Luan Peters

Infobox actor
name = Luan Peters


imagesize =
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birthname = Carol Hirsch
birthdate = Birth date and age|1946|06|18|df=y
birthplace = Bethnal Green, London, England
deathdate =
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othername =
occupation = Actor
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Luan Peters (born Carol Hirsch 18 June 1946 in Bethnal Green, London) is an English actress.

Of German ancestry, she made her stage debut in a pantomime aged four, then went on to win a drama scholarship at aged 16 after a performance of "Twelfth Night". Becoming sidetracked with a music career she started singing in a band for two pounds a night as a way of earning extra money in between attending drama school. Her singing career began proper in Manchester, where under the name Karol Keyes (named after her management Keystone Promotions), she fronted “Karol Keyes and The Big Sound”, a band previously known as “The Fat Sound” [http://www.manchesterbeat.com/bands/bigsound/bigsound.php] . One of her first records was an Ike & Tina Turner number called "A Fool in Love" on Columbia, she split from the Big Sound in June 1966. A year later she joined Joan Littlewood’s drama school at the Theatre Royal Stratford East, whilst continuing to sing in nightclubs which lead her to be spotted by an EMI man and an offer to make records for the company. A third and final name change came in the late sixties, Gordon Mills who had successfully given the stage names to Tom Jones and Engelbert Humperdinck, suggested she call herself "Delilah Jackson" to capitalize on Jones’ 1968 hit Delilah. Feeling that she didn’t look like a Delilah Jackson however, the soon to be ex-Karol Keyes decided to blindly stick a pin into a map of Europe and came up with a town in Russia called Luan, the surname came to her during a viewing of the film "Viva Zapata" starring Jean Peters, hence "Luan Peters" was born.

In 1970, she starred in the 13 part TV series "Go Girl" [http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/885/p1000372ka5.jpg] [http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/2350/p1000375ga1.jpg] , playing the lead role, a go-go dancer who finds herself involved in action oriented story lines. The series was beset by problems, which included the financers backing out, the production running out of money, and the actors union Equity closing the production down. The series was never broadcast and it is believed only the pilot episode was filmed. However promotion of the series continued for a few years after it was made, as late as 1973 Titbits magazine announced the series would be “screened nationally by Harlech Television, starting in September”. The pilot episode only saw the light of day more than a decade after it was made, when it was released twice on UK video in the early eighties once under the title Give Me a Ring Sometime (which is actually just the pilot episode title) and another time as Passport to Murder. She is known for her appearances in Hammer horror films of the 1970s such as "Lust for a Vampire" and "Twins of Evil". Other film credits include: "The Flesh and Blood Show", "Vampira", "The Wildcats of St. Trinians" and "Pacific Banana".

Her stage work includes, "A Man Most Likely To" (1969, with George Cole), "Pyjama Tops" (1969) during which she appeared naked on stage "for thirty seconds", "Decameron 73" (1973), playing Linda McCartney in "John, Paul, George, Ringo and Bert" (1974), Tom Stoppard’s "Dirty Linen" (1976), "Shut Your Eyes And Think Of England!" (1978 with Donald Sinden and Frank Thornton) and "Funny Peculiar" (1985).

She was also active on television in series such as: "Z Cars", "Public Eye", "Doctor Who", "Target", "The Professionals" and as the busty guest whose breasts are groped more than once by Basil in the "Fawlty Towers" episode "The Psychiatrist". In honour of her appearance in Public Eye, Titbits magazines ran a pictorial of Luan dressed as Sherlock Holmes, modeling a bikini, deerstalker cap and a magnifying glass [http://api.ning.com/files/-yjnrw33sOTBOsoB8iMKkkyYDXViOg2cE7k4SrSQgGU_/luanholmes.jpg] . Her last known television role was in an episode in The Bill in 1990, in 2005 she was interviewed for the documentary Fawlty Towers Revisited [http://www.fawltytowersrevisited.com/_photos/FTRLuAnnPeters.jpg] .

In 1975 Luan fronted the band 5000 Volts and appeared on Top of the Pops singing their hit song “I’m on Fire” [http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/6448/zm3875533cv7.jpg] . Controversy arose when it was later alleged that Tina Charles had actually sung the vocals on the single itself, however it is believed Luan’s vocals were used for the Top of the Pops performance. Luan continued the release singles (mainly in Europe) throughout the decade.

