Diana Marilyn Quick (born 23 November 1946) is an English actress.

Early life and family background

Quick was born on 23 November 1946 in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, England. She grew up in Dartford,

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

, the third of four children. Her father was Leonard Quick, a dentist. She was educated at Dartford Grammar School for Girls, Kent. She was greatly aided by her English teacher, who encouraged her to pursue acting. She became a member of an amateur dramatic society in Crayford, Kent, while at school as well as appearing in many school productions. On leaving school, she went on in 1964 to pursue further studies at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford. Quick was the first female president of the

Oxford University Dramatic Society The Oxford University Dramatic Society (OUDS) is the principal funding body and provider of theatrical services to the many independent student productions put on by students in Oxford, England. Not all student productions at Oxford University ...

. Quick spent seven years researching a book about her paternal family's life in India, which was published in 2009 by Virago with the title ''A Tug on the Thread: From the British Raj to the British Stage''. In her book, Quick reveals that she is of mixed race (

Anglo-Indian Anglo-Indian people fall into two different groups: those with mixed Indian and British ancestry, and people of British descent born or residing in India. The latter sense is now mainly historical, but confusions can arise. The '' Oxford English ...

) descent. Her great-grandfather served 23 years in the army in India before becoming a policeman, and her great-grandmother had to flee from the

Indian Rebellion of 1857 The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the fo ...

after her father was killed.

Career

Quick is perhaps best known for the role of Lady Julia Flyte in the television production of ''

Brideshead Revisited ''Brideshead Revisited: The Sacred & Profane Memories of Captain Charles Ryder'' is a novel by English writer Evelyn Waugh, first published in 1945. It follows, from the 1920s to the early 1940s, the life and romances of the protagonist Charles ...

''. She received an Emmy and British Academy Television Awards nomination for her work. Quick has also appeared in many theatre, film and television productions. She made her stage debut in A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park, London, in 1959. She has appeared in many stage productions in the United Kingdom and the United States, including The Rivals (1965), Hedda Gabler (1968), Measure for Measure (1970), The School for Scandal (1972), Hay Fever (1973), The Duchess of Malfi (1975), Saint Joan (1977), The Skin of Our Teeth (1981), and The Good Person of Szechwan (1984). Other stage work has included roles in Shakespeare's ''

Troilus and Cressida ''Troilus and Cressida'' ( or ) is a play by William Shakespeare, probably written in 1602. At Troy during the Trojan War, Troilus and Cressida begin a love affair. Cressida is forced to leave Troy to join her father in the Greek camp. Meanwh ...

'' and Brecht's ''

The Threepenny Opera ''The Threepenny Opera'' ( ) is a " play with music" by Bertolt Brecht, adapted from a translation by Elisabeth Hauptmann of John Gay's 18th-century English ballad opera, '' The Beggar's Opera'', and four ballads by François Villon, with mu ...

''. In 2009, she portrayed Queen Elizabeth II in " How Do You Solve a Problem Like Camilla?", an episode of the television documentary drama ''

The Queen In the English-speaking world, The Queen most commonly refers to: * Elizabeth II (1926–2022), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 1952 until her death The Queen may also refer to: * Camilla, Queen Consort (born 1947), ...

''. Quick had played the same character as a younger woman in

Alan Bennett Alan Bennett (born 9 May 1934) is an English actor, author, playwright and screenwriter. Over his distinguished entertainment career he has received numerous awards and honours including two BAFTA Awards, four Laurence Olivier Awards, and two ...

's stageplay ''A Question of Attribution'', one half of his ''Single Spies'' double bill. She explained how she prepared for the television role:

I think one has to try to be as accurate as possible. You have to wear the right clothes, and in my case I wore a white wig, because I'm playing her as a mature Queen rather than when she was a younger woman. So you try and get the externals as accurate as possible, but then I think it's like any acting challenge, you just try to play the situation as truthfully as you can. So you play the spirit of the thing rather than the documentary reality of it.

Personal life

Quick was married to Scottish actor

Kenneth Cranham Kenneth Cranham (born 12 December 1944) is a Scottish film, television, radio and stage actor. Early life Cranham was born in Dunfermline, Fife, the son of Lochgelly-born Margaret McKay Cranham (née Ferguson) and Ronald Cranham, a London-bor ...

from 1974 until they divorced in 1978. From 1980 until 2008 her partner was English actor

Bill Nighy William Francis Nighy (; born 12 December 1949) is an English actor. Nighy started his career with the Everyman Theatre, Liverpool and made his London debut with the Royal National Theatre starting with '' The Illuminatus!'' in 1977. There he ...

with whom she worked in David Hare's ''A Map of the World'' at the National Theatre in 1982. They have one daughter, actress Mary Nighy.

