Barbara Leigh-Hunt (14 December 1935 – 16 September 2024) was an English actress. Her numerous theatre credits included Broadway productions of ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

'' (1958), ''

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a Detective fiction, fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a "Private investigator, consulting detective" in his stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with obser ...

'' (1973) and ''

Justice In its broadest sense, justice is the idea that individuals should be treated fairly. According to the ''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy'', the most plausible candidate for a core definition comes from the ''Institutes (Justinian), Inst ...

'' (1974), and she won the 1993 Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress for the National Theatre production of ''

An Inspector Calls ''An Inspector Calls'' is a modern morality play and drawing room play written by English dramatist J. B. Priestley, first performed in the Soviet Union in 1945 and at the New Theatre in London the following year. It is one of Priestley's ...

''. Her film appearances included ''

Frenzy ''Frenzy'' is a 1972 British thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock. It is the penultimate feature film of his extensive career. The screenplay by Anthony Shaffer is based on the 1966 novel '' Goodbye Piccadilly, Farewell Leicester Square ...

'' (1972), ''

Henry VIII and His Six Wives ''Henry VIII and His Six Wives'' is a 1972 British historical drama film directed by Waris Hussein, adapted from the 1970 miniseries, '' The Six Wives of Henry VIII''. Keith Michell, who plays Henry VIII in the TV series, reprised his role. His ...

'' (1972), '' Bequest to the Nation'' (1973), and ''

Billy Elliot ''Billy Elliot'' is a 2000 British coming-of-age Comedy film, comedy-drama film directed by Stephen Daldry and written by Lee Hall (playwright), Lee Hall. Set in County Durham in North East England during the 1984–1985 miners' strike, the fi ...

'' (2000).

Career

On stage, Leigh-Hunt appeared in many productions as well those with the

Bristol Old Vic Bristol Old Vic is a British theatre company based at the Theatre Royal, Bristol. The present company was established in 1946 as an offshoot of the Old Vic in London. It is associated with the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, which became a fin ...

, the

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and opens around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Stratf ...

and the

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, ...

. Her early film roles included

Catherine Parr Catherine Parr ( – 5 September 1548) was Queen of England and Ireland as the last of the six wives of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 12 July 1543 until Henry's death on 28 January 1547. Catherine was the final queen consort o ...

in ''

'' (1972), '' Bequest to the Nation'' (1973) and ''

Oh Heavenly Dog ''Oh! Heavenly Dog'' is a 1980 American fantasy comedy film written by Rod Browning and directed by Joe Camp as the third film in the series featuring the dog Benji and stars Chevy Chase as a private investigator who is reincarnated as a dog to ...

'' (1980). Her most famous movie role was probably in

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English film director. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featu ...

's penultimate film ''

'' (1972), as a woman raped and strangled by a serial killer, that included the first graphically violent scene featuring visible nudity of Hitchcock's career. In 1983 Leigh-Hunt appeared as the Queen of Bavaria in the mini-series ''

Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...

'', sharing her scenes with

Ralph Richardson Sir Ralph David Richardson (19 December 1902 – 10 October 1983) was an English actor who, with John Gielgud and Laurence Olivier, was one of the trinity of male actors who dominated the British stage for much of the 20th century. He wo ...

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier ( ; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director. He and his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud made up a trio of male actors who dominated the British stage of the m ...

and

John Gielgud Sir Arthur John Gielgud ( ; 14 April 1904 – 21 May 2000) was an English actor and theatre director whose career spanned eight decades. With Ralph Richardson and Laurence Olivier, he was one of the trinity of actors who dominated the Britis ...

as court ministers.

Richard Burton Richard Burton (; born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr.; 10 November 1925 – 5 August 1984) was a Welsh actor. Noted for his mellifluous baritone voice, Burton established himself as a formidable Shakespearean actor in the 1950s and gave a memor ...

played the composer Richard Wagner. Her husband,

Richard Pasco Richard Edward Pasco (18 July 1926 – 12 November 2014) was a British stage, screen and television actor. Early life Pasco was born in Barnes, Surrey, the only child of insurance company clerk Cecil George Pasco (1897–1982) and milliner Ph ...

