Sad passing of Rosalind Knight

 

  

So sad to hear of the death of Rosalind Knight. whom I first met when we were building the Royal Exchange Theatre. Amongst the stress of the new building run by her husband Michael Elliott, there was also much laughter.

Her family confirmed her death in a statement.

“It is with huge sadness that the family of Rosalind Knight announce her death following a glorious career as a well-loved actress in theatre, TV and film,” they said.

“She was known to so many generations, for so many different roles, and will be missed as much by the kids today who howl at Horrible Grandma in Friday Night Dinner as by those of us who are old enough to remember her in the very first Carry On films.”

The actress also had the last word in the famous 1980 Cockburn’s Special Reserve Port advert – “Did anyone bring the petits fours?”

She made her name opposite Vanessa Redgrave in the 1961 Royal Shakespeare Company production of As You Like It.

Film appearances include Tom Jones, Start The Revolution Without Me (opposite Gene Wilder), The Lady Vanishes, Prick Up Your Ears, About A Boy (with Hugh Grant), and The Lady In The Van.

She also starred as retired prostitute Beryl in TV series Gimme, Gimme, Gimme, with Kathy Burke and James Dreyfus.

Her daughters, theatre director Marianne Elliott and actress Susannah Elliott, said she would be remembered for her “immense spirit and sense of fun, and her utter individuality.”

They said: “Our mother had the most astute, vibrant personality and made people laugh wherever she went.

“She was a great reader, art lover and raconteur. She contributed in a voluntary way to the theatrical world through her involvement in the building of the Royal Exchange Theatre, alongside her husband Michael Elliott, and her support for the Actors Centre and the Ladies’ Theatrical Guild.

“She was an active member of her local history society and opera society, and was a fierce campaigner and fundraiser for the Hogarth Trust.

“She will be greatly missed by all who knew her.”