Rosalind Knight
Rosalind Knight
Biography
Born in Marylebone, London, versatile character actress Rosalind Marie Knight was born to theatrical parentage. Her father was the accomplished thespian Esmond Knight. Her mother, the comedienne Frances Clare, often featured in Ivor Novello operettas. Rosalind's interest in theatre was first kindled at the age of six when she and her mother attended a staging of Novello's "The Dancing Years" at Drury Lane. Rosalind was evacuated to the countryside with her nanny during the war years. In 1949, she accompanied her father to the Old Vic Theatre and became enthralled by a production of "The Snow Queen", primarily performed by drama school novices. The following year she won an audition and spent two years at the Old Vic Theatre School. This was succeeded by a lengthy apprenticeship in repertory which led to her gaining further experience as assistant stage manager for the West of England Theatre Company, the Midland Theatre Company in Coventry and the Piccolo Theatre Company in Manchester. In 1955, she made her first impact on screen as a lady-in-waiting in Laurence Olivier's Richard III (1955), which also featured her father in the cast. A year later, having come to the attention of a movie producer, she played Annabel, one of the schoolgirls, in Blue Murder at St. Trinian's (1957) (decades later, she would return as a teacher in the sequel The Wildcats of St. Trinian's (1980)). This set the tone for a number of subsequent comedic roles which included a couple of early Carry On's and the Tony Richardson-directed Tom Jones (1963), in which she played the giddy Mrs. Harriet Fitzpatrick. While doing the Carry On films she was not under any form of contract and was paid a mere $50 a week. In 1957, Rosalind joined her father in an early BBC adaptation of Nicholas Nickleby (1957) as the spiteful Fanny Squeers. In a later miniseries based on Charles Dickens, Martin Chuzzlewit (1964), she was a splendidly shrewish Charity Pecksniff. During her prolific career, Rosalind relished every opportunity to portray a diverse range of characters, good and bad, from servants to princesses (Alice of Battenberg in The Crown (2016)) to old maids (Aspasia Fitzgibbon in The Pallisers (1974)) to wealthy socialites (Margot Asquith in Nancy Astor (1982)) and unpleasant aristocratic dowagers (Daphne Winkworth in Jeeves and Wooster (1990)). She even essayed a retired prostitute turned landlady in the sitcom Gimme Gimme Gimme (1999). In addition to a staple of period dramas she guested in numerous episodic TV dramas, including Poirot (1989), Dalziel and Pascoe (1996), Heartbeat (1992), Marple (2004), Midsomer Murders (1997) and Sherlock (2010). All the while, she remained heavily engaged in theatrical work with the Old Vic, The Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Court Theatre, her last appearance being the strict, incorruptible governess Mrs. Prism in Shaw's "The Importance of Being Earnest". Rosalind was married to director/producer Michael Elliott from 1959. In 1976, she helped rebuild and re-open the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester, of which her husband was involved as one of five artistic directors. She was also a patron of the Actor's Centre in London and the Ladies' Theatrical Guild (a charity founded in 1891). Rosalind Knight continued to perform as an actress right up to her death on December 19 2020, at the age of 87.
Known For
Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Known Credits
67
Gender
Female
Birthday
1933-12-03 (91 years old)
Place of Birth
Marylebone, London, England, UK
Acting

2021

Friday Night Dinner: 10 Years and a Lovely Bit of Squirrel as Horrible Grandma (archive footage)

2016

The Crown as Princess Andrew of Greece and Denmark

2015

The Lady in the Van as Old Nun

2011

Friday Night Dinner as Cynthia Goodman

2011

The Lost World Cup as Not available

2010

Sherlock as Grace

2007

The Shell Seekers as Mrs. Croftway

2002

About a Boy as Lindsey's Mum

1999

Gimme Gimme Gimme as Not available

1998

Berkeley Square as Great Aunt Effie

1998

Tess of the D'Urbervilles as Mrs. D'Urberville

1998

Gunslinger's Revenge as Miss Willow

1998

What's a Carry On? as Felicity Wheeler (archive footage) (uncredited)

1997

Midsomer Murders as Eleanor Macpherson

1997

Midsomer Murders as Mother Jerome

1996

Dalziel & Pascoe as Not available

1995

Solitaire for 2 as Receptionist

1994

Wycliffe as Mrs. Prentice

1994

Harry Enfield and Chums as Lady Fotherington Carstairs

1994

Pleasure as Madame Desneuves

1993

Royal Celebration as Mrs. Maynard

1992

Heartbeat as Edith Benton

1992

Swords at Teatime as Shirley

1991

Afraid of the Dark as Edith

1990

Jeeves and Wooster as Dame Daphne

1989

Agatha Christie's Poirot as Georgina Morley

1987

Watching as Mrs. Lloyd Roberts

1987

Prick Up Your Ears as RADA Judge

1987

Claws as Mrs Hargreaves

1985

Mapp & Lucia as Not available

1984

Sherlock Holmes as Countess of Morcar

1984

I Thought You'd Gone as Not available

1982

Nancy Astor as Margot Asquith

1982

The Disappearance of Harry as Dr Abbeydale

1979

The Lady Vanishes as Evelyn Barnes

1977

That's Carry On! as Felicity Wheeler

1976

It Could Happen to You as Mrs Ramlin

1975

Eskimo Nell as Lady Longhorn

1975

The Old Curiosity Shop as Mrs. George

1974

Playhouse as Mrs. Mattison

1974

Playhouse as Matron

1974

Within These Walls as Not available

1973

Baby Blues as Sister Maidenhead

1970

Start the Revolution Without Me as Helene de Sisi

1968

Nicholas Nickleby as Miss Snevellicci

1968

Diamonds for Breakfast as Museum Visitor in Pink Dress (uncredited)

1964

The Wednesday Play as Barbara

1964

Martin Chuzzlewit as Not available

1963

Tom Jones as Mrs. Fitzpatrick

1963

As You Like It as Celia

1962

The Beverly Hillbillies as Not available

1961

The Kitchen as Daphne

1960

Doctor in Love as Doctor

1959

Carry On Nurse as Student Nurse Nightingale

1959

Carry On Teacher as Felicity Wheeler

1958

The Horse's Mouth as Art Student (uncredited)

1957

Nicholas Nickleby as Not available

1957

Fortune Is a Woman as (uncredited)