Su Pollard

Infobox actor


name = Su Pollard
birthname = Susan Georgina Pollard
birthdate = birth date and age|1949|11|7|df=y
location = Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England
deathdate =
deathplace =
othername =
homepage =

Susan Georgina Pollard (born 7 November 1949) is an English comedy actress, most famous for her roles in the sitcoms "Hi-de-Hi!" and "You Rang, M'Lord?".

Early life

Pollard was born in Nottingham in 1949 and was the eldest daughter of Don and Hilda Pollard,cite news|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/nottingham/features/2002/11/great_nottinghamians_su_pollard.shtml|title=Great Nottinghamians:Su Pollard|first=|last=|publisher=BBC|date=November 2002] and she is a supporter of Nottingham Forest. Pollard's interest in acting began at the age of six when she played an angel in a school nativity play, [cite news|url=http://www.tv.com/su-pollard/person/96073/summary.html|title=Su Pollard|first=|last=|publisher=tv.com|date=] and at the age of 16 she begun singing in working men's clubs and charity shows. [cite news|url=http://www.u-reds.com/Fans/Celebrities/SuPollard.asp|title=Su Pollard|first=|last=|publisher=u-reds.com|date=] Following an apprenticeship at the Arts Theatre in Nottingham, Pollard appeared on "Opportunity Knocks" in 1974 singing "I Cain't Say No" from "Oklahoma!" and came second to a singing Jack Russell. Pollard started appearing in many
West End musicals including "Godspell", "Big Sin City", "Grease" and "Oh, Mr Porter!".

Television fame

In 1979, Pollard was chosen by the BBC to play Flo in a new sitcom called "Two Up, Two Down" with Paul Nicholas. However, this only lasted one series. The following year, Su Pollard landed the role of chalet maid Peggy Ollernshaw in "Hi-de-Hi!". She continued in this role until the programme's end in 1988, by which time she had become a household name. When filming one episode, Peter Keogh proposed to her while she was dressed as an insect. [cite news|url=http://www.britishexpat.com/Television__Su_Pollard.194.0.html|title=An Interview With Su Pollard|first=|last=|publisher=BritishExpat.com|year=2002] . She said yes, but they later divorced Pollard has no children.

During the run of "Hi-de-Hi!", Pollard had a singing career, and in 1986, she reached number 2 in the UK Singles Chart with the song "Starting Together". It was her only Top 40 hit; her first single, "Come To Me (I Am Woman)", had reached number 71 in 1985 and her only charting album, "Su", peaked at number 86 in November 1986. In 1987, she toured the UK with "The Su Pollard Show" and co-hosted "It's a Royal Knockout".

In 1988, the year "Hi-de-Hi!" ended, the writers David Croft and Jimmy Perry chose Pollard to star as Ivy Teasdale in their new sitcom "You Rang, M'Lord?", which starred her "Hi-de-Hi!" co-stars Paul Shane and Jeffrey Holland. This period sitcom ran until 1993, and from 1995 to 1997 she played Ethel Schumann in another David Croft sitcom "Oh, Doctor Beeching!". Also in 1988, she won the "Rear of the Year" award. From 1989 to 1990, Pollard's distinctive voice voiced the lead character in the BBC children's television series "Penny Crayon".

ince 2000

More recently, Su Pollard made a guest appearance in "Gimme Gimme Gimme" in 2001 and voiced Noisy in "Little Robots". In 2001, she twice presented "Songs of Praise" and she has made four appearances on "Just a Minute". She also regularly appears in pantomimes and other stage shows including "Annie" and "The Pirates of Penzance".

References

External links

* [http://www.supollard.co.uk The Official Su Pollard website]
*imdb name|id=0689502|name=Su Pollard
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/nottingham/features/2002/11/great_nottinghamians_su_pollard.shtml BBC Biography - "Great Nottinghamians : Su Pollard"]