Tracy Hyde
Encyclopedia
Tracy Constance Margaret Hyde, actress and model (born 16 May 1959, Fulham
, London
, England) shot to fame in the 1971 film Melody
after being discovered by film producer, David Puttnam
. She learned ballet at the age of four, did junior modelling for an agency and auditioned for a pickle advertisement.
Writer/director Andrew Birkin (brother of actress Jane Birkin) saw photographs of the young Tracy and persuaded her mother Maureen to audition her for the title role of Melody Perkins. Birkin also recommended Tracy to director Waris Hussein, writer Alan Parker
and producer David Puttnam. After screen tests and auditions, Tracy finally won the role.
After Melody, Tracy appeared in a few TV appearances in the U.K. Trial (BBC
, 1971), ITV Playhouse
: The Greeks And Their Gifts (Anglia
, 1972) and Love Story: Home For The Holidays (Associated Television
, 1973). Due to the success of Melody in Japan
, Tracy was invited there in 1972 for plans to make a film with her in the lead role. Unfortunately, due to budget restrictions, the film was never made.
Tracy continued with her education and studied at a secretarial college; after leaving she was employed as a legal secretary for a law firm. Meanwhile, she appeared in Japanese magazines and calendars and visited Japan for the second time in 1977, when she was declared "Favourite actress" in Roadshow magazine.
In the 1980s, Tracy made her film comeback in Dead End For Belinda (1980), The Orchard End Murder (1981) and Alice
(1981) where she was re-united with her Melody co-star, Jack Wild
. Numerous TV appearances including Sorry!
(BBC
, 1981–1982), Kinvig
(LWT, 1981), The Gentle Touch
(LWT, 1982), Now And Then (LWT, 1983–1984), Dempsey & Makepeace
(LWT, 1985), Bust (LWT, 1987) and The Bill
(Thames Television
, 1988).
By the end of the decade, Tracy had disappeared from the limelight and married property master Allen J. Polley.
In 1994, Japanese TV sought out Tracy and sent one of their reporters to the U.K. to find her. Mark Lester
was contacted and when it was found that Tracy had moved to France, Mark and the reporter both went there to search for her. She had moved there with her husband and her three sons. In 1999, Mark and Tracy were reunited again in another Japanese TV special. Tracy has since re-married and has returned home to London where she now manages the family business, a kennel boarding service. Tracy's adopted sister, Zara, can also claim fame as an elite athlete and was awarded the OBE (November 2010) for her significant contribution to British sport.
Darjan Sahanaja from the The Wondermints', an American retro-pop group wrote, sang and recorded a tribute track, "Tracy Hide".
Fulham
Fulham is an area of southwest London in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, SW6 located south west of Charing Cross. It lies on the left bank of the Thames, between Putney and Chelsea. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England) shot to fame in the 1971 film Melody
Melody (1971 film)
Melody is a 1971 British film directed by Waris Hussein about "puppy love". It was released as S.W.A.L.K. in the United Kingdom . The film starred Jack Wild, Mark Lester and Tracy Hyde...
after being discovered by film producer, David Puttnam
David Puttnam
David Terence Puttnam, Baron Puttnam, CBE, FRSA is a British film producer. He sits on the Labour benches in the House of Lords, although he is not principally a politician.-Early life:...
. She learned ballet at the age of four, did junior modelling for an agency and auditioned for a pickle advertisement.
Writer/director Andrew Birkin (brother of actress Jane Birkin) saw photographs of the young Tracy and persuaded her mother Maureen to audition her for the title role of Melody Perkins. Birkin also recommended Tracy to director Waris Hussein, writer Alan Parker
Alan Parker
Sir Alan William Parker, CBE is an English film director, producer, writer and actor. He has been active in both the British cinema and American cinema and was a founding member of the Directors Guild of Great Britain.-Life and career:...
and producer David Puttnam. After screen tests and auditions, Tracy finally won the role.
After Melody, Tracy appeared in a few TV appearances in the U.K. Trial (BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, 1971), ITV Playhouse
ITV Playhouse
ITV Playhouse was a UK comedy-drama TV series that ran from 1967 to 1983, which featured contributions from playwrights such as Dennis Potter, Rhys Adrian and Alan Sharp. The series began in black and white, but was later shot in colour and was produced by various companies for the ITV network, a...
