Eileen Pollock facts for kids

Eileen Pollock (born May 18, 1947 – died December 19, 2020) was an actress from Northern Ireland. She was known for her work in theatre, including political plays and pantomimes. Many people remember her best as Lilo Lil from the popular TV show Bread.

Growing Up and Early Career

Eileen Pollock was born in Belfast, which is in Northern Ireland. She went to Queen's University Belfast to study different languages. Before she became an actress, Eileen worked as a technical translator in London. Her first job in theatre was helping backstage at the Bush Theatre in London.

Eileen's Acting Journey

Becoming Lilo Lil

Eileen Pollock became very famous for playing 'Lilo' Lill in the TV comedy show Bread. This show was created by Carla Lane and ran from 1986 to 1991. She once said she liked it when people recognized her from the show.

Working in Theatre

Eileen was part of a political theatre group called Belt and Braces. She felt there weren't enough roles for women, so she started her own groups. These were called Bloomers and later Camouflage. She even wrote several plays for Camouflage.

She also worked with many Irish theatre companies. These included Field Day, Charabanc, and DubbelJoint. She performed in many touring and repertory shows too.

Eileen acted in several stage plays. Some of these were The Government Inspector and Women on the verge of HRT. She also appeared in Three Sisters and Dancing at Lughnasa. In 2016, she played Bridget in an all-women play called As Good a Time As Any.

Film and TV Roles

Eileen also appeared in many films and TV shows. In 1982, she was in Easter 2016 as part of the Play for Tomorrow series. She also acted in After You've Gone (1984) and Far and Away (1992).

She was in the film Angela's Ashes, which was based on a famous book. In Far and Away, she played Molly, a landlady, alongside Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. In 2010, she appeared in the film Psychosis. Later, in 2016, she played a mother in the film My Feral Heart.

Other Performances

In 2007, Eileen performed a special one-woman show called Now I'm Sixty. She also directed a play in 2010 called The Irish Wake of Paddy McGrath.

One of her childhood dreams was to act in a pantomime. In 2004, she played the wicked witch in Jack and the Beanstalk. This was her fifth pantomime! She enjoyed playing the witch and making children want to cry and scream.

In 2009, Eileen Pollock was a guest on The Justin Lee Collins Show.

Filmography

Film

Television