Elizabeth Shepherd (born 12 August 1936) is an English character actress whose long career has encompassed the stage and both the big and small screens. Her television work has been especially prolific. Shepherd's surname has been variously rendered as "Shephard" and "Sheppard".
Career
Shepherd began acting in television series in 1959. In 1960, she appeared in an
adaptation
In biology, adaptation has three related meanings. Firstly, it is the dynamic evolutionary process of natural selection that fits organisms to their environment, enhancing their evolutionary fitness. Secondly, it is a state reached by the p ...
of
A. J. Cronin's novel, ''
The Citadel''. She was the original choice to play
Emma Peel in the 1960s
television
Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...
series ''
The Avengers''. However, after filming nearly two episodes, Shepherd left the production and was replaced by
Diana Rigg.
In 1970, she appeared on Broadway in
Barry England's ''
Conduct Unbecoming'', a story of the British Army in
Kipling's India, as Mrs Hasseltine. She was praised for her performance in ''
Time
Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' magazine. Shepherd was pictured in ''Time'' along with her co-stars, the pop singers
Jeremy Clyde and
Paul Jones, who began their roles as British subalterns in London during 1969.
In film she appeared as both Lady Rowena and Ligeia in Roger Corman's ''
The Tomb of Ligeia'' (1964), as well as in ''
Damien - Omen II'' as the ill-fated reporter Joan Hart, ''
The Kidnapping of the President'', ''
Deadly Companion'' and ''
Amelia''.
Her TV work includes the cult series ''
The Corridor People'' (1966), the 1978 miniseries ''
The Bastard'', and ''
The Cleopatras'', a
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 ...
historical drama.
Elizabeth Shepherd has acted in numerous stage plays in both Shakespearean and contemporary dramas. As well as teaching drama at the Stella Adler school, she starred in "December Fools" in 2006 at the Abingdon Theater in
New York. In 2014, she starred in a Canadian production of ''Driving Miss Daisy''.
An article in the ''
Toronto Star
The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part of Torstar's Daily News Brands (Torstar), Daily News Brands division.
...
'' reported an incident of Shepherd being a victim of
identity theft and
mortgage fraud in 2006.
In 2019, she released an
audiobook of
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe (; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic who is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales involving mystery and the macabre. He is widely re ...
's ''Ligeia'' along with other Poe tales. The CD has been met with critical acclaim.
Filmography
*''
The Queen's Guards'' (1961) - Susan
*''
What Every Woman Wants'' (1962) - Sue Goodwin
*''
Blind Corner'' (1964) - Joan Marshall
*''
The Tomb of Ligeia'' (1964) - The Lady Rowena Trevanion / The Lady Ligeia
*''
Hell Boats'' (1970) - Alison
*''
The Duchess of Duke Street'' (1976) - Series 1, episode 7 - Diana Strickland
*''
Damien - Omen II'' (1978) - Joan Hart
*''
Deadly Companion'' (1980) - Frances
*''
The Kidnapping of the President'' (1980) - Joan Scott
*''Love'' (1982) - Mrs Wiseman (segment "Julia")
*''Invitation to the Wedding'' (1985) - Lady Caroline
*''
Head Office'' (1985) - Mrs Issel
*''
Criminal Law
Criminal law is the body of law that relates to crime. It proscribes conduct perceived as threatening, harmful, or otherwise endangering to the property, health, safety, and Well-being, welfare of people inclusive of one's self. Most criminal l ...
'' (1988) - Dr Sybil Thiel
*''
Mustard Bath'' (1993) - Matthew's mother
*''
Time to Say Goodbye?'' (1997) - Teresa Rodriguez
*''
The White Raven'' (1998) - Hannah Rothschild
*''
The Spreading Ground'' (2000) - Mayor Hackett
*''
Desire'' (2000) - Mrs Waterson
*''
Amelia'' (2009) - Frances Putnam
References
External links
Official website*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shepherd, Elizabeth
1936 births
Actresses from London
English film actresses
English television actresses
Living people