Gillian Hills
Encyclopedia
Gillian Hills is an actress and singer. She rose to fame as a teenager in the 1960s in the British films Beat Girl
and later, Blowup
. She also spent a number of years living in France, where she embarked on a singing career as well as starring in a number of French films.
and her mother was Dunia Lesmianowna, daughter of Polish poet Bolesław Leśmian. Gillian Hills spent her early years in France where she was discovered by Roger Vadim
who saw her as the new Brigitte Bardot and cast her in a version of Les Liaisons Dangereuses
.
As a teenager, she starred in the classic British film Beat Girl
in 1960, the soundtrack for which was among John Barry
's earliest. Her co-star on this being a young Adam Faith
in his first film role and the British Board of Film Censors ordered cuts be made before they would give an X certificate.
In 1960, she signed to the French Barclay Records
label releasing her first EP
entitled "Allo Brigitte..ne coupez pas!" and in 1961 appeared at the prestigious Olympia Theatre
in Paris on the bill with Johnny Hallyday
. She remained with Barclay until 1964 having released both cover and original recordings. In 1965, she signed to the AZ record label run by the radio station Europe 1
and issued an EP which included a cover of the Zombies "Leave Me Be" and her self-penned "Rien N'Est Changé".
At the close of her recording career, she returned to England and film, appearing in Michelangelo Antonioni's first English language film the 1966 classic Blowup
starring David Hemmings with whom her character and that of Jane Birkin
shared an energetic romp in which all their clothes were gradually removed. This was followed by the film version of the John Osborne play Inadmissible Evidence
and the mystery romance Three. Gillian also starred in the classic 1969 adaptation
of Alan Garner
's novel The Owl Service
, as Alison Bradley. Other film appearances followed, most notably her cameo in A Clockwork Orange
(1971) in which she played one of two girls picked up in a record shop by Malcolm McDowell
's leading character.
In 1975, Hills decided to stop making movies, and she moved to New York to work as an illustrator for various books and magazines.
, Emerson, Lake & Palmer
, Cyndi Lauper
, Foreigner
, Billy Squier
, Scorpions
and Zucchero
.
Beat Girl
Beat Girl is a 1960 British film about late-fifties youth-rebellion. The title character is played by starlet Gillian Hills, who later went on to have numerous small roles in 1960s and 1970s films, such as Blowup and A Clockwork Orange, and became a successful "ye-ye" singer in France.The music was...
and later, Blowup
Blowup
Blowup is a 1966 film directed by Michelangelo Antonioni, his first English-language film.It tells of a British photographer's accidental involvement with a murder, inspired by Julio Cortázar's short story, "Las babas del diablo" or "The Devil's Drool" , translated also as Blow-Up, and by the life...
. She also spent a number of years living in France, where she embarked on a singing career as well as starring in a number of French films.
Career
Born in Cairo, Egypt her father was the teacher, traveller, author and adventurer Denis HillsDenis Hills
Denis Cecil Hills was a British teacher, traveller, author and adventurer.-Biography:Denis Hills was born in the Birmingham suburb of Moseley. He attended King Edward's School, Birmingham before going on to Lincoln College, Oxford in 1932 to read PPE...
and her mother was Dunia Lesmianowna, daughter of Polish poet Bolesław Leśmian. Gillian Hills spent her early years in France where she was discovered by Roger Vadim
Roger Vadim
Roger Vadim was a French screenwriter, director, and producer as well as a journalist, author and actor, who launched Brigitte Bardot's career in the film And God Created Woman.-Early life:...
who saw her as the new Brigitte Bardot and cast her in a version of Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Les Liaisons dangereuses is a French epistolary novel by Choderlos de Laclos.Les Liaisons dangereuses may also refer to:* Les liaisons dangereuses , a 1959 film adapted by Claude Brulé and directed by Roger Vadim...
.
As a teenager, she starred in the classic British film Beat Girl
Beat Girl
Beat Girl is a 1960 British film about late-fifties youth-rebellion. The title character is played by starlet Gillian Hills, who later went on to have numerous small roles in 1960s and 1970s films, such as Blowup and A Clockwork Orange, and became a successful "ye-ye" singer in France.The music was...
in 1960, the soundtrack for which was among John Barry
John Barry (composer)
John Barry Prendergast, OBE was an English conductor and composer of film music. He is best known for composing the soundtracks for 12 of the James Bond films between 1962 and 1987...
's earliest. Her co-star on this being a young Adam Faith
Adam Faith
Terence "Terry" Nelhams-Wright, known as Adam Faith was a Teen idol English singer, actor and later financial journalist. He was one of the most charted acts of the 1960s. He became the first UK artist to lodge his initial seven hits in the Top 5...
in his first film role and the British Board of Film Censors ordered cuts be made before they would give an X certificate.
