Who's Who Of
The Benny Hill Show

Page 10
(Ladybirds - Lindley)

A Special Thanks must go to contributing editor William Brown for submitting these photos and information on each of these actors / actresses. Many of them were regulars and some were actually guest stars. I have added links to the Internet Movie Database where I could find them. Hope you can find many of those stars you've been wondering about and maybe a few you hadn't thought of. If you don't find what you are looking for, fear not. This section will continue to expand. Thanks again to William Brown, who wrote all of the information. I have also taken this section and put all of the entries in alphabetical order. If you are looking for someone specific, simply place your cursor on the links on the right hand side of the page. A caption will pop up letting you know which names that link will take you to. Enjoy!

The Ladybirds

IMDB Entry

1. On Oct. 25, 1972: I.M.H.O. they never looked better than on this occasion.

2. ...and as they looked on their final onscreen appearance on March 13, 1974. By this time, Ms. George was replaced by Penny Lister, who would remain with the group through the 1990's. The trio also made several appearances on "Top of The Pops" throughout the 1970's. She made a rather famous bit-role appearance as a Victorian-era singer in a memorable Doctor Who episode from 1977, "The Talons of Weng Chiang."

3. Marian Davies (b.1940) IMDB Entry

www.speakersagency.co.uk

4. Maggie Stredder (b.1936) IMDB Entry

5. Gloria George

6. Penny Lister IMDB Entry

Stephanie Lawrence (1949-2000)

IMDB Entry

From the "Shelaylee Brothers" segment of the Dec. 26, 1978 opening. From left: Benny, the late Stephanie Lawrence (1949-2000), Johnny Vyvyan, Henry McGee and Roger Finch. Ms. Lawrence went on to appear in some of the most famous London West End musicals, notably "Starlight Express" and "Blood Brothers"; alas, this was to be her only TBHS appearance.

Bettine Le Beau (b.1936)

IMDB Entry

Bettine Le Beau, who appeared in the "French For Starters" sketch as well as many others.

Jane Leeves

IMDB Entry

Two shots of Jane Leeves, from: (1) the March 16, 1983 "Personnel" quickie, and (2) the Jan. 5, 1983 remake of "Egyptian Flu." Perhaps the most famous alumna of TBHS, exceeding even those who were on the show for years, even decades. Ironically, when the Ilford-born, East Grinstead-raised dancer-turned-actress appeared on the show for the 1983 series (with leftovers therefrom also included in 1984 and 1985 episodes), following an appearance in the Monty Python troupe's final film together, The Meaning of Life, she wasn't even credited on the original episodes, but was listed in special custom credits of the post-1987 half-hour U.S. syndicated package, which was how her involvement with the program became known. Even more ironically, she had one of the shortest runs with the show, yet became more famous in the public eye to some than even the "regulars." In 1985, when the last of the sketches featuring her were first aired, Jane went to the U.S. and for the next several years toiled in guest shots on various TV series such as Murphy Brown (she was once a roommate of that show's co-star Faith Ford) and Seinfeld, a supporting role on a short-lived syndicated TV show called Throb, and an appearance as a tourist in the music video for David Lee Roth's version of The Beach Boys' "California Girls," before achieving worldwide superstardom in 1993 as psychic housekeeper Daphne Moon on the hit TV series Frasier (a piece of ironic trivia: another onetime Angel, Lisa Maxwell (qv), had auditioned for the part and lost). Ms. Leeves remained with the Emmy-winning Frasier through the end of its run in 2004. She formed a production company, Bristol Cities (a slang phrase occasionally used by Mr. Hill), together with her Frasier co-star, Peri Gilpin, and her other credits included such works as guest shots on Murder, She Wrote and Who's the Boss?, and voice work on the computer-animated feature James and the Giant Peach. Married to Marshall Coben since 1996; has a son and a daughter.

