June Laverick (11 June 1931 — 19 October 2017) was an English actress, who was once described as "a popular lightweight leading actress of the day" and was probably best remembered as the fictional wife of

Dickie Henderson Richard Matthew Michael Henderson, Order of the British Empire, OBE (30 October 1922 – 22 September 1985) was an English entertainer. Early years Henderson was born in London. His father, Dick Henderson (1891–1958), was a music hall ...

in ''The Dickie Henderson Show''.

Background

Before June was born her parents ran a public house in

Bishop Auckland Bishop Auckland ( ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish at the confluence of the River Wear and the River Gaunless in County Durham, England. It is northwest of Darlington and southwest of Durham, England, Durham. M ...

but then returned to Redcar to run the Royal Hotel on the sea front near Redcar Pier. In 1931, Laverick was born in Laburnum Road, Redcar. In her youth June attended White House school and ballet school. She was determined at an early age that she wanted a career in light entertainment. She followed an acting career in theatre, film and television and after retiring from acting in her 30s June moved back to

Redcar Redcar is a seaside town on the Yorkshire Coast in the Redcar and Cleveland unitary authority. It is in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England, and is located east of Middlesbrough. The Teesside built-up area's Redcar subdiv ...

, marrying an ICI process worker and briefly taking over the licence of the Royal Hotel before returning south alone.

Stage, film and television career

In the 1950s June worked in the theatre in musicals, comedies and revues, and had a variety of film roles contracted to the

Rank Organisation The Rank Organisation (founded as the J. Arthur Rank Organisation) is a British entertainment conglomerate founded in 1937 by industrialist J. Arthur Rank. It quickly became the largest and most vertically integrated film company in the Uni ...

. She was a member of ''

The Company of Youth The Company of Youth was an acting school for young contract players for the Rank Organisation who were being groomed for stardom. It was commonly known as the Rank Charm School. History The Company of Youth was a conscious attempt by J. Arthur ...

'', the Rank Organisation's acting school often referred to as "''The Charm School''" and was often photographed for the front covers of cinema magazines and for publicity shots. Her peak year in films was 1958, where she appeared in three prominent film roles, notably as the leading lady opposite

Tommy Steele Sir Thomas Hicks (born 17 December 1936), known professionally as Tommy Steele, is an English entertainer, regarded as Britain's first teen idol and rock and roll star. After being discovered at the 2i's Coffee Bar in Soho, London, Steele recor ...

in ''

The Duke Wore Jeans ''The Duke Wore Jeans'' is a 1958 British comedy musical film directed by Gerald Thomas and starring Tommy Steele, June Laverick and Michael Medwin. The screenplay was by Norman Hudis who also wrote Steele's first film ''The Tommy Steele Story' ...

''. June made an early television appearance in an episode of Boyd Q.C. (1958) and in episodes of ''Tales from Dickens'' (1959) as

Dora Spenlow Dora Spenlow is a character in the 1850 novel ''David Copperfield'' by Charles Dickens. She is beautiful but childish. David Copperfield (character), David, who is employed by her father, the lawyer Mr Spenlow, falls in love with Dora at first sig ...

. She took over the role of

's wife from Anthea Askey in ITV's ''The Dickie Henderson Half Hour'' in ''The Dickie Henderson Show'' (1960–1963). After the ''Dickie Henderson Show'', June retired from acting to be replaced by

Isla Blair Isla Blair Glover (born 29 September 1944) is a British actress and singer. She made her first stage appearance in 1963 as Philia in the London debut of ''A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum''. Early life and education Isla Blair wa ...

in the next series '' A Present for Dickie'' (1969–1970). In 1970 June returned to appear in the last episode.

Personal life and death

After her final appearance on television in the last episode of Dickie Henderson's show, she took over the licence, from her parents, of The Royal Hotel in Redcar. She was briefly married to Charles Kenneth Cooke, an ICI worker. After the marriage ended she returned to the south of England and spent her time living in Baker Street, London and became romantically linked with

Hughie Green Hugh Hughes Green OStJ (2 February 1920 – 3 May 1997) was an English radio and television presenter, game show host and actor. Early life Green was born in Marylebone, London, to a Scottish father, Hugh Aitchison Green, a former British Army ...

the

Double Your Money ''Double Your Money'' was a British game show hosted by Hughie Green. Originally broadcast on Radio Luxembourg since 1950 and based on the American radio quiz '' Take It Or Leave It'' (1940–1947), it transferred to ITV in September 1955, a ...

television games show host in the 1960s. Laverick died on 19 October 2017, at the age of 86.

Selected stage

* ''When In Rome'' (1959–60) 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 ...

, London a short-lived stage musical with Dickie Henderson and

Eleanor Summerfield Eleanor Audrey Summerfield (7 March 1921 – 13 July 2001) was an English actress who appeared in many plays, films and television series. She is known for her roles in ''Laughter in Paradise'' (1951), '' Final Appointment'' (1954), '' Odongo'' ...

