Diana Coupland facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Diana Coupland
Coupland c. 1973
Born	Betty Diana Coupland (1928-03-05)5 March 1928 Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire, England
Died	10 November 2006(2006-11-10) (aged 78) Coventry, England
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1943–2006
Spouse(s)	Monty Norman ​ ​ (m. 1956; div. 1975)​ Marc Miller ​ (m. 1980)​
Children	1

Diana Coupland (born 5 March 1928 – died 10 November 2006) was an English actress and singer. Many people remember her best for playing Jean Abbott in the TV show Bless This House from 1971 to 1976. In the show, she played the wife of Sid James's character, Sid.

Early Life and First Steps in Music

Diana Coupland was born in Leeds, England, in 1928. She was the only child of Elsie and Denis Coupland. When she was young, she dreamed of becoming a ballet dancer. However, a horse-riding accident stopped her from following this dream.

Diana started her music career at just 15 years old. A BBC producer named Barney Colehan heard her sing. He was impressed and invited her to perform on one of his radio shows. By the age of 18, she was singing full-time in Leeds. The next year, she moved to London with her parents. There, she became a regular singer at a popular ballroom. Diana became a well-known singer in the 1940s and 1950s. She performed at famous places like the Dorchester Hotel and the Savoy Hotel.

Acting and Singing Career

Diana Coupland's first film appearance was in Flannelfoot (1953), where she sang in the opening scene. In 1959, she got a surprise role in a musical called Make Me An Offer. Soon after, she appeared in popular West End shows like Gigi.

She started acting on television in 1961 in a show called Emergency – Ward 10. She also had roles in other TV series such as Dixon of Dock Green and Z-Cars. In 1970, she played a mother in Please Sir! and a Siberian wife in the film The Twelve Chairs.

Her most famous role came in February 1971. She was cast as Jean Abbott in the sitcom Bless This House. She played the wife of Sid James's character. Diana continued in this role until Sid James passed away in 1976. She also appeared in the 1972 movie version of Bless This House.

Besides acting, Diana was also a "playback singer." This means she sang songs that actresses would lip-sync to in films. For example, she sang for Lana Turner in Betrayed. She also sang the famous "Underneath the Mango Tree" for Ursula Andress in the first James Bond film, Dr. No. Diana stopped professional singing in the 1960s.

In the late 1970s and 1980s, Diana appeared in TV shows like Triangle and Juliet Bravo. She even got a role in Triangle because she was on set visiting her husband, who was a director for the show. Later, she appeared in an episode of One Foot in the Grave in 1992. In 2000, she had a six-week role in the popular soap opera EastEnders. Her final TV appearances were in shows like Doctors and Casualty in 2005.

Personal Life

Diana Coupland was married two times. Her first husband was the composer Monty Norman. They got married in May 1956 and had one daughter. They divorced after 20 years.

In 2001, Diana gave evidence in a court case. Her former husband, Monty Norman, had sued a newspaper. The newspaper had suggested that Norman had falsely taken credit for the famous James Bond theme music. Diana said the article was "blatantly untrue." Monty Norman won the case.

Diana married her second husband, Marc Miller, who was a producer, in 1980.

Later Years and Death

Diana Coupland was a supporter of National Lupus UK, a charity. She passed away in November 2006 at the age of 78. She died at the University Hospital Coventry in Coventry after having an operation for long-term heart problems.

Filmography