Award Nominees". Olivierawards.com. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
11. Morley, Sheridan (13 August 1997). "Return of Butley in 'Life Support'". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
12. "LONDON THEATER: An 'Itch' for Nostalgia, Just for the Starstruck". The New York Times. 18 October 2000. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
13. Greenspun, Roger (10 January 1972). "'Eagle in a Cage': Exile of Napoleon Is Subject of Romance". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 January 2020.
14. "Mahler". timeout.com. 10 September 2012. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
15. "Mahler". Radio Times. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
16. "1975 Bafta Winners". bafta.org. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
17. Farber, Stephen (November 1975). "Russellmania!". Film Comment. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
18. "The Actresses Who Have Bewitched Me - Ken Russell". The Times. London. 30 August 2007. Retrieved 12 June 2009.
19. Variety Staff (January 1979). "The World Is Full of Married Men". Variety. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
20. Hough, John (2002). The Watcher in the Woods (DVD). Anchor Bay Entertainment, Walt Disney Pictures.
21. "The Weekend's TV". The Guardian. London. 9 July 2007. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
22. Hayward, Anthony (10 January 2024). "Georgina Hale obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 January 2024.

Further reading

• Who's Who in the Theatre, 17th edition, Gale (1981) ISBN 0-8103-0234-9

External links

• Georgina Hale at IMDb
• Georgina Hale discography at Discogs
• Portrait by photographer Rachel Lum

Awards and achievements
BAFTA Award
Preceded by Peter Egan for The Hireling	Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles for Mahler 1974	Succeeded by Valerie Perrine for Lenny