Ann Firbank

British actress (born 1933)

Ann Firbank
Born	(1933-01-09) 9 January 1933 (age 91) Secunderabad, British India
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1956–present

Ann Firbank (born 9 January 1933) is a British actress of film, television, and stage whose career extends from 1956. One of Firbank's more notable roles is her 1971 portrayal of Anne Elliot in the serial Persuasion, an adaptation of Jane Austen's novel of the same name.

Career

Firbank starred as Anne Elliot in the ITV serial Persuasion, a 1971 adaptation of the Jane Austen novel of the same name.^[1]^[2] Her film credits include the 1967 film Accident,^[3] The Scarlet Pimpernel (1982) and Anna and the King (1999).^[4] In 2005, Firbank appeared in the costume drama Elizabeth I alongside Dame Helen Mirren.^[5]

Firbank appeared in a 2012 production of The Golden Dragon at the Jagriti Theatre in Bangalore, India. A reviewer for The Hindu praised Firbank's performance, writing that the "energetic and youthful at 79" actress "stands out for her stage presence".^[6] In 2014, Firbank appeared in a production of the play The Crucible at the Old Vic, playing Rebecca Nurse.^[7]

Personal life

She had been engaged to the actor Patric Doonan, when he was married to actress Aud Johansen. Doonan committed suicide in 1958.^[8]

Select filmography

Film

Carry On Nurse (1958) as Staff Nurse Helen Lloyd
Nothing Barred (1961) as Lady Katherine
Darling (1965) as Sybil Martin
Dead Man's Chest (1965) as Mildred Jones
A Man Could Get Killed (1966) as Miss Nolan
Accident (1967) as Laura
A Severed Head (1970) as Rosemary Lynch-Gibbon
Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971) as Party Guest
Asylum (1972) as Anna
Brief Encounter (1974) as Melanie Harvey
The Scarlet Pimpernel (1982) as Countess de Tournay
A Passage to India (1984) as Mrs. Callendar
Hotel Du Lac (1986) as Penelope Milne
Foreign Body (1986) as Mrs Plumb
Anna and the King (1999) as Lady Bradley
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) as Tatooine Elder

Television

Kenilworth (1957) as Amy Robsart
Leave It to Todhunter (1958) as Felicity Farroway
Emergency Ward 10 (1960–63) as Mary Nesbitt
Danger Man (1961) as Bobby in episode "The Island"
The Plane Makers (1964–65) as Pamela Wilder
Persuasion (1971) as Anne Elliot
The Lotus Eaters (1972 TV series) "The present Mrs Clive" as Lorna Clive
The Nearly Man (1975) as Alice Collinson
Space 1999 (1977) as Consul Varda in "The Dorcons"
Lillie (1978) as Queen Alexandra
Crown Court (1973–75, 1981) as Sarah Gibson
Problem at Sea (1989) as Miss Henderson
Bergerac (1989) S7E4 The Other Woman as Sheila King
Heartbeat (1993) S2, E2, End of the Line as Agnes Tripp
Elizabeth I (2005) as Lady Anne
Midsomer Murders (2009) The Black Book as Felicity Law^[9]
New Tricks "Ghosts" (2014) as Nancy Evans

Theatre

Billy Liar, West Yorkshire Playhouse (2010)^[10]
The Golden Dragon, Jagriti Theatre (2012)
The Crucible, the Old Vic (2014)
Blood Wedding, the Young Vic (2019)

References

^ Troost, Linda; Greenfield, Sayre N, eds. (2001). "Appendix". Jane Austen in Hollywood. University Press of Kentucky. p. 206. ISBN 978-0-8131-9006-8.
^ Bolton, H. Philip (2000). Women Writers Dramatized: A Calendar of Performances from Narrative Works Published in English to 1900. Bloomsbury Academic. p. 14. ISBN 978-0720121179.
^ Sinyard, Neil. "Accident (1967)". Screenonline. British Film Institute. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
^ "Ann Firbank". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 22 July 2012. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
^ Parrill, Sue; Robison, William B. (2013). The Tudors on Film and Television. McFarland. p. 49. ISBN 978-0786458912.
^ Datta, Sravasti (25 January 2012). "A method in the chaos". The Hindu. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
^ Taylor, Paul (4 July 2014). "The Crucible, Old Vic, review: 'Unmissable'". The Independent. Archived from the original on 7 May 2022. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
^ "Bygones: Derby-born actor Patric Doonan was never destined for starring role". Derby Telegraph. 17 June 2015. Archived from the original on 22 June 2015. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
^ "Radio Times". Archived from the original on 11 April 2020. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
^ Hickling, Alfred (9 September 2010). "Billy Liar". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 September 2015.