Hannah Gordon
Encyclopedia
Hannah Cambell Grant Gordon (sometimes known as Hannah Warwick, born 9 April 1941) is a Scottish
actress who is well known in the United Kingdom
for her television work, including Upstairs, Downstairs
, Telford's Change, My Wife Next Door
, Joint Account and an appearance in the final episode of One Foot in the Grave
.
, the daughter of Hannah (née
Grant) and William Munro Gordon. She studied drama
at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama
in Glasgow
and, after graduating, spent one year doing rep
in Dundee
. Shortly after, Gordon went to work in London
, and had early television appearances in the mid-1960s in programmes such as Out of the Unknown
, The Wednesday Play
, David Copperfield and Thirty-Minute Theatre. In 1966-67, Gordon played Kirsty in the Doctor Who
serial The Highlanders
, and in 1969 made appearances on Jackanory
. In 1967, she appeared in the stage play Spring and Port Wine
, and in 1970 took the same role in the film version. In 1972, Hannah Gordon had her first lead role, alongside John Alderton
in the sitcom
My Wife Next Door
.
Upstairs, Downstairs
. In 1979, she appeared in Telford's Change, another drama. During the 1970s, Gordon also appeared in Play for Today
, The Persuaders!
and the 1973 Christmas Edition of The Morecambe & Wise Show
. In the 1980s she starred opposite Peter Egan
in the BBC sitcom Joint Account. She voiced a character in Watership Down
and starred in Alfie Darling
.
In 1980, she appeared in the film The Elephant Man
, and in 1981 starred in Miss Morrison's Ghosts
(with Wendy Hiller
). More recently, she has appeared on television in Goodbye, Mr Kent, My Family and Other Animals
, Taggart
and Jonathan Creek
. Since 2000, she has made guest appearances in Midsomer Murders
, Monarch of the Glen and Heartbeat. In 2000, Gordon played Glynis, the woman who kills Victor Meldrew
in "Things Aren't Simple Any More", the final episode of the sitcom One Foot in the Grave
.
From 1998 to 2002 she hosted the Channel 4
programme Watercolour Challenge
.
She also more recently appeared in the 2007 Christmas episodes of BBC Scotland soap River City
, as hotel owner Rose who had rescued Archie Buchanan from the cliffside and taken him in because of his memory loss.
She has most recently been seen in the final episode of series 7 of the BBC series Hustle, where she plays an old flame of Albert Stroller. It was aired on Friday, 18 February 2011.
's Peter and the Wolf
in a Christmas concert with the Corinthian Chamber Orchestra
at St. James's Church, Piccadilly, London on 14 December 2007.
She was the narrator of the opening concert at the 2008 Edinburgh International Festival
- Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny
by Kurt Weill
and Bertolt Brecht
at Usher Hall
on Friday, 8 August 2008. This performance brought together the RSNO
, the Edinburgh Festival Chorus, the ladies of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama
and eight soloists.
From 9–20 March 2009, Gordon read Nina Bawden
's novel Family Money for BBC Radio 4's Book at Bedtime
.
. Gordon appeared in all the TV commercials, voiced the radio adverts and was present at many store openings.
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
actress who is well known in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
for her television work, including Upstairs, Downstairs
Upstairs, Downstairs
Upstairs, Downstairs is a British drama television series originally produced by London Weekend Television and revived by the BBC. It ran on ITV in 68 episodes divided into five series from 1971 to 1975, and a sixth series shown on the BBC on three consecutive nights, 26–28 December 2010.Set in a...
, Telford's Change, My Wife Next Door
My Wife Next Door
My Wife Next Door was a BBC sitcom written by Brian Clemens and Richard Waring that was first broadcast in 1972. It ran for just 13 episodes and focused on a couple, George Basset, , and Suzie Basset, . Each tries to start afresh after their divorce...
, Joint Account and an appearance in the final episode of One Foot in the Grave
One Foot in the Grave
One Foot in the Grave is a BBC television sitcom series written by David Renwick. The show ran for six series, including seven Christmas specials, two Comic Relief specials, over an eleven year period, from early 1990 to late 2000...
