Claire Davenport | |
---|---|
Born |
Claire Bernice Davenport 24 April 1933 Sale, Cheshire, England, UK |
Died | 25 February 2002 London, England, UK |
(aged 68)
Occupation | British actress |
Years active | 1961 - 1994 |
Claire Davenport (24 April 1933 – 25 February 2002) was an English actress well known for her "junoesque" form and who was often cast in character roles which highlighted her large physique.
She was born Claire Bernice Davenport on 24 April 1933 in Sale, Cheshire and began acting in 1961 with a theatre role in Caesar and Cleopatra at the Playhouse in Oxford.
Her film work includes roles in Return of the Jedi (as the Yarna d'al' Gargan, originally billed as Fat Dancer), The Return of the Pink Panther, Adventures of a Plumber's Mate, Carry On Emmannuelle, The Tempest, and The Elephant Man. On television she appeared in Remington Steele, Doctor Who, Minder, George and Mildred, Robin's Nest, Fawlty Towers and at least three episodes of On The Buses among others. She also made a cameo appearance in an episode of Mind Your Language. Among the last of her television appearances was a 1993 episode of The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer.
She suffered a series of strokes in the 1990s, which stopped her working. Claire Davenport died in London on 25 February 2002 (not 4 March as often stated), aged 68, from renal failure.