, whom she married in 1967, appeared also. Leigh-Hunt played Jean Lawrence in the controversial BBC drama ''

Tumbledown ''Tumbledown'' is a 1988 BBC Television drama film set during the Falklands War. Directed by Richard Eyre, it stars Colin Firth, Paul Rhys, and David Calder. Synopsis The film centres on the experiences of Robert Lawrence MC (played by C ...

'' (1988), and

Lady Catherine de Bourgh Lady Catherine de Bourgh ( ; ) is a Character (arts), character in the 1813 novel ''Pride and Prejudice'' by Jane Austen. According to Janet Todd, Lady Catherine can be seen as a foil to the novel's protagonist Elizabeth Bennet. Family Lady Cat ...

in ''

Pride and Prejudice ''Pride and Prejudice'' is the second published novel (but third to be written) by English author Jane Austen, written when she was age 20-21, and later published in 1813. A novel of manners, it follows the character development of Elizabe ...

'' (1995), and provided the voices of the farmer's wife in ''

The Plague Dogs The Plague Dogs may refer to: * ''The Plague Dogs'' (novel), 1977 * ''The Plague Dogs'' (film), 1982 adaptation of the novel {{disambiguation ...

'' (1982), and Captain Mildred and Mary the Hover Fairy in the 1987

Children's BBC BBC Children's and Education is the BBC division responsible for media content for children in the UK. Since the launch of specially dedicated television channels in 2002, the services have been marketed under two brands. CBBC (short for Chil ...

series ''

Charlie Chalk ''Charlie Chalk'' is a British stop motion animation series produced in 1987 in the United Kingdom by Woodland Animations, who also produced the children's television programmes ''Postman Pat'', '' Gran'', and '' Bertha''. Reception to the show ...

''. In 1999, Leigh-Hunt starred as Lady Cumnor in BBC's four-part series adaptation of the novel ''

Wives and Daughters ''Wives and Daughters, An Every-Day Story'' is a novel by English author Elizabeth Gaskell, first published in the ''Cornhill Magazine'' as a serial from August 1864 to January 1866. It was partly written whilst Gaskell was staying with the sa ...

'' (1999). More recently she appeared in such films as ''

Paper Mask ''Paper Mask'' is a 1990 British drama film directed by Christopher Morahan and starring Paul McGann, Amanda Donohoe and Tom Wilkinson. The screenplay concerns a hospital porter who decides to impersonate a doctor in a busy hospital. The film wa ...

'' (1990), ''

Keep the Aspidistra Flying ''Keep the Aspidistra Flying'', first published in 1936, is a socially critical novel by George Orwell set in 1930s London. The main theme is Gordon Comstock's romantic ambition to defy worship of the money-god and status, and the dismal lif ...

'' (1997), ''

'' (2000), ''

The Martins The Martins are a Christian music vocal trio composed of three siblings: Joyce Martin Sanders, Jonathan Martin, and Judy Martin Hess. Music career They were discovered by Michael English and Mark Lowry with Bill Gaither at the 1987 Nationa ...

'' (2001) and ''Vanity Fair'' (2004), and had much work on television, mainly in guest character parts.

Personal life and death

Leigh-Hunt's cousin was the actor

Ronald Leigh-Hunt Ronald Frederick Leigh-Hunt (5 October 1920 – 12 September 2005) was a British film and television actor. His father was a stockbroker and he attended the Italia Conti Academy. He began acting whilst serving in the army. Though never a majo ...

. Leigh-Hunt was married to

from 1967 until his death in 2014. She died in

Aston Cantlow Aston Cantlow is a village in Warwickshire, England, on the River Alne north-west of Stratford-upon-Avon and north-west of Wilmcote, close to Little Alne, Shelfield, and Newnham.'Aston Cantlow', A History of the County of Warwick: Volume 3: B ...

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Staffordshire and Leicestershire to the north, Northamptonshire to the east, Ox ...

, on 16 September 2024, aged 88.

Filmography

References

External links

* *
Selected performances in Theatre Archive University of Bristol
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leigh-Hunt, Barbara 1935 births 2024 deaths English film actresses English radio actresses English stage actresses English television actresses Laurence Olivier Award winners Actresses from Bath, Somerset Royal Shakespeare Company members British Shakespearean actresses