Ann Emery (12 March 1930 – 28 September 2016) was a British actress.

Early life and education

Educated at Mrs Smith's School for Young Ladies and the Cone Ripman School, Emery excelled in

tap dancing Tap dance (or tap) is a form of dance that uses the sounds of tap shoes striking the floor as a form of percussion; it is often accompanied by music. Tap dancing can also be performed with no musical accompaniment; the sound of the taps is its ow ...

, which led to her first stage role as a Babe in ''

Babes in the Wood Babes in the Wood is a traditional English children's tale, as well as a popular pantomime subject. It has also been the name of some other unrelated works. The expression has passed into common language, referring to inexperienced innocents ent ...

'' at King's Theatre.

Career

Theatre

Emery had a long stage career that culminated in the creation of the role of Grandma in ''

Billy Elliot the Musical ''Billy Elliot: The Musical'' is a Coming-of-age story, coming-of-age stage musical based on the Billy Elliot, 2000 film of the same name. The music is by Elton John, and the book and lyrics are by Lee Hall (playwright), Lee Hall, who wrote th ...

''. Reviewing the musical in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', Michael Billington noted, "... when Ann Emery, as Billy's gran, sings of her sour memories of her husband, we get on the other side of the stage a collective demonstration of the slow movements of the inebriated working-class male. It is the kind of effect that can only be achieved in a musical." Emery stayed with the production for five years until 2010. She appears on the Original London Cast Recording of the show, as well as a live-streamed performance of the show that was subsequently released on DVD. Following an appearance in ''

Betty Blue Eyes ''Betty Blue Eyes'' is a 2011 stage musical comedy based on the 1984 film ''A Private Function'', and features music by George Stiles, with lyrics by Anthony Drewe. The book was written for the stage by Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman, adapted from ...

'', Emery returned to the role of Grandma, which she played until 8 November 2014, when she retired, aged 84. In 1969, she appeared as Miss Meadows in Brer Rabbit and Uncle Remus at the Intimate Theatre, London. In 1975, she performed in a production of ''Oh What A Lovely War!'' at the Greenwood Theatre, Southwark. From 1983 until 1986, she played Jennyanydots in the London production of ''

Cats The cat (''Felis catus''), also referred to as the domestic cat or house cat, is a small domesticated carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species of the family Felidae. Advances in archaeology and genetics have shown that the ...

''. In 1992, she appeared in the national tour of the

Kander and Ebb Kander and Ebb were a highly successful American songwriting team consisting of composer John Kander (born March 18, 1927) and lyricist Fred Ebb (April 8, 1928 – September 11, 2004). Known primarily for their stage musical theatre, musicals, whi ...

musical ''70 Girls 70'' with

Dora Bryan Dora May Broadbent (7 February 1923 – 23 July 2014), known as Dora Bryan, was an English actress of stage, film and television.Into the Woods ''Into the Woods'' is a 1986 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. The musical intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tales, exploring the consequences of the characters' wishes and quests. T ...

''. In 1996, she was part of the original London cast of ''

Martin Guerre Martin Guerre (), a French peasant of the 16th century, was at the centre of a famous case of imposture. Several years after Martin Guerre had left his wife, child and village, a man claiming to be him appeared. He lived with Guerre's wife a ...

'', and in 2000, she was in the company of the original London production of ''Hard Times the Musical,'' featuring on the recordings of both productions. In 1998, she performed in '' Hey, Mr Producer!'' a charity concert celebrating the career of Cameron Mackintosh which was released as an album and video. She played Mrs Hopkins and understudied

Patsy Rowlands Patricia Amy Rowlands (19 January 1931 – 22 January 2005) was an English actress who is best remembered for her roles in the ''Carry On'' films series, as Betty Lewis in the ITV Thames sitcom '' Bless This House'', and as Alice Meredith ...

as Mrs Pearce in

Trevor Nunn Sir Trevor Robert Nunn (born 14 January 1940) is an English theatre director and lyricist. He has been the artistic director for the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal National Theatre, and, currently, the Theatre Royal Haymarket. He has dir ...

