Gwendoline Alexandra Nelson (30 June 1901 – 15 October 1990) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national id ...

actress who was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company and the

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a West End theatre#London's non-commercial theatres, non-commercial West End theatre in Sloane Square, in the Royal ...

Company. Born in

Muswell Hill Muswell Hill is a suburban district of the London Borough of Haringey, north London. The hill, which reaches over above sea level, is situated north of Charing Cross. Neighbouring areas include Highgate, Hampstead Garden Suburb, East F ...

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 ...

, she originally intended to be a singer, and made her

West End West End most commonly refers to: * West End of London, an area of central London, England * West End theatre, a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London, England West End may also refer to: Pl ...

musical debut in ''Tough at the Top'' at the

Adelphi Theatre The Adelphi Theatre is a West End theatre, located on the Strand in the City of Westminster, central London. The present building is the fourth on the site. The theatre has specialised in comedy and musical theatre, and today it is a receiv ...

in July 1949. She went on to act in

Eleanor Farjeon Eleanor Farjeon (13 February 1881 – 5 June 1965) was an English author of children's stories and plays, poetry, biography, history and satire. Several of her works had illustrations by Edward Ardizzone. Some of her correspondence has also been ...

's ''The Silver Curlew'' at London's

Arts Theatre The Arts Theatre is a theatre in Great Newport Street, in Westminster, Central London. History It opened on 20 April 1927 as a members-only club for the performance of unlicensed plays, thus avoiding theatre censorship by the Lord Chamber ...

(1949), ''And So To Bed'' at the New Theatre (1951), ''Oh, My Papa'' at the

Garrick Theatre The Garrick Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Charing Cross Road, in the City of Westminster, named after the stage actor David Garrick. It opened in 1889 with ''The Profligate'', a play by Arthur Wing Pinero, and another Pinero play, ...

(1957), ''Virtue in Danger'' (1963), '' All in Love'' at The May Fair Theatre (1964), and '' Saved'' at the

(1965). In 1976 she appeared in a revival of

Arnold Ridley William Arnold Ridley, OBE (7 January 1896 – 12 March 1984) was an English playwright and actor, earlier in his career known for writing the play '' The Ghost Train'' and later in life in the British TV sitcom ''Dad's Army'' (1968–1977) as t ...

's '' The Ghost Train'' at the

Old Vic Theatre The Old Vic is a 1,000-seat, not-for-profit producing theatre in Waterloo, London, England. Established in 1818 as the Royal Coburg Theatre, and renamed in 1833 the Royal Victoria Theatre. In 1871 it was rebuilt and reopened as the Royal V ...

in London with

Wilfrid Brambell Henry Wilfrid Brambell (22 March 1912 – 18 January 1985) was an Irish television and film actor, best remembered for playing the grubby rag-and-bone man Albert Steptoe alongside Harry H. Corbett in the long-running BBC television sitcom ''St ...

James Villiers James Michael Hyde Villiers (29 September 1933 – 18 January 1998) was an English character actor. He was particularly known for his plummy voice and ripe articulation. He was a great-grandson of the 4th Earl of Clarendon. Early life Villie ...

, Geoffrey Davies,

Allan Cuthbertson Allan Darling Cuthbertson (7 April 1920 – 8 February 1988) was an Australian-born British actor. He was best known for playing stern-faced military officers in British films of the 1950s and 1960s. Early life Cuthbertson was born in Perth, W ...

and

Judy Buxton Judith Catherine Buxton (born 7 October 1949) is an English actress best known for playing Nurse Katy Shaw in '' General Hospital'' (1972–1973), Susan Protheroe in ''By the Sword Divided'' (1983–1985) and Ruth Carpenter in '' On the Up'' (19 ...

. In 1981 she acted in ''Rose'' by Andrew Davies at the

Richmond Theatre The present Richmond Theatre, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, is a British Victorian theatre located on Little Green, adjacent to Richmond Green. It opened on 18 September 1899 with a performance of ''As You Like It''. One of ...

in Surrey with

Honor Blackman Honor Blackman (22 August 1925 – 5 April 2020) was an English actress, known for the roles of Cathy Gale in ''The Avengers''Aaker, Everett (2006). ''Encyclopedia of Early Television Crime Fighters''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 58. (1962� ...

and

Hilda Braid Hilda Braid (3 March 1929 – 6 November 2007) was an English actress who had a long career on British television. She became well known in her later years for playing Victoria "Nana" Moon on the BBC One soap opera '' EastEnders''. Early life ...

. Her television appearances included ''

Z-Cars ''Z-Cars'' or ''Z Cars'' (pronounced "zed cars") is a British television police procedural series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby, near Liverpool. Produced by the BBC, it debut ...

