Gail Grainger

Infobox actor
name = Gail Grainger


caption =
birthname = Gail Grainger
birthdate = 1954 [Gail Grainger's age was given as 20 in 1974 in the programme for "The Man Most Likely To ..." at the Duke of York's Theatre, London. Bearing in mind her earlier career, it is possible that the programme notes were written a year or two earlier.]
birthplace = Brighton, East Sussex, United Kingdom
deathdate =
deathplace =
restingplace =
restingplacecoordinates =
othername =
occupation =
yearsactive = 1971 - 1980
spouse =
domesticpartner =
children =
parents =
influences =
influenced =
website =
academyawards =
baftaawards =
emmyawards =
geminiawards =
goldenglobeawards =
goldenraspberryawards =
grammyawards =
laurenceolivierawards =
tonyawards =
awards =

Gail Grainger is an English actress best remembered for her role as Miss Moira Plunkett, a travel courier in the 1972 comedy film "Carry on Abroad", fitting the stereotype role normally given to Valerie Leon [ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069847/trivia Carry on Abroad (1972) - Trivia ] ] in other outings in the series.

Background

Gail Grainger took up dancing at the age of six and studied at a theatrical school. She had television roles in her teens in the BBC’s production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s "Iolanthe" and in ATV’s daily serial "Crossroads". ["The Man Most Likely To ..." programme, "op.cit"]

"Carry on Abroad"

In "Carry on Abroad" Grainger's Miss Plunkett was assistant to Stuart Farquhar, a courier played by Kenneth Williams, who led a party that included Sidney James, Joan Sims, Charles Hawtry, Barbara Windsor, Kenneth Connor, June Whitfield, Sally Geeson and Carol Hawkins on a weekend trip to the fictional Spanish holiday resort of Elsbels. Cast for her voluptuous figure, the devastatingly attractive Miss Grainger replaced equally gorgeous "Carry On" regular Valerie Leon for this one picture. Her phlegmatic and slightly bemused approach to a series of disastrous situations culminated in her extricating the party from a foreign jail by making advances to the local police chief. This was a stereotypical "Carry On" role: a young woman in a uniform, who from time to time was reduced to a state of semi-undress, as, for example, when the touring party consume a love potion with pronounced aphrodisiac qualities.

Other roles

On stage she played three parts - a fantasy maid, a nurse and a member of a female gang led by Kate O'Mara as Madame Gerda - in a 1971 play entitled "Dead Duck" produced by Leslie Phillips, based on the television series "The Avengers". This was first performed in Birmingham and later at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London. [ [http://deadduck.theavengers.tv/play.htm The Avengers - 'The Avengers' stage play ] ] She subsequently appeared with Leslie Phillips, and under his direction, in Joyce Rayburn’s comedy "The Man Most Likely To ...", both at the Duke of York’s Theatre in London and on a world tour. ["The Man Most Likely To ..." programme, "op.cit"] "The Man Most Likely To ..." opened initially at the Vaudeville Theatre, on 4 July 1968, and ran to over 1,000 performances in London.

She also appeared in episodes of a number of television series, including "Casanova 73" (also with Leslie Phillips, 1973), "Warship" (as Heather Gardiner in the episode "The Man from the Sea", 1974), "The Sweeney" (as Carter's girlfriend Jill in the episode "The Sweet Smell of Succession", 1976), "Butterflies" (1979) and "Rings on Their Fingers" (1980). [ [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0334437/ Gail Grainger in the Internet Movie DataBase] ] Her last film role is thought to have been in "Jaguar Lives!" (1979).

Notes