Frances de la Tour facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Frances de la Tour
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![]() De la Tour speaking at the British Library in 2019
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Born |
Frances J. de Lautour
30 July 1944 Bovingdon, Hertfordshire, England
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Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 1965–present |
Spouse(s) |
David Godman
(m. 1968, divorced)Tom Kempinski
(m. 1972; div. 1982) |
Children | 2 |
Relatives | Andy de la Tour (brother) |
Frances de la Tour (born 30 July 1944) is a famous English actress. She is well-known for playing Miss Ruth Jones in the TV show Rising Damp from 1974 to 1978. Frances de la Tour has won a Tony Award and three Olivier Awards for her acting.
She played Mrs. Lintott in the play The History Boys in London and on Broadway. For this role, she won a Tony Award in 2006. She also acted in the 2006 film version of The History Boys. You might also know her as Madame Olympe Maxime in the movie Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005). On TV, she has been in shows like Big School and Vicious.
Contents
Early Life and Family Background
Frances de la Tour was born on 30 July 1944 in Bovingdon, Hertfordshire, England. Her parents were Moyra and Charles de la Tour. Her family name was also spelled De Lautour. She has French, Greek, and Irish family roots. She studied acting at the Drama Centre London.
Frances de la Tour is the sister of actor and writer Andy de la Tour. She was married to playwright Tom Kempinski for a short time. She has two children, a son and a daughter.
In 2015, a TV show called Who Do You Think You Are? showed that Frances de la Tour is related to the old Delaval family.
Frances de la Tour's Acting Career
Theatre Performances
After finishing drama school in 1965, Frances de la Tour joined the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC). For six years, she took on many small roles. She slowly started playing bigger parts, like Helena in Peter Brook's famous play A Midsummer Night's Dream.
In the 1970s, she worked a lot in theatre and on TV. She played Rosalind in As You Like It in 1975. She also played Isabella in The White Devil in 1976. She worked with the Half Moon Theatre in London, appearing in plays like We Can't Pay? We Won't Pay (1978) and playing the main role in Hamlet (1980).
In 1980, she starred as Stephanie in Duet for One. This play was written for her by Tom Kempinski. She won an Olivier Award for Best Actress for this role. She also won another Olivier Award in 1983 for her role as Josie in A Moon for the Misbegotten. She joined the Royal National Theatre in 1984 to play the main role in Saint Joan. She won a third Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1991 for the play When She Danced.
In 2004, she played Mrs. Lintott in Alan Bennett's play The History Boys. She performed this play at the National Theatre and later on Broadway. She won a Drama Desk Award and a Tony Award for this role. She also appeared in the movie version of The History Boys. In 2007, she was in a play called Boeing-Boeing. She also appeared in other plays by Alan Bennett, including The Habit of Art (2009) and People (2012).
Film and Television Roles
Frances de la Tour has been in many TV shows and films. She is best known for playing Ruth Jones in the comedy show Rising Damp from 1974 to 1978. She said that Ruth Jones was an "interesting character to play." When she played Ruth Jones again in the 1980 film version, she won the Best Actress award at the Evening Standard British Film Awards.
In 2005, she played Olympe Maxime, the headmistress of Beauxbatons Academy, in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. She also had a small role as Madame Maxime in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (2010). Other TV roles include Agatha Christie's Poirot: Death on the Nile (2004) and Agatha Christie's Marple: The Moving Finger (2006).
She was nominated for a BAFTA Award in 2006 for her supporting role in The History Boys film. She also appeared in Tim Burton's 2010 film Alice in Wonderland as Aunt Imogene. In 2012, she was in the film Hugo.
From 2013 to 2016, Frances de la Tour played Violet Crosby in the ITV comedy show Vicious, alongside Ian McKellen and Derek Jacobi. From 2013 to 2014, she played headmistress Ms. Baron in the BBC One comedy show Big School. In 2016, she joined the TV series Outlander as Mother Hildegarde. In 2021, she appeared in the ITV show Professor T., playing the main character's mother.
Personal Life and Interests
Frances de la Tour is the sister of actor and writer Andy de la Tour. As mentioned, a TV show found that she is a descendant of the old Delaval family.
Frances de la Tour has been interested in politics. In the 1970s, she was a member of a political group called the Workers' Revolutionary Party.