'' (1962–72), ''

No Hiding Place ''No Hiding Place'' is a British television series that was produced at Wembley Studios by Associated-Rediffusion for the ITV network between 16 September 1959 and 22 June 1967. It was the sequel to the series ''Murder Bag'' (1957–1958) ...

'' (1960–64), ''

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'' (1969-1980), ''

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'' (1970) (in the episode The Trouble with Women), ''

Catweazle ''Catweazle'' is a British children's fantasy television series, starring Geoffrey Bayldon in the title role, and created by Richard Carpenter for London Weekend Television. The first series, produced and directed in 1969 by Quentin Lawrence, w ...

'' (1970–71), ''

Jude the Obscure ''Jude the Obscure'' is a novel by Thomas Hardy, which began as a magazine serial in December 1894 and was first published in book form in 1895 (though the title page says 1896). It is Hardy's last completed novel. The protagonist, Jude Fawley ...

'' (1971), ''

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'' (1972), ''

Clochemerle ''Clochemerle'', published in the United States as ''The Scandals of Clochemerle'', is a French satirical novel by Gabriel Chevallier (1895–1969) first published in 1934. It centres on personal rivalries and local politics in the fictional vi ...

'' (1972), ''

Steptoe and Son ''Steptoe and Son'' is a British sitcom written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson about a father-and-son rag-and-bone business in 26a Oil Drum Lane, a fictional street in Shepherd's Bush, London. Four series were broadcast by the BBC in black and ...

'' (1974), '' Looking For Clancy'' (1975), ''

Juliet Bravo ''Juliet Bravo'' is a British television police procedural drama series, first broadcast on 30 August 1980, that ran for six series and a total of 88 episodes on BBC1. The theme of the series concerned a female police inspector who took over c ...

'' (1981), ''

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'' (1983), ''

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'' (1984), '' Casualty'' (1988), ''

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'' (1988), ''

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'' (1989), and '' Ruth Rendell Mysteries'' (1989).Nelson
on the

Internet Movie Database IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

She acted in the films ''Ah, Wilderness!'' (1938), ''Laugh With Me'' (1938), ''

The Teckman Mystery ''The Teckman Mystery'' is a 1954 British mystery film directed by Wendy Toye and starring Margaret Leighton, John Justin, Roland Culver and Michael Medwin. It was shot at Shepperton Studios with sets designed by the art director William Kellner ...

'' (1954), ''

Tunes of Glory ''Tunes of Glory'' is a 1960 British drama film directed by Ronald Neame, based on the 1956 novel and screenplay by James Kennaway. The film is a "dark psychological drama" focusing on events in a wintry Scottish Highland regimental barracks in ...

'' (1960), '' A Kind of Loving'' (1962), '' Stolen Hours'' (1963), '' Doctor Zhivago'' (1965), ''

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'' (1969), '' Staircase'' (1969), ''

Say Hello to Yesterday ''Say Hello to Yesterday'' is a 1971 British romantic comedy- drama film directed by Canadian Alvin Rakoff, on whose original story the film is based. Starring Jean Simmons and Leonard Whiting, it is 'a fast moving account of ten hours in the li ...

'' (1971), ''

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'' (1975), ''

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'' (1976), ''

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'' (1977), ''

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'' (1985) and '' 84 Charing Cross'' (1987). Nelson's last appearance was in an episode of ''

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'' in 1989. She died of natural causes in

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, aged 89.

Filmography

*''Ah, Wilderness!'' (1938) - Aunt Lily (1939 TV play) *''Laugh With Me'' (1938) - Ann Bonnington (TV play) *''

'' (1954) - Duty woman *'' The Entertainer'' (1960) *''

'' (1960) - Provost's Wife *''

The Kitchen The Kitchen is a non-profit, multi-disciplinary avant-garde performance and experimental art institution located at 512 West 19th Street, between Tenth and Eleventh Avenues in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It was foun ...

'' (1961) - 8th Waitress *'' A Kind of Loving'' (1962) - Mrs. Brown *'' Don't Talk to Strange Men'' (1962) - Mrs. Mason *'' Stolen Hours'' (1963) - Hospital Sister *'' The Three Lives of Thomasina'' (1963) - Ms. McCloud *'' Doctor Zhivago'' (1965) - Female Janitor *'' Staircase'' (1969) - Matron *''

'' (1970) - Marler's Mother *''

'' (1971) - Char *'' Something to Hide'' (1972) - 2nd Old Lady *''

'' (1975) - Hermione Davis *''

'' (1976) - Mrs. Kirby *''

'' (1977) - Lady in Courtroom *''

'' (1985) - Hotel Manager's Mother *'' 84 Charing Cross'' (1987) - Bill's Great Aunt

References

External links

*
Gwen Nelson; roles and acting credits; Aveleyman website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson, Gwen 1901 births 1990 deaths English film actresses English television actresses English stage actresses 20th-century English actresses Royal Shakespeare Company members