Pat Heywood
Encyclopedia
Patricia Heywood in Gretna Green
, Scotland
) is a British character actress who has appeared in stage productions, movies, and television. Married to Oliver Neville, the former principal of RADA.
, transferring to the theatre company afterwards and appearing in their production of Salad Days as Rowena in 1954.The same year the entire production transferred to the Vaudeville Theatre,London where it played for five years, a record for a musical at the time. In 1968 her movie debut at the age of 36 was as Juliet's nurse in Franco Zeffirelli's
Romeo and Juliet
. Her next role was as a maid in the psychodrama Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny and Girly
by Freddie Francis
. After that film she was seen (often in supporting roles or short appearances) in comedies, thrillers, and horror films. In 1978 Heywood played Ellen (Nelly) in the BBC's television production of Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights
Her film roles include parts in Whoever Slew Auntie Roo?
, 10 Rillington Place (where she has played Ethel Christie, the wife of serial killer
John Christie
), Young Winston
(as Winston Churchill's
nurse), Wish You Were Here (seen as Lynda's aunt Millie). She also appeared on the comedy television mini series Root Into Europe
in which an elderly British couple visit several countries in Europe. She played Dickon's mother in the 1987 Hallmark Hall of Fame version of The Secret Garden. She was also in an episode of Inspector Morse "Second Time Around".
She was nominated for BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
for the film Romeo and Juliet
in 1969.
Gretna Green
Gretna Green is a village in the south of Scotland famous for runaway weddings. It is in Dumfries and Galloway, near the mouth of the River Esk and was historically the first village in Scotland, following the old coaching route from London to Edinburgh. Gretna Green has a railway station serving...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
) is a British character actress who has appeared in stage productions, movies, and television. Married to Oliver Neville, the former principal of RADA.
Career
She was born as one of five children to John David Heywood who was an engineer. In her teens she was educated at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre SchoolBristol Old Vic Theatre School
The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, opened by Laurence Olivier in 1946, is an affiliate of the Conservatoire for Dance and Drama, an organisation securing the highest standards of training in the performing arts, and is an associate school of the Faculty of Creative Arts of the University of the...
, transferring to the theatre company afterwards and appearing in their production of Salad Days as Rowena in 1954.The same year the entire production transferred to the Vaudeville Theatre,London where it played for five years, a record for a musical at the time. In 1968 her movie debut at the age of 36 was as Juliet's nurse in Franco Zeffirelli's
Franco Zeffirelli
Franco Zeffirelli KBE is an Italian director and producer of films and television. He is also a director and designer of operas and a former senator for the Italian center-right Forza Italia party....
Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet (1968 film)
Romeo and Juliet is a 1968 British-Italian cinematic adaptation of the William Shakespeare play of the same name.The film was directed and co-written by Franco Zeffirelli, and stars Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey. It won Academy Awards for Best Cinematography and Best Costume Design; it was also...
. Her next role was as a maid in the psychodrama Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny and Girly
Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny and Girly
Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny, and Girly, released as Girly in North America, is the name of a 1970 British horror-comedy cult film. Based on a stage play by Maisie Mosco entitled Happy Family , the film is a dark and playful allegory of the breakdown of the nuclear family of...
by Freddie Francis
Freddie Francis
Frederick William Francis BSC was an English cinematographer and film director.He achieved his greatest successes as a cinematographer, including winning two Academy Awards, for Sons and Lovers and Glory...
. After that film she was seen (often in supporting roles or short appearances) in comedies, thrillers, and horror films. In 1978 Heywood played Ellen (Nelly) in the BBC's television production of Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights
Wuthering Heights
Wuthering Heights is a novel by Emily Brontë published in 1847. It was her only novel and written between December 1845 and July 1846. It remained unpublished until July 1847 and was not printed until December after the success of her sister Charlotte Brontë's novel Jane Eyre...
Her film roles include parts in Whoever Slew Auntie Roo?
Whoever Slew Auntie Roo?
Whoever Slew Auntie Roo? is a 1971 British horror-thriller film directed by Curtis Harrington and starring Ralph Richardson, Shelley Winters and Mark Lester...
, 10 Rillington Place (where she has played Ethel Christie, the wife of serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
John Christie
John Christie
John Christie may refer to:*John Christie , English footballer*John Christie , author, ski historian, Member Maine Ski Hall of Fame*John Christie , opera festival founder...
), Young Winston
Young Winston
Young Winston is a 1972 British film based on the early years of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.The film was based on the book My Early Life: A Roving Commission by Winston Churchill. The first part of the film covers Churchill's unhappy schooldays, up to the death of his father...
(as Winston Churchill's
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
nurse), Wish You Were Here (seen as Lynda's aunt Millie). She also appeared on the comedy television mini series Root Into Europe
Root Into Europe
Root Into Europe was an ITV comedy-drama written by William Donaldson and Mark Chapman, which ran for 5 episodes between May 17 and June 14 1992...
in which an elderly British couple visit several countries in Europe. She played Dickon's mother in the 1987 Hallmark Hall of Fame version of The Secret Garden. She was also in an episode of Inspector Morse "Second Time Around".
She was nominated for BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Best Actress in a Supporting Role is a British Academy Film award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding supporting performance in a film...
for the film Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet (1968 film)
Romeo and Juliet is a 1968 British-Italian cinematic adaptation of the William Shakespeare play of the same name.The film was directed and co-written by Franco Zeffirelli, and stars Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey. It won Academy Awards for Best Cinematography and Best Costume Design; it was also...
in 1969.