Imogen Hassall  

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Imogen Hassall (25 August 1942 — 16 November 1980) was a British actress who appeared in several films during the 1960s and 1970s.

Contents

Early life

Hassall, whose name was inspired by Shakespeare's heroine featured in Cymbeline, was born in Woking, Surrey, to a family of artists and business people. Her grandfather, John Hassall, and her aunt, Joan, worked as illustrators, while her father, Christopher Hassall, was a poet and lyricist. Her godfather was the composer Ivor Novello.

Career

After having studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, she appeared in 1960s British TV shows such as The Saint and The Avengers. In her first significant role she played Tara in The Long Duel (1967), but her fame became consolidated as a sexy primitive woman in When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth (1970).

Personal life

Hassall married twice, though she acquired a reputation for promiscuity that made her a favourite object of British tabloid newspapers' pages. She was often referred to by the nickname The Countess of Cleavage which was given to her due to her habit of appearing at film premieres in revealing dresses.

She was found dead in her Wimbledon home on the morning of Sunday 16 November 1980 when she failed to meet a friend, actor Suzanna Leigh, with whom she was due to go on holiday that day. She had committed suicide by overdosing on Tuinal tablets.

Selected filmography

Television




Unless indicated otherwise, the text in this article is either based on Wikipedia article "Imogen Hassall" or another language Wikipedia page thereof used under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License; or on research by Jahsonic and friends. See Art and Popular Culture's copyright notice.

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