Delena
Kidd has made numerous television appearances over the years.
Some of her early work in the 1950s and 1960s was for
Associated-Rediffusion, including episodes of Murder Bag (1957-1959),
No Hiding Place, (1959-1967) both starring Raymond
Francis.
Delena also
starred alongside William Franklyn
in the series Top Secret, (1961) in an episode entitled After
the Fair, playing Jacquetta; in this episode Delena
remembers that she "had a huge fight in it with Tony Booth [father of
Cherie Blair] ". as part of the action of the episode.
Delena
recalls "I did lots of work for A.R. [Associated-Rediffusion] in those
days, late 50s and 60s, starting very early on with appearances in
Murder Bag and No Hiding Place, both starring Raymond Francis, father
of Clive." Delena continues "I also did two plays for the
director David Boisseau, Loyalties by Galsworthy and a beautiful
production of The
Enchanted April, many years later filmed with Joan
Plowright. I played Lady (?) [Lady Caroline Dester] and also in
it were Phyllis Neilson-Terry, Ann Castle and Gwen Watford who was the
most popular TV actress
at the time. Roger Jenkins did many productions there
[Associated-Rediffusion], Ian Fordyce and Peter Graham Scott."
Delena
concludes "In all, it was a good time on
TV for me and the rehearsal periods we then had for shows, 2 or 3
weeks, meant you got to know your fellow actors. Now most filming is
condensed into one or two days without rehearsal. We rehearsed in the
A.R. premises at the south end of Holborn."
Delena
has also worked regularly on television in the subsequent decades up to
the present day. She played Queen
Adelaide in the 2001 British/US TV movie Victoria and Albert, which is about
the early life of victoria and albert. Victoria and Albert, broadcast in
the UK by the BBC in two parts, each of 100 minutes duration (available
on DVD on this page).
Some of
Delena's other work in television includes: Dangerman, The Avengers, Public Eye, The Sweeney, Hadleigh, Crown Court, Maybury, Minder, Casualty and Family Affairs. Delena's film
work includes Room at
the Top (1959).
Delena was born on
February 11 1935 in Newcastle upon Tyne. Her father, a doctor and
her mother, the
actress Violet Ormonde. Delena was educated at Cheltenham Ladies'
College and then studied acting at the Central School of Speech and
Drama, at which she
she won the Cybil Thorndike Gold Medal Prize upon her graduation.
Delena
then went on to work in
repertory theatre.
Delena
Kidd has also had a prolific career in the theatre, specialising in
Shaw
and Shakespeare. She has worked with her husband Gary Raymond (Jason
and the Argonauts, El Cid)
on stage in numerous
productions.
Delena and Gary
married in 1961 and have three
children, Matthew Raymond, Emily Raymond and Sophie
Raymond. Sophie Raymond is an actor and also appeared in Victoria and Albert.
Our
thanks to Delena for her help with this profile.
Watch Delena's Showreel on YouTube
Delena Kidd at the IMDb