.
Early life
Gordon was born in EdinburghEdinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, the daughter of Hannah (née
Married and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
Grant) and William Munro Gordon. She studied drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama
Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama
The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland is a conservatoire of music, drama, and dance in the centre of Glasgow, Scotland. Founded in 1845 as the Glasgow Educational Association, it is the busiest performing arts venue in Scotland...
in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
and, after graduating, spent one year doing rep
Repertory
Repertory or rep, also called stock in the United States, is a term used in Western theatre and opera.A repertory theatre can be a theatre in which a resident company presents works from a specified repertoire, usually in alternation or rotation...
in Dundee
Dundee
Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
. Shortly after, Gordon went to work in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, and had early television appearances in the mid-1960s in programmes such as Out of the Unknown
Out of the Unknown
Out of the Unknown is a British television science fiction anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and broadcast on BBC2 in four series between 1965 and 1971. Each episode was an independent dramatisation of a separate science fiction short story...
, The Wednesday Play
The Wednesday Play
The Wednesday Play was an anthology series of British television plays which ran on BBC1 from October 1964 to May 1970. Every week's play was usually written for television, although adaptations from other sources also featured...
, David Copperfield and Thirty-Minute Theatre. In 1966-67, Gordon played Kirsty in the Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
serial The Highlanders
The Highlanders (Doctor Who)
The Highlanders is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 17 December 1966 to 7 January 1967....
, and in 1969 made appearances on Jackanory
Jackanory
Jackanory is a long-running BBC children's television series that was designed to stimulate an interest in reading. The show was first transmitted on 13 December 1965, the first story being the fairy-tale Cap o' Rushes read by Lee Montague. Jackanory continued to be broadcast until 24 March 1996,...
. In 1967, she appeared in the stage play Spring and Port Wine
Spring and Port Wine
Spring and Port Wine is a stage play by Bill Naughton which was turned into a film .It began life under the title My Flesh, My Blood as a BBC Radio play, broadcast on 17 August 1957 in the Saturday Night Theatre strand...
, and in 1970 took the same role in the film version. In 1972, Hannah Gordon had her first lead role, alongside John Alderton
John Alderton
John Alderton is an English actor who is best known for his roles in Upstairs, Downstairs, Thomas & Sarah and Please Sir!. Alderton has often starred alongside his wife, Pauline Collins.-Early life:...
in the sitcom
British sitcom
A British sitcom tends, as it does in most other countries, to be based on a family, workplace or other institution, where the same group of contrasting characters is brought together in each episode. Unlike American sitcoms, where twenty or more episodes in a season is the norm, British sitcoms...
My Wife Next Door
My Wife Next Door
My Wife Next Door was a BBC sitcom written by Brian Clemens and Richard Waring that was first broadcast in 1972. It ran for just 13 episodes and focused on a couple, George Basset, , and Suzie Basset, . Each tries to start afresh after their divorce...
.
Television fame
Having married cameraman Norman Warwick, they had a son Ben, and Gordon returned to work after a year off in 1974. Her first appearance was as Virginia Hamilton who later married Lord Bellamy in the fourth and fifth series of the period dramaPeriod piece
-Setting:In the performing arts, a period piece is a work set in a particular era. This informal term covers all countries, all periods and all genres...
Upstairs, Downstairs
Upstairs, Downstairs
Upstairs, Downstairs is a British drama television series originally produced by London Weekend Television and revived by the BBC. It ran on ITV in 68 episodes divided into five series from 1971 to 1975, and a sixth series shown on the BBC on three consecutive nights, 26–28 December 2010.Set in a...
. In 1979, she appeared in Telford's Change, another drama. During the 1970s, Gordon also appeared in Play for Today
Play for Today
Play for Today is a British television anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC1 from 1970 to 1984. During the run, more than three hundred programmes, featuring original television plays, and adaptations of stage plays and novels, were transmitted...
, The Persuaders!
The Persuaders!
