Stella Moray
Encyclopedia
Stella Moray was an English
character actress who appeared on stage, film, and television in dramas, comedies, and soap operas.
She seldom headlined on stage but was a stalwart stand-in and understudy, and when she did take over, she did not disappoint. In the early 1980s she excelled as Miss Hannigan in the musical Annie
at the Victoria Palace theatre in London
, taking over the role from her friend, actress Sheila Hancock
.
Her television credits included parts on such British programmes as Coronation Street
, Crossroads, The Bill
, Midsomer Murders
and George and Mildred
. Her final television appearance, at the age of 81, was in April 2005 when she was cast in an episode of the BBC crime drama Judge John Deed
.
She was born Stella Ellen Morris at Ladywood
, Birmingham
, and was educated locally. Her ambitions to work in the theatre were interrupted by the Second World War, and she joined the ATS
.
While stationed at Donnington in Shropshire
, Stella appeared in camp concerts as a featured singer in an Ordnance Corps dance band and was spotted by the producer George Black
; she toured the Middle and Far East.
In March 1949, she made her first appearance in a musical, as Annie Ogle-Eyes in Belinda Fair at the Saville Theatre. She went on to appear in Frank Loesser
's The Most Happy Fella
at the Coliseum, and in 1962 she moved to the Savoy Theatre to appear in Noel Coward
's breezy Sail Away
, where she was also stand-in for the star, Elaine Stritch
, in the role of Mimi Paragon.
In 1966 her career faltered when a production of Funny Girl, starring Barbra Streisand
and in which she appeared as Mrs. Strakosh, closed abruptly at the Prince of Wales Theatre, three months into what should have been a lengthy run. She returned to the West End
in 1974 to play the brothel-keeper Madame Blanche in Julian More's musical, Bordello, at the Queen's Theatre.
Stella Moray never married. She died, aged 83, from undisclosed causes.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
character actress who appeared on stage, film, and television in dramas, comedies, and soap operas.
She seldom headlined on stage but was a stalwart stand-in and understudy, and when she did take over, she did not disappoint. In the early 1980s she excelled as Miss Hannigan in the musical Annie
Annie (musical)
Annie is a Broadway musical based upon the popular Harold Gray comic strip Little Orphan Annie, with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and the book by Thomas Meehan. The original Broadway production opened in 1977 and ran for nearly six years with a blonde Annie as the poster...
at the Victoria Palace theatre 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...
, taking over the role from her friend, actress Sheila Hancock
Sheila Hancock
Sheila Cameron Hancock, CBE is an English actress and author.-Early life:Sheila Hancock was born in Blackgang on the Isle of Wight, the daughter of Ivy Louise and Enrico Cameron Hancock, who was a publican. Her sister Billie is seven years older...
.
Her television credits included parts on such British programmes as Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
, Crossroads, The Bill
The Bill
The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...
, 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...
and George and Mildred
George and Mildred
George and Mildred is a British sitcom produced by Thames Television that aired from 1976 to 1979. It was a spin-off from Man About the House and starred Brian Murphy and Yootha Joyce as an ill-matched married couple, George and Mildred Roper...
. Her final television appearance, at the age of 81, was in April 2005 when she was cast in an episode of the BBC crime drama Judge John Deed
Judge John Deed
Judge John Deed is a British legal drama television series produced by the BBC in association with One-Eyed Dog for BBC One. It was created by G.F. Newman and stars Martin Shaw as Sir John Deed, a High Court judge who tries to seek real justice in the cases before him. It also stars Jenny Seagrove...
.
She was born Stella Ellen Morris at Ladywood
Ladywood
Ladywood is an inner-city area in Birmingham, England. It is a council constituency, managed by its own district committee. The constituency includes the smaller Ladywood ward and the wards of Aston, Nechells and Soho. In June 2004, Birmingham City Council conducted a city-wide "Ward Boundary...
, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, and was educated locally. Her ambitions to work in the theatre were interrupted by the Second World War, and she joined the ATS
ATS
-Societies:*Adventist Theological Society*American Temperance Society, an early American civic organization promoting temperance*American Thoracic Society, a society for lung physicians, health related professionals and researchers-Systems:...
.
While stationed at Donnington in Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
, Stella appeared in camp concerts as a featured singer in an Ordnance Corps dance band and was spotted by the producer George Black
George Black
George Black, PC was an administrator and politician in Yukon, Canada. He went to Yukon in 1898 during the Gold Rush and prospected for gold, making a fortune and losing it when his claim was swept away in a flood. He then established a law practice in Dawson City...
; she toured the Middle and Far East.
In March 1949, she made her first appearance in a musical, as Annie Ogle-Eyes in Belinda Fair at the Saville Theatre. She went on to appear in Frank Loesser
Frank Loesser
Frank Henry Loesser was an American songwriter who wrote the lyrics and scores to the Broadway hits Guys and Dolls and How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, among others. He won separate Tony Awards for the music and lyrics in both shows, as well as sharing the Pulitzer Prize for...
's The Most Happy Fella
The Most Happy Fella
The Most Happy Fella is a 1956 musical with a book, music, and lyrics by Frank Loesser. The story, about a romance between an older man and younger woman, is based on the play They Knew What They Wanted by Sidney Howard...
at the Coliseum, and in 1962 she moved to the Savoy Theatre to appear in Noel Coward
Noël Coward
Sir Noël Peirce Coward was an English playwright, composer, director, actor and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what Time magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise".Born in Teddington, a suburb of London, Coward attended a dance academy...
's breezy Sail Away
Sail Away (musical)
Sail Away is a musical with a book, music and lyrics by Noël Coward. The show was the last musical for which Coward wrote both the book and music, although he wrote the music for one last "book" musical in 1963. The story centers around brash, bold American divorcee Mimi Paragon, working as a...
, where she was also stand-in for the star, Elaine Stritch
Elaine Stritch
Elaine Stritch is an American actress and vocalist. She has appeared in numerous stage plays and musicals, feature films, and many television programs...
, in the role of Mimi Paragon.
In 1966 her career faltered when a production of Funny Girl, starring Barbra Streisand
Barbra Streisand
Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
and in which she appeared as Mrs. Strakosh, closed abruptly at the Prince of Wales Theatre, three months into what should have been a lengthy run. She returned to the West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
in 1974 to play the brothel-keeper Madame Blanche in Julian More's musical, Bordello, at the Queen's Theatre.
Stella Moray never married. She died, aged 83, from undisclosed causes.