Topsy Jane: Difference between revisions
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She was born as Topsy Jane Legge in [[Edgbaston]] in 1938, the daughter of Harry Legge.<ref name=Music/> Initially she trained as a children's nurse, but while appearing in amateur theatre she realised she had a talent for acting. Her television and film roles included: Rosie in ''The Fanatics'' (1960); Dame Pliant in the TV movie ''The Alchemist'' 1961); Peggy in ''[[The Wind of Change (film)|The Wind of Change]]'' (1961); Con in the TV movie ''Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring'' (1961); Céline in ''[[Maigret (1960 TV series)|Maigret]]'' (1961); Stella Fairly in ''[[A Chance of Thunder]]'' (1961); in ''Shadow Play'' (1961); Amanda opposite [[Edith Evans]] in the BBC TV movie ''Time Remembered'' (1961); Mavis Wayne in ''[ [Emergency Ward 10]]'' (1962); Jane in ''[[Crying Down the Lane]]'' (1962); Audrey in ''[[The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (film)|The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner]]'' (1962); Mona in ''[[Mix Me a Person]]'' (1962); Shirley in ''Trevor'' (1964); Jean Watts in ''John Paddington'' (1965), and Daphne Dawson in ''[[United!]]'' (1965).<ref>[https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2ba57e4582 Filmography of Topsy Jane], [[British Film Institute]] (BFI) database</ref> |
She was born as Topsy Jane Legge in [[Edgbaston]] in 1938, the daughter of Harry Legge.<ref name=Music/> Initially she trained as a children's nurse, but while appearing in amateur theatre she realised she had a talent for acting. Her television and film roles included: Rosie in ''The Fanatics'' (1960); Dame Pliant in the TV movie ''The Alchemist'' 1961); Peggy in ''[[The Wind of Change (film)|The Wind of Change]]'' (1961); Con in the TV movie ''Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring'' (1961); Céline in ''[[Maigret (1960 TV series)|Maigret]]'' (1961); Stella Fairly in ''[[A Chance of Thunder]]'' (1961); in ''Shadow Play'' (1961); Amanda opposite [[Edith Evans]] in the BBC TV movie ''Time Remembered'' (1961); Mavis Wayne in ''[ [Emergency Ward 10]]'' (1962); Jane in ''[[Crying Down the Lane]]'' (1962); Audrey in ''[[The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (film)|The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner]]'' (1962); Mona in ''[[Mix Me a Person]]'' (1962); Shirley in ''Trevor'' (1964); Jean Watts in ''John Paddington'' (1965), and Daphne Dawson in ''[[United!]]'' (1965).<ref>[https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2ba57e4582 Filmography of Topsy Jane], [[British Film Institute]] (BFI) database</ref> |
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In 1963 she married [[Tony Garnett]], whom she met aged 15<ref name=Guardian>Moorhead, Joanna. [https://amp.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/jul/02/tony-garnett-cathy-come-home-kes-backstreet-abortion-destroyed-my-family Tony Garnett: The backstreet abortion that destroyed my family], ''[[The Guardian]]'', 2 July 2016</ref> while performing in amateur theatre at Highbury Little Theatre in [[Sutton Coldfield]]. They had a son, Will, and later divorced. She died of lung cancer in her native [[Edgbaston]] in 2014.<ref name=Music/> |
In 1963 she married [[Tony Garnett]], whom she met aged 15<ref name=Guardian>Moorhead, Joanna. [https://amp.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/jul/02/tony-garnett-cathy-come-home-kes-backstreet-abortion-destroyed-my-family Tony Garnett: The backstreet abortion that destroyed my family], ''[[The Guardian]]'', 2 July 2016</ref> while performing in amateur theatre at [[Highbury Theatre|Highbury Little Theatre]] in [[Sutton Coldfield]]. They had a son, Will, and later divorced. She died of lung cancer in her native [[Edgbaston]] in 2014.<ref name=Music/> |
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==Illness== |
==Illness== |
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Topsy Jane Legge (2 December 1938–4 January 2014) was a British actress of the 1960s. She was cast as Liz (the role eventually played by Julie Christie in the 1963 film Billy Liar but was forced to pull out owing to mental health issues.[1][2]
She was born as Topsy Jane Legge in Edgbaston in 1938, the daughter of Harry Legge.[1] Initially she trained as a children's nurse, but while appearing in amateur theatre she realised she had a talent for acting. Her television and film roles included: Rosie in The Fanatics (1960); Dame Pliant in the TV movie The Alchemist 1961); Peggy in The Wind of Change (1961); Con in the TV movie Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring (1961); Céline in Maigret (1961); Stella Fairly in A Chance of Thunder (1961); in Shadow Play (1961); Amanda opposite Edith Evans in the BBC TV movie Time Remembered (1961); Mavis Wayne in [ [Emergency Ward 10]] (1962); Jane in Crying Down the Lane (1962); Audrey in The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962); Mona in Mix Me a Person (1962); Shirley in Trevor (1964); Jean Watts in John Paddington (1965), and Daphne Dawson in United! (1965).[3]
In 1963 she married Tony Garnett, whom she met aged 15[4] while performing in amateur theatre at Highbury Little Theatre in Sutton Coldfield. They had a son, Will, and later divorced. She died of lung cancer in her native Edgbaston in 2014.[1]
Illness
Garnett, in his autobiography The Day the Music Died (2016), relates how Topsy Jane returned several weeks after filming for film Billy Liar commenced: "... unrecognisable. Fat, dishevelled, her hair lank, she walked and talked in slow motion. She only vaguely reminded me of my Topsy. I called Robin Fox, our agent, who said that John Schlesinger had sacked her and recast with Julie Christie because the camera could read nothing in Topsy. Her eyes were dead."[1] Her illness, from which she never fully recovered, seems to have been some form of schizophrenically-induced torpor.[2] She received electroconvulsive therapy and drugs which produced a "functional lobotomy". They later divorced.[4]
References
- ^ a b c d Garnett, Tony. The Day the Music Died, Little Brown Book Group (2016), Google Books
- ^ a b Benn, Melissa. Twice bottled grief: the defiant life of Tony Garnett, The New Statesman, 15 August 2016 (subscription required)
- ^ Filmography of Topsy Jane, British Film Institute (BFI) database
- ^ a b Moorhead, Joanna. Tony Garnett: The backstreet abortion that destroyed my family, The Guardian, 2 July 2016
External links
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