; * ''The Punch Revue'' (1955) at the

Duke of York's Theatre The Duke of York's Theatre is a West End theatre in St Martin's Lane, in the City of Westminster, London. It was built for Frank Wyatt and his wife, Violet Melnotte, who retained ownership of the theatre until her death in 1935. Designed by ...

, London with

Binnie Hale Beatrice "Binnie" Mary Hale-Monro (22 May 1899 – 10 January 1984) was an English actress, singer and dancer. She was one of the most successful musical theatre stars in London in the 1920s and 1930s, able to sing leading roles in operetta ...

and

Alfie Bass Alfie Bass (born Abraham Basalinsky, 10 April 1916 – 16 July 1987) was an English actor. He was born in Bethnal Green, London, the youngest in a Jewish family with ten children; his parents had left Russia many years before he was born. He a ...

; ; * ''Over the Moon'' (1952–53) at the

Bristol Hippodrome The Bristol Hippodrome () is a theatre located in The Centre, Bristol, England, United Kingdom with seating on three levels giving a capacity of 1,951. It frequently features shows from London's West End when they tour the UK, as well as r ...

with

Cicely Courtneidge Dame Esmerelda Cicely Courtneidge (1 April 1893 – 26 April 1980) was an Australian-born British actress, comedian and singer. The daughter of the producer and playwright Robert Courtneidge, she was appearing in his productions in the West End ...

* '' Gay's the Word'' (1952) at the

Saville Theatre The Saville Theatre building is a former West End theatre and cinema at 135 Shaftesbury Avenue in the London Borough of Camden. The theatre opened in 1931, and became a music venue during the 1960s. In 1970, it became a cinema, most recently a ...

, London with Cicely Courtneidge * ''Cinderella'' (1948) at the

Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is a theatre in Covent Garden, central London. The building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. The ROH is the main home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orch ...

, London.

Filmography

* ''

The Flesh and the Fiends ''The Flesh and the Fiends'' (US title ''Mania''; also known as ''The Fielndish Ghouls'' and ''Psycho Killers'') is a 1960 British horror film directed by John Gilling and starring Peter Cushing, June Laverick and Donald Pleasence. It was w ...

'' (1960) (US: ''Mania'') (1960) as Martha Knox, with

Peter Cushing Peter Wilton Cushing (26 May 1913 – 11 August 1994) was an English actor. His acting career spanned over six decades and included appearances in more than 100 films, as well as many television, stage and radio roles. He achieved recognition f ...

* '' Follow a Star'' (1959) as Judy, with

Norman Wisdom Sir Norman Joseph Wisdom, (4 February 1915 – 4 October 2010), was an English actor, comedian, musician, and singer, best known for his series of comedy films produced between 1953 and 1966, in which he portrayed the endearingly inept charact ...

* '' The Son of Robin Hood'' (1958) as Deering Hood daughter of

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary noble outlaw, heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature, theatre, and cinema. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions o ...

* ''

'' (1958) as Princess Maria, with

* ''

The Gypsy and the Gentleman ''The Gypsy and the Gentleman'' is a 1958 British costume drama film directed by Joseph Losey. It stars Melina Mercouri and Keith Michell. Plot The beautiful and fiery gypsy Belle (Melina Mercouri) marries Regency playboy Sir Paul Deverill (K ...

'' (1958) as Sarah Deverill, with

Melina Mercouri Maria Amalia "Melina" Mercouri (, 18 October 1920 – 6 March 1994) was a Greek actress, singer, activist, and politician. She came from a prominent political family for multiple generations. She received an Academy Award nomination and won a F ...

* '' Souvenir d'Italie'' (1957) (US: ''It Happened in Rome'') (1959) as Margaret * '' Doctor at Large'' (1957) (uncredited minor role).

Television

* ''The Stamp Collector'' (1963) with Dickie Henderson * ''The Stately Home'' (1963) with Dickie Henderson * ''The Romance'' (1962) with Dickie Henderson * ''The Gangster'' (1962) with Dickie Henderson * ''David and Dora'' (1962) as

in ''Tales of Dickens'' * ''The Psychiatrist'' (1960) with Dickie Henderson * ''The Dancing Years'' as Greta Schone * ''The Shropshire Lass'' (1958) with Michael Denison

Discography

* Dickie Henderson (1960) ''Sympatica''/''It's Nice To Sleep With No-One'', June Laverick, Oriole CB1536; * ''Stop'' (1960), Oriole CB1537 * ''When in Rome'' (1960), Oriole EP7026

References

External links

* Film & Television databases
IMDB
* Video footage
Pathe
{{DEFAULTSORT:Laverick, June 1931 births 2017 deaths English stage actresses English television actresses People from Redcar English film actresses Actresses from North Yorkshire Actors from Redcar and Cleveland