: The Greeks And Their Gifts (Anglia
Anglia
Anglia may refer to:* The mediaeval, late Latin, Hungarian and Polish name for England* A name for the eastern part of England, more commonly, and more accurately, known as East Anglia* Kingdom of East Anglia, one of the kingdoms of the Heptarchy...
, 1972) and Love Story: Home For The Holidays (Associated Television
Associated TeleVision
Associated Television, often referred to as ATV, was a British television company, holder of various licences to broadcast on the ITV network from 24 September 1955 until 00:34 on 1 January 1982...
, 1973). Due to the success of Melody in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Tracy was invited there in 1972 for plans to make a film with her in the lead role. Unfortunately, due to budget restrictions, the film was never made.
Tracy continued with her education and studied at a secretarial college; after leaving she was employed as a legal secretary for a law firm. Meanwhile, she appeared in Japanese magazines and calendars and visited Japan for the second time in 1977, when she was declared "Favourite actress" in Roadshow magazine.
In the 1980s, Tracy made her film comeback in Dead End For Belinda (1980), The Orchard End Murder (1981) and Alice
Alice (1981 film)
Alice is a 1982 musical-fantasy film co-produced by Belgian and Polish film companies. The film is a modern telling of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland story and stars French actress Sophie Barjac in the title role...
(1981) where she was re-united with her Melody co-star, Jack Wild
Jack Wild
Jack Wild was a British actor who is best remembered for his performances in both stage and screen productions of the Lionel Bart musical Oliver! with Ron Moody, Shani Wallis, and Oliver Reed. He received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the age of 16 for the role of the...
. Numerous TV appearances including Sorry!
Sorry! (TV series)
Sorry! was a British sitcom that aired on BBC1 from 1981 to 1982 and from 1985 to 1988. Starring Ronnie Corbett, it was written by Ian Davidson and Peter Vincent, both of whom had previously written for The Two Ronnies, of whom Corbett was one half....
(BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, 1981–1982), Kinvig
Kinvig
- Synopsis :Des Kinvig runs an electrical repair shop in the small town of Bingleton.One day his store is visited by Miss Griffin , who is from the planet Mercury and in need of Des' help...
(LWT, 1981), The Gentle Touch
The Gentle Touch
The Gentle Touch is a British police drama television series made by London Weekend Television for ITV which ran from 1980-1984. Commencing transmission on 11 April 1980, the series is notable for being the first British series to feature a female police detective as its leading character, ahead of...
(LWT, 1982), Now And Then (LWT, 1983–1984), Dempsey & Makepeace
Dempsey & Makepeace
Dempsey & Makepeace is a British television crime drama made by London Weekend Television for ITV, created and produced by Ranald Graham...
(LWT, 1985), Bust (LWT, 1987) and The Bill
The Bill
The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...
(Thames Television
Thames Television
Thames Television was a licensee of the British ITV television network, covering London and parts of the surrounding counties on weekdays from 30 July 1968 until 31 December 1992....
, 1988).
By the end of the decade, Tracy had disappeared from the limelight and married property master Allen J. Polley.
In 1994, Japanese TV sought out Tracy and sent one of their reporters to the U.K. to find her. Mark Lester
Mark Lester
Mark Lester is an English former child actor known for playing the title role in the 1968 musical film version of Oliver! and starring in a number of other British and European films of the 1960s and 70s and in a number of television series.-Early life and film career:Lester was born in Oxford,...
was contacted and when it was found that Tracy had moved to France, Mark and the reporter both went there to search for her. She had moved there with her husband and her three sons. In 1999, Mark and Tracy were reunited again in another Japanese TV special. Tracy has since re-married and has returned home to London where she now manages the family business, a kennel boarding service. Tracy's adopted sister, Zara, can also claim fame as an elite athlete and was awarded the OBE (November 2010) for her significant contribution to British sport.
Darjan Sahanaja from the The Wondermints', an American retro-pop group wrote, sang and recorded a tribute track, "Tracy Hide".