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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1970 | Country Dance | District Nurse | |
Every Home Should Have One | Maud Crape | ||
1972 | Our Miss Fred | Miss Lockhart | |
1974–1978 | Rising Damp | Miss Ruth Jones | 24 episodes |
1976 | To the Devil a Daughter | Salvation Army Major | |
1977 | Wombling Free | Julia Frogmorton | |
Maggie: It's Me | Maggie | ||
1980 | Rising Damp | Miss Ruth Jones | Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Actress |
Flickers | Maud Cole | ||
1983 | The Bounder | Celia | |
1984 | Ellis Island | Millie Renfrew | |
1985 | Murder with Mirrors | Miss Bellaver | |
1990 | Strike It Rich | Mrs. De Vere | |
1996 | Cold Lazarus | Emma Porlock | |
1997 | The History of Tom Jones: A Foundling | Aunt Western | |
1998 | Heartbeat | Tessa | Episode "Bad Penny" |
1999 | The Cherry Orchard | Charlotte Ivanova | |
2004 | Agatha Christie's Poirot | Salome Otterbourne | Episode "Death on the Nile" |
Waking the Dead | Alice Taylor-Garrett | Episode "False Flag" | |
2005 | Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire | Madame Olympe Maxime | |
Sensitive Skin | Sarah Thorne | 1 episode | |
2006 | Agatha Christie's Marple | Mrs. Maud Dane Calthrop | Episode The Moving Finger |
The History Boys | Dorothy Lintott | Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role Nominated – British Independent Film Awards |
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New Tricks | Professor Styles | 1 episode (Old Dogs) | |
2010 | The Book of Eli | Martha | |
Alice in Wonderland | Aunt Imogene | ||
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 | Madame Olympe Maxime | ||
The Nutcracker in 3D | The Rat Queen/Housekeeper | ||
2011 | Hugo | Madame Emile | |
2012 | Private Peaceful | Grandma Wolf | |
2013–2016 | Vicious | Violet Crosby | |
2013–2014 | Big School | Ms. Margaret Baron | |
2014 | Into the Woods | The Giantess | |
2015 | Mr. Holmes | Madame Schirmer | |
Survivor | Sally | ||
The Lady in the Van | Ursula Vaughan Williams | ||
Miss You Already | Jill | ||
2016 | Outlander | Mother Hildegarde | Series 2 |
The Collection | Yvette | ||
2017 | Man in an Orange Shirt | Mrs March | |
2018 | Vanity Fair | Lady Matilda Crawley | |
2020 | Dolittle | Dragon (voice) | |
Enola Holmes | The Dowager | ||
2021 | The Prince | Queen Elizabeth II (voice) | |
2021–present | Professor T. | Adelaide |
Awards and Nominations
Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
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1980 | Olivier Award | Best Actress in a New Play | Duet for One | Won |
1980 | Evening Standard Film Award | Best Actress | Rising Damp | Won |
1983 | Olivier Award | Best Actress in a Revival | A Moon for the Misbegotten | Won |
1986 | BAFTA TV Award | Best Actress | Duet for One | Nominated |
1992 | Olivier Award | Best Supporting Actress | When She Danced | Won |
1995 | Olivier Award | Best Actress | Les Parents Terribles | Nominated |
2006 | Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play | The History Boys | Won |
2006 | Tony Award | Best Featured Actress in a Play | The History Boys | Won |
2006 | British Independent Film Award | Best Actress | The History Boys | Nominated |
2007 | BAFTA Film Award | Best Supporting Actress | The History Boys | Nominated |
2014 | BAFTA TV Award | Best Female Comedy Performance | Vicious | Nominated |
Stage Performances
Year | Title | Role(s) | Notes | Ref. |
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1965 | Timon of Athens | unnamed parts | ||
Hamlet | unnamed parts | |||
1966 | The Government Inspector | Avdotya, Wife | ||
Henry IV, Part 1 | unnamed parts | |||
Twelfth Night | unnamed parts | |||
Henry V | Alice | |||
The Proposal | Natalyia Stepanovna | |||
1967 | The Taming of the Shrew | Nicholas, Widow | ||
As You Like It | Audrey | |||
The Relapse | Miss Hoyden | |||
1969 | Dutch Uncle | Doris Hoyden | ||
A Midsummer Night's Dream | Helena | |||
1970 | Doctor Faustus | Devil | ||
Hamlet | Player Queen | |||
1971 | A Midsummer Night's Dream | Helena | Broadway debut | |
The Man of Mode | Bellinda | |||
The Balcony | Bishop's girl | |||
1973 | The Banana Box | Ruth Jones | ||
1975 | The Vegetable; or, From President to Postman | Charlotte | ||
As You Like It | Rosalind | |||
1979 | Hamlet | Hamlet | ||
1980 | Duet for One | Stephanie Anderson | ||
1982 | Uncle Vanya | Sonya | ||
1983 | A Moon for the Misbegotten | Josie Hogan | ||
1984 | Saint Joan | St. Joan | ||
1985 | The Dance of Death | Alice | ||
1989 | King Lear | Regan | ||
Chekhov's Women | performer | |||
1991 | When She Danced | Miss Belzer | ||
1994 | Three Tall Women | Middle Tall Woman | ||
1998 | The Play About the Baby | Woman | ||
1999 | The Forest | Raisa Pavlovna Gurmyzhskaya | ||
Antony and Cleopatra | Cleopatra | |||
2000 | Fallen Angels | Jane Banbury | ||
2001 | The Good Hope | Kitty | ||
2003 | The Dance of Death | Alice | ||
2004 | The History Boys | Mrs. Lintott | ||
2007 | Boeing-Boeing | Bertha | ||
2009 | The Habit of Art | Stage Manager | ||
2012 | People | Dorothy |
See also
In Spanish: Frances de la Tour para niños