Director Peter Walker once referred to his film Man of Violence as "a glossy Hollywood thriller made for three and a half pence with the necessary ingredients- Luan Peters with her 42 inch bust, and a bit of blood", upon reading this Luan retorted "I don’t have a 42 inch bust…. I have a small back".

Discography

ingles

* "The Good Love The Bad Love" "Gonna Find me a Substitute" (Karol Keyes & The Big Sound, Unreleased Abbey Rd. EMI audition Recording)
*"No One Can Take Your Place" (1964) (as Karol Keyes)
*"You Beat me to the Punch" (1964, Fontana) (as Karol Keyes)
*"Can't You Hear the Music" (196?) (as Karol Keyes)
*"One in a Million" (1964) (as Karol Keyes)
*"A Fool in Love/The Good Love and the Bad Love" (1966) (as Karol Keyes)
*"Crazy Annie/ Colours" (1970)
*"Everything I Want to Do/Billy Come Down" (1973,Polydor)
*"Love Countdown/Beach Love" (1977,CBS,Germany)
*"Dolphin Dive" (1979)
*"It’s Me Again Margaret/Henhouse Holiday" (1980, Precision)
*"Trouble" (1981, from the film ‘Pacific Banana’)

elected Magazine Appearances

* "Mayfair" (Vol.5, No.8, “Moon and Sexpants”, October 1970)
* "Cinema X" (Vol.3, No.8, 1970) "Lovely Luan"
* "Saturday Titbits" (4th Sep 1971)
* "Photoplay Film Monthly" (May 1972)
* "TV Times" (16-29 December 1972)
* "Titbits" (6th June 1973)
* "Weekend Magazine" (25th Dec 1974)
* "Weekend Magazine" (7th August 1974)
* "Cinema X" (Vol.8, No.3, February 1975)
* "Extra Deiz Minutos" (Spain, 1980)

External links

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* [http://img207.imagevenue.com/img.php?
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* [http://img159.imagevenue.com/img.php?
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* [http://www.manchesterbeat.com/bands/bigsound/bigsound.php article about Karol Keyes and the Big Sound]
* [http://img243.imageshack.us/img243/5005/lpgermanrecjk3.jpgWenn Du Mich Liebst record cover]
* [http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/6726/p1000379qt6.jpgWeekend magazine cover photo (Dec 25th 1974)]
* [http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/4774/p1000380kk5.jpgWeekend magazine cover photo (August 7th 1974)]
* [http://img243.imageshack.us/img243/725/luanloveczg8.jpgLove Countdown record cover]
* [http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/5383/luandsc00169ax1.jpgLove Countdown german record cover]
* [http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/7845/luanpeters10fd1rw4.jpgPublicity photo]
* [http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/5674/p1000371tw0.jpg'Go Girl' Publicity photo]
* [http://api.ning.com/files/uNb-bS8uZW-qMBWNqwtek8-RoRjgmtBSluKUOr8Vc6E_/3164660.jpgSimon Dee and Luan (far left)]
* [http://img181.imagevenue.com/img.php?
]
* [http://api.ning.com/files/jk1qJfh5Fa56GoLOZe-lBZmBh6gVQvVsYCxjnRlMEVM_/luana8f61bn8.jpgLove Countdown promo picture]
* [http://img229.imagevenue.com/img.php?
]
* [http://api.ning.com/files/-yjnrw33sOSENPZD*SqjQVAmofoq7qY2U5-ULnLlArE_/luan17june1972.jpgSaturday Titbits 17th June 1972 cover]
* [http://api.ning.com/files/-yjnrw33sOQws8sbAxvVf1snfamqHYvTvsPmpVSUp9Q_/luanmay311973.jpgTitbits May 31st 1973 article]
* [http://api.ning.com/files/-yjnrw33sOTn9rEAs1CWBwbdtq420IrID9SwqzHVh7k_/luansaturdaytits4sep1971.jpgSaturday Titbits 4th Sep 1971 cover]
* [http://api.ning.com/files/J5c*hKIAeOvMzYjI2SM0usIVh3ZTzbD7NActQR3jkD0_/luanpeters1973.jpg1973 publicity picture]
* [http://api.ning.com/files/J5c*hKIAeOs6-Gxj2CaCraLGFDAxMwkjTvEUSrpdK8Q_/luanpeters1972.jpg1972 publicity picture]