
Rosalind Knight
Born
December 3, 1933
Died
December 19, 2020 (87 years old)
Known For
Acting
Place of Birth
Marylebone, London, England, UK
Born in Marylebone, London, versatile character actress Rosalind Marie Knight was born to theatrical parentage. Her father was the accomplished thespian Esmond Knight. Her mother, the comedienne Frances Clare, often featured in Ivor Novello operettas. Rosalind's interest in theatre was first kindled at the age of six when she and her mother attended a staging of Novello's "The Dancing Years" at Drury Lane. Rosalind was evacuated to the countryside with her nanny during the war years. In 1949, she accompanied her father to the Old Vic Theatre and became enthralled by a production of "The Snow Queen", primarily performed by drama school novices. The following year she won an audition and spent two years at the Old Vic Theatre School. This was succeeded by a lengthy apprenticeship in repertory which led to her gaining further experience as assistant stage manager for the West of England Theatre Company, the Midland Theatre Company in Coventry and the Piccolo Theatre Company in Manchester.
In 1955, she made her first impact on screen as a lady-in-waiting in Laurence Olivier's Richard III (1955), which also featured her father in the cast. A year later, having come to the attention of a movie producer, she played Annabel, one of the schoolgirls, in Blue Murder at St. Trinian's (1957) (decades later, she would return as a teacher in the sequel The Wildcats of St. Trinian's (1980)). This set the tone for a number of subsequent comedic roles which included a couple of early Carry On's and the Tony Richardson-directed Tom Jones (1963), in which she played the giddy Mrs. Harriet Fitzpatrick. While doing the Carry On films she was not under any form of contract and was paid a mere $50 a week. In 1957, Rosalind joined her father in an early BBC adaptation of Nicholas Nickleby (1957) as the spiteful Fanny Squeers. In a later miniseries based on Charles Dickens, Martin Chuzzlewit (1964), she was a splendidly shrewish Charity Pecksniff.
During her prolific career, Rosalind relished every opportunity to portray a diverse range of characters, good and bad, from servants to princesses (Alice of Battenberg in The Crown (2016)) to old maids (Aspasia Fitzgibbon in The Pallisers (1974)) to wealthy socialites (Margot Asquith in Nancy Astor (1982)) and unpleasant aristocratic dowagers (Daphne Winkworth in Jeeves and Wooster (1990)). She even essayed a retired prostitute turned landlady in the sitcom Gimme Gimme Gimme (1999). In addition to a staple of period dramas she guested in numerous episodic TV dramas, including Poirot (1989), Dalziel and Pascoe (1996), Heartbeat (1992), Marple (2004), Midsomer Murders (1997) and Sherlock (2010). All the while, she remained heavily engaged in theatrical work with the Old Vic, The Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Court Theatre, her last appearance being the strict, incorruptible governess Mrs. Prism in Shaw's "The Importance of Being Earnest".
Rosalind was married to director/producer Michael Elliott from 1959. In 1976, she helped rebuild and re-open the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester, of which her husband was involved as one of five artistic directors. She was also a patron of the Actor's Centre in London and the Ladies' Theatrical Guild (a charity founded in 1891). Rosalind Knight continued to perform as an actress right up to her death on December 19 2020, at the age of 87.

Friday Night Dinner: 10 Years and a Lovely Bit of Squirrel
Horrible Grandma (archive footage)
2021

The Crown
Princess Andrew of Greece and Denmark · (2 episodes)
2016

The Lady in the Van
Old Nun
2015

The Lost World Cup
2011

Friday Night Dinner
Cynthia Goodman · (3 episodes)
2011

Sherlock
Grace · (1 episode)
2010
The Alchemistic Suitcase
Lady
2009

The Shell Seekers
Mrs. Croftway
2007

About a Boy
Lindsey's Mum
2002

Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real Story
Hag Woman · (2 episodes)
2001

Gimme Gimme Gimme
(18 episodes)
1999

What's a Carry On?
Felicity Wheeler (archive footage) (uncredited)
1998

Gunslinger's Revenge
Miss Willow
1998

Berkeley Square
Great Aunt Effie · (10 episodes)
1998

Tess of the D'Urbervilles
Mrs. D'Urberville
1998

Midsomer Murders
Eleanor Macpherson · (1 episode)
1997

Midsomer Murders
Mother Jerome · (1 episode)
1997

Dalziel & Pascoe
(1 episode)
1996

Solitaire for 2
Receptionist
1995

Harry Enfield and Chums
Lady Fotherington Carstairs · (1 episode)
1994

Pleasure
Madame Desneuves
1994

Wycliffe
Mrs. Prentice · (1 episode)
1994

Royal Celebration
Mrs. Maynard
1993

Swords at Teatime
Shirley
1992

Heartbeat
Edith Benton · (1 episode)
1992

Afraid of the Dark
Edith
1991

Jeeves and Wooster
Dame Daphne · (1 episode)
1990

Agatha Christie's Poirot
Georgina Morley · (1 episode)
1989

Claws
Mrs Hargreaves
1987

Watching
Mrs. Lloyd Roberts · (1 episode)
1987

Prick Up Your Ears
RADA Judge
1987

Mapp & Lucia
(10 episodes)
1985
I Thought You'd Gone
(7 episodes)
1984

Sherlock Holmes
Countess of Morcar · (1 episode)
1984

Up the Elephant and Round the Castle
(22 episodes)
1983

The Disappearance of Harry
Dr Abbeydale
1982

The Kindness of Mrs Radcliffe
Matron
1981

The Wildcats of St. Trinian's
Miss Walsh
1980

The Lady Vanishes
Evelyn Barnes
1979

That's Carry On!
Felicity Wheeler
1977

It Could Happen to You
Mrs Ramlin
1976

The Old Curiosity Shop
Mrs. George
1975

Eskimo Nell
Lady Longhorn
1975

Playhouse
Mrs. Mattison · (1 episode)
1974

Playhouse
Matron · (1 episode)
1974

Within These Walls
(1 episode)
1974

Baby Blues
Sister Maidenhead
1973

Start the Revolution Without Me
Helene de Sisi
1970

Can Heironymus Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness?
Critic Bentley
1969

Diamonds for Breakfast
Museum Visitor in Pink Dress (uncredited)
1968

On the Eve of Publication
Barbara
1968

Nicholas Nickleby
Miss Snevellicci · (2 episodes)
1968

The Wednesday Play
Barbara · (1 episode)
1964
Martin Chuzzlewit
(10 episodes)
1964

Tom Jones
Mrs. Fitzpatrick
1963
As You Like It
Celia
1963

The Beverly Hillbillies
(1 episode)
1962

The Kitchen
Daphne
1961

There Was a Crooked Man
Nurse
1960

Doctor in Love
Doctor
1960

Carry On Teacher
Felicity Wheeler
1959

Carry On Nurse
Student Nurse Nightingale
1959

The Horse's Mouth
Art Student (uncredited)
1958

Blue Murder at St. Trinian's
Annabel
1957
Nicholas Nickleby
(2 episodes)
1957

Fortune Is a Woman
(uncredited)
1957