Politics

Quick was one of several celebrities who endorsed the successful parliamentary candidacy of the Green Party's Caroline Lucas at the 2015 general election.

Filmography

Film

*''

The Brothers Karamazov ''The Brothers Karamazov'' (russian: Братья Карамазовы, ''Brat'ya Karamazovy'', ), also translated as ''The Karamazov Brothers'', is the last novel by Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky. Dostoevsky spent nearly two years writing '' ...

'' (1958) - Minor Role (uncredited) *''

Nicholas and Alexandra ''Nicholas and Alexandra'' is a 1971 British epic historical drama film directed by Franklin J. Schaffner, from a screenplay written by James Goldman and Edward Bond, based on Robert K. Massie's 1967 book of the same name, which is a partia ...

'' (1971) - Sonya *''

A Private Enterprise ''A Private Enterprise'' is a 1974 British film directed by Peter K Smith. It stars Salmaan Peerzada as Shiv Verma, an Indian immigrant in Birmingham who attempts to start his own business. It is regarded as the first British Asian British ...

'' (1974) - Penny *''

The Duellists ''The Duellists'' is a 1977 British historical drama film and the feature film directorial debut of Ridley Scott. It won the Best Debut Film award at the 1977 Cannes Film Festival. The basis of the screenplay is the Joseph Conrad short story "T ...

'' (1977) - Laura *''

The Big Sleep ''The Big Sleep'' (1939) is a hardboiled crime novel by American-British writer Raymond Chandler, the first to feature the detective Philip Marlowe. It has been adapted for film twice, in 1946 and again in 1978. The story is set in Los Angel ...

'' (1978) - Mona Grant *''

The Odd Job ''The Odd Job'' is a 1978 British comedy film starring Monty Python member Graham Chapman. It tells the story of a man named Arthur Harris (Chapman) who is recently abandoned by his wife. He becomes so depressed that he hires an "odd job man" ...

'' (1978) - Fiona Harris *''

Ordeal by Innocence ''Ordeal by Innocence'' is a work of detective fiction by British writer Agatha Christie, first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on 3 November 1958 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company the following year. The UK edition retaile ...

'' (1984) - Gwenda Vaughan *''

1919 Events January * January 1 ** The Czechoslovak Legions occupy much of the self-proclaimed "free city" of Pressburg (now Bratislava), enforcing its incorporation into the new republic of Czechoslovakia. ** HMY ''Iolaire'' sinks off the ...

'' (1985) - Anna *'' Max, Mon Amour'' (1986) - Camille *''Vroom'' (1988) - Susan *'' Wilt'' (1989) - Sally *''

Nostradamus Michel de Nostredame (December 1503 – July 1566), usually Latinised as Nostradamus, was a French astrologer, apothecary, physician, and reputed seer, who is best known for his book '' Les Prophéties'' (published in 1555), a collection ...

'' (1994) - Diane de Poitiers *'' Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny'' (1996) - Grand Duchess Ella *'' The Leading Man'' (1996) - Susan *''Vigo'' (1998) - Emily *'' A Monkey's Tale'' (1999) - Princess Ida (voice) *'' Saving Grace'' (2000) - Honey *'' The Discovery of Heaven'' (2001) - Sophia Brons *'' The Affair of the Necklace'' (2001) - Madame Pomfré *'' AKA'' (2002) - Lady Gryffoyn *'' Revengers Tragedy'' (2002) - The Duchess *''Love/Loss'' (2010) - Angela *''Mother's Milk'' (2011) - Kettle *''Side by Side'' (2013) - Joan Dunbar *''

The Death of Stalin ''The Death of Stalin'' is a 2017 political satire black comedy film written and directed by Armando Iannucci and co-written by David Schneider and Ian Martin with Peter Fellows. Based on the French graphic novel ''La Mort de Staline'' (201 ...

'' (2017) - Polina Molotova

Television

*''

The Complete and Utter History of Britain ''The Complete and Utter History of Britain'' is a 1969 television comedy sketch show. It was created and written by Michael Palin and Terry Jones between the two series of '' Do Not Adjust Your Set''. It was produced for and broadcast by London ...

