Of regal bearing and imposing stance, British classical actress Judy Parfitt is the possessor of the chilliest blue orbs in all of London and has used them to her advantage over the years with her portrayals of haughty, bossy, scheming, often deliciously malevolent patricians. Born in Yorkshire, she was originally trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA) and made her stage debut with " ...
show all Of regal bearing and imposing stance, British classical actress Judy Parfitt is the possessor of the chilliest blue orbs in all of London and has used them to her advantage over the years with her portrayals of haughty, bossy, scheming, often deliciously malevolent patricians. Born in Yorkshire, she was originally trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA) and made her stage debut with "Fools Rush In" in 1954, continuing to impress with such pieces as "Things Remembered" (1955) and "A Likely Talk" (1956). It wasn't until mid-career in the late 60s that she drew the type of widespread attention she deserved. She earned critical acclaim for her Gertrude in the 1969 stage production of "Hamlet", which starred Nicol Williamson in the title role, Anthony Hopkins as Claudius, and an oddly cast Marianne Faithfull (yes, the Brit pop singer) as Ophelia. Judy transferred her role to film in the same year and met with equal success. From then on she graced a number of TV adaptations of literary classics including "Pride and Prejudice" (1980) (mini)" and "Jewel in the Crown, The" (1984) (mini)", while continuing to receive applause for her theater work in productions of "The Duchess of Malfi" (1971), "Vivat! Vivat Regina!" (1971) as Mary, Queen of Scots, "The Apple Cart" (1973), "The Cherry Orchard" (1978), and "An Inspector Calls" (1993). More recently, she co-starred with Matthew Broderick in a Broadway revival of "Night Must Fall" (1999). She made a belated Hollywood film debut in the gloomy-styled thriller "Dolores Claiborne (1995)" and nearly stole the thunder right out from under star Kathy Bates as Bates' wealthy, dictatorial employer. Her clever, utterly gripping performance was shamefully overlooked come Oscar time. Judy was long married to actor Tony Steedman, who made a guest appearance on her short-lived sitcom "Charmings, The" (1987)" in the late 80s. He died in February of 2001.
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