's 2001 production of ''

My Fair Lady ''My Fair Lady'' is a musical theatre, musical with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story, based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play ''Pygmalion (play), Pygmalion'' and on the Pygmalion (1938 film), 1938 film ...

'' (

Royal National Theatre The National Theatre (NT), officially the Royal National Theatre and sometimes referred to in international contexts as the National Theatre of Great Britain, is a performing arts venue and associated theatre company located in London, England, ...

and the

Theatre Royal, Drury Lane The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and listed building, Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) an ...

). From April to September 2011, she played "Mother Dear" in

Cameron Mackintosh Sir Cameron Anthony Mackintosh (born 17 October 1946) is a British theatrical producer and theatre owner notable for his association with many commercially successful musicals. At the height of his success in 1990, he was described as being "t ...

's production of ''

'' at the

Novello Theatre The Novello Theatre is a West End theatre on Aldwych, in the City of Westminster. It was known as the Strand Theatre between 1913 and 2005. History The theatre was built as one of a pair with the Aldwych Theatre on either side of The Waldo ...

. It was based on the 1984 film ''

A Private Function ''A Private Function'' is a 1984 British comedy film starring Michael Palin and Maggie Smith. The film was predominantly filmed in Ilkley and Ben Rhydding in West Yorkshire. The film was also screened in the section of Un Certain Regard at the ...

'' by

Alan Bennett Alan Bennett (born 9 May 1934) is an English actor, author, playwright and screenwriter. He has received numerous awards and honours including four BAFTA Awards, four Laurence Olivier Awards, and two Tony Awards. In 2005 he received the Socie ...

and

Malcolm Mowbray Malcolm Mowbray (24 June 1949 – 23 June 2023) was a British screenwriter and director who worked in film and television. Background Mowbray was born in Knebworth, Hertfordshire. His father was a dentist. He attended Sherrardswood School, Rave ...

Television and film

Emery is possibly best known for playing Ethel Meaker in the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

children's television Children's television series (or children's television shows) are Television show, television programs designed specifically for Child, children. They are typically characterised by easy-going content devoid of sensitive or adult themes and are ...

programme ''

Rentaghost ''Rentaghost'' is a British children's television comedy show, originally broadcast by the BBC between 6 January 1976 and 6 November 1984. The show's plot centred on the antics of a number of ghosts who worked for a firm called Rentaghost, which ...

''. She played Ethel Rocket in '' Julia Jekyll and Harriet Hyde'' in 1995 and appeared in the 2007 film ''

Wednesday Wednesday is the day of the week between Tuesday and Thursday. According to international standard ISO 8601, it is the third day of the week. In English, the name is derived from Old English and Middle English , 'day of Woden', reflecting ...

''. In 1999, she played a cleaner in the first episode of '' Miami 7'', the first series featuring the pop group

S Club 7 S Club, formerly known as S Club 7, are a British pop group formed in 1998 by Simon Fuller after he was fired as manager of the Spice Girls. Original members were Tina Barrett, Paul Cattermole, Jon Lee, Bradley McIntosh, Jo O'Meara, Ha ...

, in which she appeared attempting to dance to one of the group's songs as they rehearsed in the opening scene.

Personal life

Emery was the half-sister of actor and comedian

Dick Emery Richard Gilbert Emery (19 February 19152 January 1983) was an English comedian and comic actor. His broadcasting career began on radio in the 1950s, and his self-titled television series ran from 1963 to 1981. Life and career Richard Gilbert Emer ...

. In 2010, she received a lifetime achievement award from the British Music Hall Society. Emery announced her retirement in 2015. She died on 28 September 2016, aged 86, two years to the day after the performance of ''Billy Elliot'' that was live streamed to cinemas, and subsequently put on DVD as ''Billy Live''.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

Ann Emery profile
bfi.org.uk; accessed 1 November 2016. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Emery, Ann 1930 births 2016 deaths British actresses