Jenny Lee-Wright (b.1947)

IMDB Entry

The lovely Jenny Lee-Wright, a.k.a. "The Sexiest Stooge," from the (top) 1971 B&W and (bottom) 1982 color versions of the "Learning All the Time" sketch. A trained dancer and former member of the Lionel Blair troupe, Ms. Lee-Wright's working association with Mr. Hill spanned nearly 18 years, starting with the Dec. 11, 1968 edition (Benny's next-to-last BBC show, which also marked Bob Todd's debut with Hill) and ending with the March 31, 1986 episode. Her gallery of memorable portrayals are too numerous to mention - but I'll mention 'em anyway: Miss Abigail in the Civil War "Home Is The Hero" sketch, Benny's telly-obsessed girlfriend in the "Portable TV Set" number, 'Sgt. Pepper' in "Murder on the Oregon Express," Jaime Sommers in "The Bionic Baby," and many more. In addition, she appeared with other top British comedians of the time such as Tommy Cooper, Des O'Connor, Les Dawson, Frankie Howerd, Mike & Bernie Winters, and Morecambe & Wise. She also was in films such as John Cassavetes' 1970 film Husbands (also with Ben Gazzara and Peter "Columbo" Falk) and Madhouse. Was featured in a 1976 British TV documentary spotlighting the 50th anniversary of Elstree Studios, in which she revealed what was then a spare-time hobby: work in the sound effects department as a foley artist, specializing in footsteps, dropping cups, screaming, gasping, purring seductively, and voice-overs in various accents. She attributed her sense of timing in this field to her dance training. But by the late 1980's, with her acting career winding down (her last major acting work was as a Greek lady in the 1986 revival of the TV Britcom Mind Your Language), foley work became a full-time occupation, starting with My Left Foot and continuing to the present day with movies ranging from Muppet Treasure Island to Shakespeare In Love. Runs a footsteps agency with another ex-dancer who was credited with her on many of the films she worked on behind the scenes.

Lorna Lesley (b.1956)

IMDB Entry

British-born Australian actress Lorna Lesley, seen here as "Lucy Jardine" in the "Hold Back the Wind: No Time to Dicker" sketch of the 1977 special Benny Hill Down Under. At the time this production was shown in Britain on April 12, 1978, she was appearing in a movie called Newsfront. Has been acting steadily in films, TV and stage since the 1970's. She also handles voice-over work in Australia; a more recent picture of her can be seen in the International Casting Service (ICS) & Associates website: www.icsassoc.com.au

Debbie Linden (1961-1997)

IMDB Entry

A still of the late Debbie Linden from the opening moments of the Dec. 26, 1978 "Grand Wheelchair Rally" sketch in which she played a nurse who pushed Benny's wheelchair. A popular Page 3 model in Britain during the late 1970's, she is probably best known for her role as "Old Mr. Grace's Secretary" in the 1981 series of Are You Being Served? Her other TV credits included appearances on such programs as The Kenny Everett Video Show and Cowboys. Ms. Linden, Sue Upton, Louise English and several other girls who appeared on this particular show posed with Benny for publicity photos that were printed in several Hill bios. Died of a heroin overdose in 1997. There was once a tribute website to her, but it no longer exists.

Barbara Lindley

IMDB Entry

The lovely Barbara Lindley as she appeared in a section of the "Tribute to the Lower Tidmarsh Hospital Service" sketch of the première Thames TBHS from Nov. 19, 1969. She also played a member of the team that operated on Jackie Wright.

Stacey Ann Logan

IMDB Entry

This is in all likelihood Stacey Ann Logan, here from the opening moments of the "How to Meet Beautiful Women" sketch of the 1990 Benny Hill's World Tour: New York show. This actress, singer and dancer, also known as Stacey Logan, appeared in several stage musicals and revivals over the course of the 1990's and early 2000's, including Crazy for You (in fact, she was part of the 1999 TV production which aired on PBS's Great Performances where, as "Polly Baker," she sang the famous Gershwin composition "I Got Rhythm" - her performance can be seen by clicking on a link at www.pbs.org), Disney's Beauty and the Beast, and Sweet Smell of Success. She has done other TV work besides the Hill special, also appearing on shows such as Spin City and Law & Order. Her most recent acting credit was as "Mrs. Rabinowitz" in the 2006 movie Nail Polish.