Julia Wilson-Dickson (2 August 1949 – 16 October 2015) was a British

voice The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal tract, including talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, shouting, humming or yelling. The human voice frequency is specifically a part of human sound producti ...

and

dialect coach A dialect coach is an acting coach who helps an actor design the voice and speech of a character in the context of an on-camera (film, television or commercial), stage (theatre, musical theatre, opera, etc.), radio or animation voiceover production. ...

whose students included some of the best known actors in film and theater.

Early life and education

Wilson-Dickson was born in Brighton to Philip Wilson-Dickson, a civil servant in the Home Office, and Olivia (née Rudder), an actress. She was the sister of Andrew Wilson-Dickson. She attended

Guildford High School Guildford High School is an independent day school for girls that was founded in 1888. Approximately 1,000 girls between ages 4 to 18 attend the school from Guildford and its surrounding towns and villages. The school comprises a Junior School ...

, an all-girls school in Surrey, and the

Central School of Speech and Drama The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama was founded by Elsie Fogerty in 1906, as The Central School of Speech Training and Dramatic Art, to offer a new form of training in speech and drama for young actors and other students. It became a ...

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 ...

, where her mother had also studied.

Career

Wilson-Dickson taught speech at the Central School of Speech and Drama from 1974 to 1987. In film, she was the dialect coach for Robert de Niro in the 1994 film, '' Mary Shelley's Frankenstein'';

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for the 1995 romantic comedy, ''

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'';

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for ''

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'' in 1999; and

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in the 2011 film, ''

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''. Most recently, Wilson-Dickson coached actor

Eddie Redmayne Edward John David Redmayne (; born 6 January 1982) is an English actor. Known for his roles in biopics and blockbusters, he has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Tony Award, a BAFTA Award, and two Olivier Awards. He ...

to prepare for his portrayal of Stephen Hawking in the 2014 biopic, '' The Theory of Everything''. Redmayne won an Academy Award for Best Actor at the

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for his performance. Much of her coaching for stage productions involved collaborations with Peter Hall's production company. She coached

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for her portrayal of Lady Torrance in ''

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'' at the Haymarket Theatre in 1988;

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for his role of Shylock in ''

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'' at the Phoenix Theatre in 1989; as well as

Anthony Hopkins Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins (born 31 December 1937) is a Welsh actor, director, and producer. One of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actors, he is known for his performances on the screen and stage. Hopkins has received many accolad ...

and

Judi Dench Dame Judith Olivia Dench (born 9 December 1934) is an English actress. Regarded as one of Britain's best actresses, she is noted for her versatile work in various films and television programmes encompassing several genres, as well as for her ...

for their title roles in '' Antony and Cleopatra'' at the National Theatre in 1987.

Death

Wilson-Dickson died from a brain haemorrhage on 16 October 2015, at the age of 66.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson-Dickson, Julia 1949 births 2015 deaths British voice coaches Academics of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama Alumni of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama People from Brighton People educated at Guildford High School