The Persuaders! is a 1971 action/adventure series, produced by ITC Entertainment for initial broadcast on ITV and ABC. It has been called "the last major entry in the cycle of adventure series that had begun eleven years earlier with Danger Man in 1960", as well as "the most ambitious and most...
and the 1973 Christmas Edition of The Morecambe & Wise Show
Morecambe and Wise
Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise, usually referred to as Morecambe and Wise, or Eric and Ernie, were a British comic double act, working in variety, radio, film and most successfully in television. Their partnership lasted from 1941 until Morecambe's death in 1984...
. In the 1980s she starred opposite Peter Egan
Peter Egan
Peter Egan is a British actor known for playing smooth neighbour Paul Ryman in 1980s sitcom Ever Decreasing Circles. He is married to retired actress Myra Frances.-Early life:...
in the BBC sitcom Joint Account. She voiced a character in Watership Down
Watership Down (film)
Watership Down is a 1978 English adventure drama animated film written, produced and directed by Martin Rosen and based on the book by Richard Adams. It was financed by a consortium of British financial institutions...
and starred in Alfie Darling
Alfie Darling
Alfie Darling is a 1975 British comedy drama film directed by Ken Hughes. It is the sequel to the 1966 film Alfie. This time Alan Price takes over Michael Caine's role of Alfie....
.
In 1980, she appeared in the film The Elephant Man
The Elephant Man (film)
The Elephant Man is a 1980 American drama film based on the true story of Joseph Merrick , a severely deformed man in 19th century London...
, and in 1981 starred in Miss Morrison's Ghosts
Miss Morrison's Ghosts
Miss Morison's Ghosts is a 1981 British supernatural television drama broadcast by ITV starring Hannah Gordon and Wendy Hiller. It is based on a book by two Oxford academics, Charlotte Anne Moberly and Eleanor Jourdain who claimed that in 1901, on a day trip to Versailles, they travelled back in...
(with Wendy Hiller
Wendy Hiller
Dame Wendy Margaret Hiller DBE was an Academy Award-winning English film and stage actress, who enjoyed a varied acting career that spanned nearly sixty years. The writer Joel Hirschorn, in his 1984 compilation Rating the Movie Stars, described her as "a no-nonsense actress who literally took...
). More recently, she has appeared on television in Goodbye, Mr Kent, My Family and Other Animals
My Family and Other Animals
My Family and Other Animals is an autobiographical work by naturalist Gerald Durrell, telling of the part of his childhood he spent on the Greek island of Corfu between 1935 and 1939. It describes the life of the Durrell Family on the island in a humorous manner, and also richly discusses the fauna...
, Taggart
Taggart
Taggart is a Scottish detective television programme, created by Glenn Chandler, who has written many of the episodes, and made by STV Productions for the ITV network...
and Jonathan Creek
Jonathan Creek
Jonathan Creek is a British mystery series produced by the BBC and written by David Renwick. Primarily a crime drama, the show is also peppered with broadly comic touches...
. Since 2000, she has made guest appearances in Midsomer Murders
Midsomer Murders
Midsomer Murders is a British television detective drama that has aired on ITV since 1997. The show is based on the books by Caroline Graham, as originally adapted by Anthony Horowitz. The lead character is DCI Tom Barnaby who works for Causton CID. When Nettles left the show in 2011 he was...
, Monarch of the Glen and Heartbeat. In 2000, Gordon played Glynis, the woman who kills Victor Meldrew
Victor Meldrew
Victor Meldrew was a fictional character in the popular BBC One sitcom One Foot in the Grave. Created by David Renwick and played by Richard Wilson, the character was the archetypal grumpy old man...
in "Things Aren't Simple Any More", the final episode of the sitcom One Foot in the Grave
One Foot in the Grave
One Foot in the Grave is a BBC television sitcom series written by David Renwick. The show ran for six series, including seven Christmas specials, two Comic Relief specials, over an eleven year period, from early 1990 to late 2000...
.
From 1998 to 2002 she hosted the Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
programme Watercolour Challenge
Watercolour Challenge
Watercolour Challenge was a daytime television programme broadcast in the United Kingdom.It was presented by Hannah Gordon and directed by Tim Conrad and was shown on Channel 4 from 1998 until 2001....