In 1960, she signed to the French Barclay Records
Barclay Records
Barclay Records is a French record label founded in the mid-1950s by Eddie Barclay under the alias, Edouard Ruault. Eddie Barclay also founded the Riviera label in the early-1950s....
label releasing her first EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
entitled "Allo Brigitte..ne coupez pas!" and in 1961 appeared at the prestigious Olympia Theatre
Paris Olympia
The Olympia is a music hall in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. Located at No. 28, Boulevard des Capucines, its closest métro/RER stations are Madeleine, Opéra, Havre – Caumartin and Auber....
in Paris on the bill with Johnny Hallyday
Johnny Hallyday
Johnny Hallyday is a French singer and actor. An icon in the French-speaking world since the beginning of his career, he was considered by some to have been the French Elvis Presley. He was married for 15 years to one of the most popular French female singers: Sylvie Vartan...
. She remained with Barclay until 1964 having released both cover and original recordings. In 1965, she signed to the AZ record label run by the radio station Europe 1
Europe 1
Europe 1, formerly known as Europe n° 1, is a privately owned radio network created in 1955. It is one of the leading French radio broadcasters and heard throughout France...
and issued an EP which included a cover of the Zombies "Leave Me Be" and her self-penned "Rien N'Est Changé".
At the close of her recording career, she returned to England and film, appearing in Michelangelo Antonioni's first English language film the 1966 classic Blowup
Blowup
Blowup is a 1966 film directed by Michelangelo Antonioni, his first English-language film.It tells of a British photographer's accidental involvement with a murder, inspired by Julio Cortázar's short story, "Las babas del diablo" or "The Devil's Drool" , translated also as Blow-Up, and by the life...
starring David Hemmings with whom her character and that of Jane Birkin
Jane Birkin
Jane Mallory Birkin, OBE is an English-born actress and singer who lives in France. In recent years she has written her own album, directed a film and become an outspoken proponent of democracy in Burma.- Early life :...
shared an energetic romp in which all their clothes were gradually removed. This was followed by the film version of the John Osborne play Inadmissible Evidence
Inadmissible Evidence
Inadmissible Evidence is a play written by John Osborne in November 1964. It was also filmed in 1968.The protagonist of the play is William Maitland, a middle-aged English solicitor who has come to hate his entire life. Much of the play consists of lengthy monologues in which Maitland tells the...
and the mystery romance Three. Gillian also starred in the classic 1969 adaptation
The Owl Service (TV series)
The Owl Service was an eight-part television series based on the fantasy novel of the same name by Alan Garner. Produced in 1969 and televised over the winter of 1969-1970, the series was remarkably bold in terms of production...
of Alan Garner
Alan Garner
With his first book published, Garner abandoned his work as a labourer and gained a job as a freelance television reporter, living a "hand to mouth" lifestyle on a "shoestring" budget...
's novel The Owl Service
The Owl Service
The Owl Service is a novel by Alan Garner first published in 1967. It is a contemporary interpretation, which Garner described as an "expression of the myth", of the story of the mythical Welsh figure of Blodeuwedd, whose story is told in the Fourth Branch of the Mabinogi.The legend concerns a...
, as Alison Bradley. Other film appearances followed, most notably her cameo in A Clockwork Orange
A Clockwork Orange (film)
A Clockwork Orange is a 1971 film adaptation of Anthony Burgess's 1962 novel of the same name. It was written, directed and produced by Stanley Kubrick...
(1971) in which she played one of two girls picked up in a record shop by Malcolm McDowell
Malcolm McDowell
Malcolm McDowell is an English actor with a career spanning over forty years.McDowell is principally known for his roles in the controversial films If...., O Lucky Man!, A Clockwork Orange and Caligula...
's leading character.
In 1975, Hills decided to stop making movies, and she moved to New York to work as an illustrator for various books and magazines.
Personal life
Gillian Hills now lives in England and is married to Stewart Young, the manager for AC/DCAC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
, Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Emerson, Lake & Palmer, also known as ELP, are an English progressive rock supergroup. They found success in the 1970s and sold over forty million albums and headlined large stadium concerts. The band consists of Keith Emerson , Greg Lake and Carl Palmer...
, Cyndi Lauper
Cyndi Lauper
Cynthia Ann Stephanie "Cyndi" Lauper is an American singer, songwriter, actress and LGBT rights activist. She achieved success in the mid-1980s with the release of the album She's So Unusual and became the first female singer to have four top-five singles released from one album...
, Foreigner
Foreigner (band)
Foreigner is a British-American rock band, originally formed in 1976 by veteran English musicians Mick Jones and ex-King Crimson member Ian McDonald along with American vocalist Lou Gramm...
, Billy Squier
Billy Squier
William Haislip "Billy" Squier is an American rock musician. Squier had a string of arena rock hits in the 1980s. He is best known for the song "The Stroke" on his 1981 album release Don't Say No...
