Hildegard Hope Zimmermann (20 May 1939 – 19 September 2023), also credited as Hildegard Neil, was an English actress.[1]

Hildegarde Neil
Born(1939-05-20)20 May 1939
Died19 September 2023(2023-09-19) (aged 84)
Other namesHildegard Blessed
OccupationActress
Spouse
(m. 1978)
Children1

Career

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Born in South Africa,[2] she came to England in 1961 and went to RADA for two years. Neil first appeared on television in a BBC schools' television production of Julius Caesar in 1963 and after that appeared mostly as a guest artiste in a variety of television series over the next 40 years. She has also appeared in several films and on stage, both in the West End and touring. [3]

Personal life

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Neil was married to actor Brian Blessed and had a daughter with him, Rosalind,[4] who is also an actress and represented by the same agent as her mother. On 23 May 2009, Neil appeared with her husband on the ITV entertainment show, All Star Mr & Mrs, on which it was established that she was a keen Liverpool F.C. supporter.

Hildegarde Neil died of cancer on 19 September 2023, at the age of 84.[1][5][6][7][8]

Stage appearances

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Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1970 The Man Who Haunted Himself Eve Pelham [9]
1972 Antony and Cleopatra Cleopatra
1973 A Touch of Class Gloria Blackburn
1973 England Made Me Kate Farrant
1978 The Legacy Barbara Kirstenburg
1980 The Mirror Crack'd Lady Foxcroft "Murder at Midnight"
1994 Seaview Knights The Psychiatrist
1996 The Bruce Queen Eleanor
1997 Macbeth 1st Witch
1999 King Lear The Fool
2005 Upstaged Aunt Mary
2009 Mr. Bojagi The Woman Short
2016 Leni. Leni. Leni Riefenstahl Short
20?? Previous Vengeance Beatka Announced

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1963 Julius Caesar Calpurnia TV miniseries
1964 No Hiding Place Ann "Aftertaste"
1968 Dixon of Dock Green Jean Holden "The Prospective Candidate"
1968 Resurrection Mariette TV miniseries
1969 Imperial Palace Gracie Savott "Arrivals", "Departures"
1969 The Mind of Mr. J.G. Reeder Marylou Plessy "The Green Mamba"
1969 The Expert Dorothy Hamilton "A Family Affair"
1969 W. Somerset Maugham Lady Kastellan "A Casual Affair"
1969 ITV Playhouse Marion "Double Agent"
1970 Mystery and Imagination The Woman in Black "The Suicide Club"
1970 Doomwatch Dr. Stella Robson "Project Sahara"
1970 Codename Zeta Baker "Come Home to Paradise"
1970 Ace of Wands Madame Midnight "One and One and One Are Four: Parts 2 & 3"
1970 The Adventures of Don Quick Mrs. Arborel "The Higher the Fewer"
1970 The Main Chance Ursula Findon "Settlement Day"
1970 Happily Ever After Mary Wilshaw "Don't Walk Away"
1970 Put Out More Flags Angela Lyne TV film
1970 Man at the Top Liz Gilbert "It's All Perfectly True"
1971 Jason King Lyra Delon "Flamingos Only Fly on Tuesdays"
1972 Six Faces Helen Barlow "Commonwealth of Malignants", "Around the Child"
1973 Play for Today Diana "Access to the Children"
1973 The Protectors Irena Gayevska "The Last Frontier"
1974 Orson Welles Great Mysteries The Lady "Compliments of the Season"
1974 Boy Dominic Emma Bulman TV series
1974 The Early Life of Stephen Hind Colette Hyde TV miniseries
1975 Whodunnit? Audrey Baxter "Final Drive"
1976 Couples Diana Lawson "1.52", "1.53", "1.54"
1977 Crown Court Virginia Matheson "Such a Charming Man: Part 1"
1977 Space: 1999 Elizia "Devil's Planet"[11]
1977 Van der Valk Else Rokin "Accidental"
1978 The Professionals Sara "Close Quarters"
1979 ITV Playhouse Philippa "Saint Vitus' Dance"
1981 A Spy at Evening Virginia TV miniseries
1981 Diamonds Margaret Coleman Main role
1984 A Talent for Murder Sheila McClain TV film
2007 Hotel Babylon Marchioness of Telford "2.3"
2007 Doctors Nellie Shamus "Flights of Fantasy"
2009 Doctors Shelia Bardock "Vera Pym"
2010 Above Suspicion Florence Pennel "The Red Dahlia: Part 1"
2012 Doctors Rosie Bryer "The Well Spoken Man"

References

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  1. ^ a b Hayward, Anthony (16 October 2023). "Hildegard Neil obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  2. ^ "Brian Blessed's Cape Town: 'It's where I feel most alive'". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
  3. ^ Blessed, Brian (2015). Absolute pandemonium : a memoir. London. ISBN 9780283072314. OCLC 938791263.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. ^ "Brian Blessed: 'I want to go to the moon... the greatest danger in life is not taking the adventure'". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  5. ^ "In Memory Of: Hildegard Neil". Love2donate.co.uk. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  6. ^ "Hildegarde Neil, 1939–2023". Nick Shearman on Facebook. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  7. ^ "Hildegard Neil". Aveleyman.com. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  8. ^ "Hildegarde Neil obituary". The Times. 28 October 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  9. ^ a b "DD140622 - WikiDelia". Wikidelia.net. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  10. ^ "DD135629 - WikiDelia". Wikidelia.net. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  11. ^ "Star Trek: The Original Series". Sttos.epguides.info. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
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