Hassall, Imogen

Imogen Hassal was born on August 25, 1942 in the town of Woking ( Surrey , England). The girl received her unusual name in honor of the of the protagonist of the Shakespearean play " Cymbelin ." Father - (1912-1963), actor, playwright, librettist and songwriter. Grandfather - (1868-1948), illustrator-cartoonist; Aunt - (1906-1988), and book illustrator. According to one source, the godfather of the girl was the famous Welsh composer, singer and actor; one of the most popular British performers of the first half of the 20th century, Ivor Novello , with whom her father was close friends. Other sources report that Imogen's godfather was the equally famous English composer and conductor William Walton , with whom Christopher Hassall worked closely with in the early 1950s.

In 1952-1954, Imogen studied at the , and from 1955-1958 she studied at the . In 1958, she flew to study in New York, but spent less than a year in the United States. In 1960-1962 she studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art , after which she served for one season at the Royal Shakespeare Company . However, neither the ballerina, nor the actress of the Hassall Theater, has become. Since 1963, she began acting in television series and movies. Over the nine years of her film career (1963-1972), she appeared in 36 films and series, after which she followed one role in 1973 and 1979, and her career ended at that.

The 1970s were very difficult for the actress. Four days after the birth, the daughter died; after four years of marriage, the husband left; after several months of marriage, a second husband left, a miscarriage happened; she was practically not invited to appear. Hassall made several attempts to commit suicide, and now, on November 16, 1980, the 38-year-old actress was found dead in her home in Wimbledon . An autopsy revealed that death occurred as a result of an overdose of barbiturate . The actress is buried in the Gap Road Cemetery in Wimbledon.

In 1998, the Royal National Theater premiered the play by " ." The role of Imogen Hassall in this production was performed by the famous actress Gina Bellman . In 2000, the movie Cor, Blimey was filmed from this play ! , in which the role of Hassall was played by .

Personal life

In 1972, Hassall had a daughter, but she died four days after giving birth. In 1974, she married the father of her late daughter, a little-known director and actor Kenneth Eaves , but four years later a divorce followed. Very quickly, in January 1979, the actress married a second time - this time another little-known actor, Andrew Knox, became her chosen one, but this marriage lasted only a few months ^[2] , and Hassall suffered a miscarriage after a nervous divorce.
The role of Imogen Hassal was “sexy half-naked girls”, since the actress was beautiful, had long thick black hair and large breasts. At most premieres, she appeared in very revealing outfits ^[3] , so the tabloids dubbed her “Countess Clevelage .

• Dan Leisner. “Tuesday's Child: The Life and Death of Imogen Hassall” (2002) , ed. Luminary Press , ISBN 9781887664479 .
• Paul Donnelly “Fade to Black: A Book of Movie Obituaries” (2003) , ed. . ISBN 9780711995123 .

• Imogen Hassall on Find a Grave