, Scorpions
Scorpions (band)
Scorpions are a heavy metal/hard rock band from Hannover, Germany, formed in 1965 by guitarist Rudolf Schenker, who is the band's only constant member. They are known for their 1980s rock anthem "Rock You Like a Hurricane" and many singles, such as "No One Like You", "Send Me an Angel", "Still...
and Zucchero
Zucchero
Adelmo Fornaciari, Commander , more commonly known by his stage name Zucchero Fornaciari or simply Zucchero /ˈtsukkero/, is an Italian rock singer. His music is largely inspired by gospel, blues and rock music, and alternates between ballads and more rhythmic boogie-like pieces.Zucchero is the...
.
Filmography
- Les Liaisons DangereusesLes Liaisons DangereusesLes Liaisons dangereuses is a French epistolary novel by Choderlos de Laclos.Les Liaisons dangereuses may also refer to:* Les liaisons dangereuses , a 1959 film adapted by Claude Brulé and directed by Roger Vadim...
(1959) - Beat GirlBeat GirlBeat Girl is a 1960 British film about late-fifties youth-rebellion. The title character is played by starlet Gillian Hills, who later went on to have numerous small roles in 1960s and 1970s films, such as Blowup and A Clockwork Orange, and became a successful "ye-ye" singer in France.The music was...
(1960) - Vom Rio Beni (1964)
- BlowupBlowupBlowup is a 1966 film directed by Michelangelo Antonioni, his first English-language film.It tells of a British photographer's accidental involvement with a murder, inspired by Julio Cortázar's short story, "Las babas del diablo" or "The Devil's Drool" , translated also as Blow-Up, and by the life...
(1966) - Inadmissible EvidenceInadmissible EvidenceInadmissible Evidence is a play written by John Osborne in November 1964. It was also filmed in 1968.The protagonist of the play is William Maitland, a middle-aged English solicitor who has come to hate his entire life. Much of the play consists of lengthy monologues in which Maitland tells the...
(1968) - Three (1969)
- MouretMouretMouret may refer to:*Mouret, Aveyron, a town in France*Le Mouret, a municipality in the canton of Fribourg, Switzerland*Lissac-et-Mouret, a commune in the Lot department, France-See also:*Jean-Joseph Mouret , composer...
(1970) - Nana (1970)
- A Clockwork OrangeA Clockwork Orange (film)A Clockwork Orange is a 1971 film adaptation of Anthony Burgess's 1962 novel of the same name. It was written, directed and produced by Stanley Kubrick...
(1971) - Demons of the MindDemons of the MindDemons of the Mind is a British period horror film, produced by the Hammer studio. It was directed by Peter Sykes and its cinematographer was Arthur Grant. The cast includes Gillian Hills , Robert Hardy, Patrick Magee, Michael Hordern, and Shane Briant...
(1972) - Dallas (1975)
Television
- The Owl ServiceThe Owl Service (TV series)The Owl Service was an eight-part television series based on the fantasy novel of the same name by Alan Garner. Produced in 1969 and televised over the winter of 1969-1970, the series was remarkably bold in terms of production...
(1969/1970) - Casanova (1971)
- Upstairs, DownstairsUpstairs, DownstairsUpstairs, Downstairs is a British drama television series originally produced by London Weekend Television and revived by the BBC. It ran on ITV in 68 episodes divided into five series from 1971 to 1975, and a sixth series shown on the BBC on three consecutive nights, 26–28 December 2010.Set in a...
(1971)
Discography
Singles and EPs:- 1960 "Cha cha cha" (Barclay Records) EP
- 1960 "Près de la cascade" (Barclay)
- 1960 "Si tu veux que je te dise" (Barclay) EP
- 1960 "Cou-couche panier" (Barclay)
- 1960 "Spécialisation" (Barclay) EP
- 1961 "Jean-Lou" (Barclay) EP
- 1961 "Tu peux" (Barclay)
- 1961 "Zou bisou bisou" (Barclay) EP
- 1962 "En dansant le twist" (Barclay) EP
- 1962 "Musique du film Les Parisiennes" (Barclay) EP
- 1963 "Tu mens" (Barclay) EP
- 1965 "Qui a su" (Barclay) EP
- 1965 "Rien n'est changé" (AZ Records) EP
- 1965 "Look at them" (Vogue Records)
External links
- http://www.gillianhills.com
- Gillian Hills at HorrorStars
- http://www.chachacharming.com/article.php?id=3&pg=1
- http://blow-up-doll.blogspot.com/2008/07/gillian-hills-bonus.html
- http://www.amazon.com/Gillian-Hills-multi-talented-kitten/lm/R1JUPLLGH9TJDK
- http://www.last.fm/music/Gillian+Hills
- http://www.kosmix.com/topic/gillian_hills
- http://users.skynet.be/gillianhills/discographie/discography1.htm
- http://radio.aol.co.uk/music/Gillian+Hills