.
She also more recently appeared in the 2007 Christmas episodes of BBC Scotland soap River City
River City
River City is a Scottish television soap opera, first broadcast in Scotland on BBC Scotland on 24 September 2002. River City storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional district of Shieldinch in Glasgow...
, as hotel owner Rose who had rescued Archie Buchanan from the cliffside and taken him in because of his memory loss.
She has most recently been seen in the final episode of series 7 of the BBC series Hustle, where she plays an old flame of Albert Stroller. It was aired on Friday, 18 February 2011.
Stage and theatre
Hannah Gordon narrated Sergei ProkofievSergei Prokofiev
Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor who mastered numerous musical genres and is regarded as one of the major composers of the 20th century...
's Peter and the Wolf
Peter and the Wolf
Peter and the Wolf , Op. 67, is a composition written by Sergei Prokofiev in 1936 in the USSR. It is a children's story , spoken by a narrator accompanied by the orchestra....
in a Christmas concert with the Corinthian Chamber Orchestra
Corinthian Chamber Orchestra
The Corinthian Chamber Orchestra is an amateur orchestra based in London, United Kingdom. Formed in 1995 under the musical direction of conductor Alan Hazeldine, it rapidly developed into one of the best orchestras of its kind and its membership consistently includes the very best amateur players...
at St. James's Church, Piccadilly, London on 14 December 2007.
She was the narrator of the opening concert at the 2008 Edinburgh International Festival
Edinburgh International Festival
The Edinburgh International Festival is a festival of performing arts that takes place in the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, over three weeks from around the middle of August. By invitation from the Festival Director, the International Festival brings top class performers of music , theatre, opera...
- Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny
Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny
Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny is a political-satirical opera composed by Kurt Weill to a German libretto by Bertolt Brecht. It was first performed in Leipzig on 9 March 1930.-Composition history:...
by Kurt Weill
Kurt Weill
Kurt Julian Weill was a German-Jewish composer, active from the 1920s, and in his later years in the United States. He was a leading composer for the stage who was best known for his fruitful collaborations with Bertolt Brecht...
and Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht was a German poet, playwright, and theatre director.An influential theatre practitioner of the 20th century, Brecht made equally significant contributions to dramaturgy and theatrical production, the latter particularly through the seismic impact of the tours undertaken by the...
at Usher Hall
Usher Hall
Usher Hall is a concert hall, situated on Lothian Road, in the west end of Edinburgh, Scotland. It has hosted concerts and events since its construction in 1914 and can hold approximately 2,900 people in its recently restored auditorium, which is well loved by performers due to its acoustics...
on Friday, 8 August 2008. This performance brought together the RSNO
RSNO
RSNO may refer to:*Royal Scottish National Orchestra*a generic s-nitrosothiol...
, the Edinburgh Festival Chorus, the ladies of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama
Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama
The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland is a conservatoire of music, drama, and dance in the centre of Glasgow, Scotland. Founded in 1845 as the Glasgow Educational Association, it is the busiest performing arts venue in Scotland...
and eight soloists.
From 9–20 March 2009, Gordon read Nina Bawden
Nina Bawden
Nina Bawden CBE is a popular British novelist and children's writer. Her mother was a teacher and her father a marine.-Life:...
's novel Family Money for BBC Radio 4's Book at Bedtime
Book at Bedtime
Book at Bedtime is a long-running radio programme on BBC Radio 4, broadcast each weekday evening at 10.45–11.00 pm.Book at Bedtime offers fiction including modern classics, new works by leading writers and literature from around the world. Books are usually abridged and serialised each evening for...
.
Safeway UK
Throughout the 1980s, Hannah was the face of the UK division of SafewaySafeway (UK)
Safeway was a chain of supermarkets and convenience stores in the United Kingdom. It started as a subsidiary of the American Safeway Inc., before being sold off in 1987....
. Gordon appeared in all the TV commercials, voiced the radio adverts and was present at many store openings.