Margaret Nolan facts for kids

Margaret Ann Nolan (born October 29, 1943 – died October 5, 2020) was an English actress and artist. She was also a model when she was younger. Margaret Nolan was famous for her roles in the James Bond film Goldfinger, A Hard Day's Night with the Beatles, and several Carry On movies. She appeared on screen regularly from the 1960s to the 1980s.

Early Life and Beginnings

Margaret Nolan was born in Hampstead, a part of London, England. Her mother was a nurse, and her father was an army clerk. During World War II, her family lived in Ireland before returning to London in 1945.

Margaret first started training to become a teacher. However, she met an actor named Tom Kempinski. He encouraged her to try acting, and that's how her career began.

Career Highlights

Modelling Work

Margaret Nolan started her career as a model. For a short time in the early 1960s, she was known by the name Vicky Kennedy while she was modelling.

Acting Roles

When Margaret started getting acting jobs, she went back to using her birth name, Margaret Nolan. She appeared in many TV shows, plays, and films.

She was in A Hard Day's Night with the famous band the Beatles. She also acted in Ferry Cross the Mersey with Gerry and the Pacemakers. One of her early TV roles was in the spy thriller The Saint, starring Roger Moore.

One of her most famous roles was Dink, James Bond's masseuse, in the 1964 film Goldfinger. For the movie's opening title sequence and advertisements, Margaret was painted entirely in gold. This became a very iconic image. In 2012, her experience as the model for Goldfinger was even featured at the MoMA museum in New York.

Margaret Nolan was also known for her roles in several Carry On films. These were popular British comedy movies. For example, she was in Carry On Girls (1973).

She also worked with the famous comedian Spike Milligan in five BBC TV series. Margaret wrote about her time working with him, sharing that he taught her how important "timing" is for making things funny.

Later in her career, Margaret Nolan also acted in more serious plays that had political themes. In 2011, her comedy work was honored on the "Comedy Carpet" in Blackpool, England. After almost 30 years away from the screen, she returned to acting in 2011 for the film The Power of Three. Her final film role was in Last Night in Soho, released in 2021 after her passing.

Artistic Journey

In 1991, Margaret Nolan moved to a farmhouse in the mountains of Andalusia, Spain. There, she started practicing permaculture, which is a way of farming that works with nature. It was in Spain that she began her career as a visual artist.

As an artist, Margaret Nolan created unique artworks. She made photo-montages by cutting up and reassembling her old publicity photographs from her modelling days. These artworks explored how women are seen and how they see themselves. Her art was shown in galleries in London, including the Brick Lane Gallery and Gallery Different.

In 2009, some of her early modelling photos inspired screen-prints by an artist named Hutch. Her photo-montage work was also featured on the cover of Playerist poetry magazine in 2012.

Personal Life and Passing

Margaret Nolan was married to the playwright Tom Kempinski from 1967 to 1972. She had two sons.

Margaret Nolan passed away from cancer on October 5, 2020, at her home in Belsize Park, London. She was 76 years old.

Selected Film and Television Roles

Margaret Nolan had a long career in both movies and television. Here are some of her notable appearances:

• Goldfinger (1964) – Dink
• A Hard Day's Night (1964) – Girl at Casino
• Ferry Cross the Mersey (1964) – Norah
• Carry On Cowboy (1965) – Miss Jones
• The Great St Trinian's Train Robbery (1966) – Susie Naphill
• Carry On Henry (1971) – Buxom Lass
• Carry On at Your Convenience (1971) – Popsy
• Carry On Matron (1972) – Mrs Tucker
• Carry On Girls (1973) – Dawn Brakes
• Carry On Dick (1974) – Lady Daley
• Last Night in Soho (2021) – Sage Barmaid (released after her death)

On television, she appeared in shows like:

• The Saint (1963)
• Danger Man (1965)
• The Newcomers (1966)
• Steptoe and Son (1972)
• The Sweeney (1975)
• Brideshead Revisited (1981)

See also

In Spanish: Margaret Nolan para niños