'' (1969) - Ladye / Damsel in Distress *'' A Christmas Carol'' (1971, TV Short) - Ghost of Christmas Past (voice) *''

The Protectors ''The Protectors'' is a British television series, an action thriller created by Gerry Anderson. It was Anderson's second TV series to exclusively use live actors as opposed to marionettes (following ''UFO''), and his second to be firmly set in ...

'' (1974, Episode: "The Bridge") - Anna De Santos *'' Kolchak: The Night Stalker'' (1975, Episode: "The Trevi Collection") - Ariel (as Diane Quick) *''

The Three Hostages ''The Three Hostages'' is the fourth of five Richard Hannay novels by the Scottish author John Buchan, first published in 1924 by Hodder & Stoughton, London. Hannay had previously appeared in '' The Thirty Nine Steps'' (1915), his most famous ...

'' (1977, TV Movie) - Mary Hannay *''

'' (1981) - Julia Flyte / Julia Mottram * '' The Woman in White'' (1982) - Marian Halcombe *'' Minder: An Officer and a Car Salesman'' (1988) - Angie *''

Inspector Morse Detective Chief Inspector Endeavour Morse, GM, is the eponymous fictional character in the series of detective novels by British author Colin Dexter. On television, he appears in the 33-episode drama series '' Inspector Morse'' (1987–2000), ...

'' (1992) - Hilary Stephens *''

Dandelion Dead ''Dandelion Dead'' is a British TV mini-series produced by LWT for ITV that aired in two parts on 6 and 13 February 1994. It tells the true story of Herbert Rowse Armstrong, a solicitor in the provincial town of Hay-on-Wye, Wales, who was con ...

'' (1994) - Marion Glassford-Gale *'' Little Big Mouth'' (2001) - Cass *''

Dalziel and Pascoe Detective Superintendent Andrew "Andy" Dalziel and Detective Sergeant, later Detective Inspector, Peter Pascoe are two fictional Yorkshire detectives featuring in a series of novels by Reginald Hill. Characterisation and style Dalziel is ...

'' (2002) - ACC Stella Applegarth - “ For Love Nor Money”, “The Unwanted” *'' Agatha Christie’s Poirot'' (2003) - Mrs. Welman - Episode: “Sad Cypress” *'' Doctor Who: Scream of the Shalka'' (2003) - Prime - 5 episodes *'' Midsomer Murders'' (2004) - Clare Bonavita - Episode: “Dead in the Water” *''

Kingdom Kingdom commonly refers to: * A monarchy ruled by a king or queen * Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy Kingdom may also refer to: Arts and media Television * ''Kingdom'' (British TV series), a 2007 British television drama s ...

'' (2008) - Janet Cramer *''

'' (2009) - The Queen *''

New Tricks ''New Tricks'' is a British television police procedural The police show, or police crime drama, is a subgenre of procedural drama and detective fiction that emphasizes the investigative procedure of a police officer or department as the ...

'' (2009) - Julia Eldridge *''

Lewis Lewis may refer to: Names * Lewis (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Lewis (surname), including a list of people with the surname Music * Lewis (musician), Canadian singer * "Lewis (Mistreated)", a song by Radiohead ...

'' (2010) - Gwen Raeburn *''

Inspector George Gently ''Inspector George Gently'' (also known as ''George Gently'' for the pilot and first series) is a 2008 British television crime drama series produced by Company Pictures for BBC One, set in the 1960s and loosely based on some of the Inspector G ...

'' (2012) - Gitta Bronson - Episode: “Gently in the Cathedral” *'' The Missing'' (2014) - Mary Garrett - Episode: “Molly” *'' Midsomer Murders'' (2016) - Hermione Lancaster - Episode: “Habeas Corpus” *'' The Living and the Dead'' (2016) - Sylvia - TV Series *''

Father Brown Father Brown is a fictional Roman Catholic priest and amateur detective who is featured in 53 short stories published between 1910 and 1936 written by English author G. K. Chesterton. Father Brown solves mysteries and crimes using his intui ...

'' (2022) - Lady Cecily - Episode: “The Final Devotion”

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Quick, Diana 1946 births Living people 20th-century English actresses 21st-century English actresses Actresses from Kent Actresses from London Alumni of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford Anglo-Indian people English film actresses English stage actresses English television actresses English voice actresses National Youth Theatre members People educated at Dartford Grammar School for Girls People from Dartford Royal Shakespeare Company members