Gayle Hunnicutt
Encyclopedia
Gayle, Lady Jenkins known by her birth name Gayle Hunnicutt, is an American
actress.
, the daughter of Colonel Sam Lloyd Hunnicutt and Virginia Hunnicutt, and attended the University of California, Los Angeles
. She worked as a fashion model before going into acting. She was married from 1968 to 1975 to the actor David Hemmings
, by whom she is the mother of actor Nolan Hemmings
. She is married to the journalist Sir Simon Jenkins
, and lives in London. On 27 July 2008, The Sunday Telegraph reported that the couple had separated and Ms. Hunnicutt had initiated divorce proceedings.
as a brunette sexpot. She co-starred with James Garner
in the 1969 film Marlowe, the character she played being a glamorous Hollywood actress.
After she moved to England
with Hemmings in 1970, however, the finer range of her acting emerged. A notable role was that of Charlotte Stant, in the critically acclaimed Jack Pulman
television adaptation (1972) of Henry James
's The Golden Bowl
. She went on to play Lionel's wife in The Legend of Hell House
in 1973, and Tsarina Alexandra in Fall of Eagles
in 1974.
In 1984, she appeared as Irene Adler
opposite Jeremy Brett
in the very first episode ("A Scandal in Bohemia
") of the acclaimed series The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
Hunnicutt returned to America to play the role of Vanessa Beaumont in the US series Dallas
from 1989 to 1991.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress.
Personal life
Hunnicutt was born in Fort Worth, TexasTexas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, the daughter of Colonel Sam Lloyd Hunnicutt and Virginia Hunnicutt, and attended the University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
. She worked as a fashion model before going into acting. She was married from 1968 to 1975 to the actor David Hemmings
David Hemmings
David Edward Leslie Hemmings was an English film, theatre and television actor as well as a film and television director and producer....
, by whom she is the mother of actor Nolan Hemmings
Nolan Hemmings
-Early life:Hemmings is the son of actor/director David Hemmings and actress Gayle Hunnicutt. He is named after his father's character, Captain Nolan, in The Charge of the Light Brigade.-Career:...
. She is married to the journalist Sir Simon Jenkins
Simon Jenkins
Sir Simon David Jenkins is a British newspaper columnist and author, and since November 2008 has been chairman of the National Trust. He currently writes columns for both The Guardian and London's Evening Standard, and was previously a commentator for The Times, which he edited from 1990 to 1992...
, and lives in London. On 27 July 2008, The Sunday Telegraph reported that the couple had separated and Ms. Hunnicutt had initiated divorce proceedings.
Acting career
During her brief Hollywood career, Hunnicutt was typecastTypecasting (acting)
In TV, film, and theatre, typecasting is the process by which a particular actor becomes strongly identified with a specific character; one or more particular roles; or, characters having the same traits or coming from the same social or ethnic groups...
as a brunette sexpot. She co-starred with James Garner
James Garner
James Garner is an American film and television actor, one of the first Hollywood actors to excel in both media. He has starred in several television series spanning a career of more than five decades...
in the 1969 film Marlowe, the character she played being a glamorous Hollywood actress.
After she moved to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
with Hemmings in 1970, however, the finer range of her acting emerged. A notable role was that of Charlotte Stant, in the critically acclaimed Jack Pulman
Jack Pulman
Jack Pulman was an award-winning British television screenwriter, most famous for the critically acclaimed 1976 BBC television series, I, Claudius, based on the novel of the same name by Robert Graves....
television adaptation (1972) of Henry James
Henry James
Henry James, OM was an American-born writer, regarded as one of the key figures of 19th-century literary realism. He was the son of Henry James, Sr., a clergyman, and the brother of philosopher and psychologist William James and diarist Alice James....
's The Golden Bowl
The Golden Bowl
The Golden Bowl is a 1904 novel by Henry James. Set in England, this complex, intense study of marriage and adultery completes what some critics have called the "major phase" of James' career...
. She went on to play Lionel's wife in The Legend of Hell House
The Legend of Hell House
The Legend of Hell House is a 1973 British horror film directed by John Hough and starring Pamela Franklin, Roddy McDowall, Clive Revill, and Gayle Hunnicutt. The screenplay was written by Richard Matheson based on his own novel Hell House.-Plot:...
in 1973, and Tsarina Alexandra in Fall of Eagles
Fall of Eagles
Fall of Eagles is a 13-part British television drama aired by the BBC in 1974. The series was created by John Elliot and produced by Stuart Burge....
in 1974.
In 1984, she appeared as Irene Adler
Irene Adler
Irene Adler is a fictional character featured in the Sherlock Holmes story "A Scandal in Bohemia" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, published in July 1891...
opposite Jeremy Brett
Jeremy Brett
Jeremy Brett , born Peter Jeremy William Huggins, was an English actor, most famous for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes in four Granada TV series.-Early life:...
in the very first episode ("A Scandal in Bohemia
A Scandal in Bohemia
"A Scandal in Bohemia" was the first of Arthur Conan Doyle's 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories to be published in The Strand Magazine and the first Sherlock Holmes story illustrated by Sidney Paget....
") of the acclaimed series The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
Hunnicutt returned to America to play the role of Vanessa Beaumont in the US series Dallas
Dallas (TV series)
Dallas is an American serial drama/prime time soap opera that revolves around the Ewings, a wealthy Texas family in the oil and cattle-ranching industries. Throughout the series, Larry Hagman stars as greedy, scheming oil baron J. R. Ewing...
from 1989 to 1991.