Katharine Schlesinger
Encyclopedia
Katharine Schlesinger, is a British
actress niece of the film director John Schlesinger
and great-niece of Dame Peggy Ashcroft. She starred as Catherine in the 1986 film adaptation of Jane Austen
's Northanger Abbey
.
Listed London work included:
She made her National Theatre
debut in 1988 as Grace Wellborn in Ben Jonson
's Bartholomew Fair staged in the Olivier Theatre, followed in 1989 by her role as Jacinta in the Cottesloe revival of Lope de Vega
's Fuente Ovejuna
. In November 1989, again at the National, she played the title role in Steven Berkoff
's symbolist stage adaptation of Oscar Wilde
's Salomé
, a production which transferred to the Phoenix Theatre
in January 1990. "Katharine Schlesinger mimed the dance of the seven veils
and, without having taken anything off, persuaded a hushed audience that she was standing there totally naked.": critic Robert Tanitch
.
In February 1991 at the Royal Court
's Theatre Upstairs, she took part in performances of selected plays in the Young Writers' Festival. Since then no further London stage credits for Katharine Schlesinger have been listed in the Theatre Record
annual Indexes.
work includes William Shakespeare
's Love's Labour's Lost
and Henry VIII
.
She also sang the period song That's the Way to the Zoo in her appearance in the Doctor Who
serial Ghost Light
(1989).
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
actress niece of the film director John Schlesinger
John Schlesinger
John Richard Schlesinger, CBE was an English film and stage director and actor.-Early life:Schlesinger was born in London into a middle-class Jewish family, the son of Winifred Henrietta and Bernard Edward Schlesinger, a physician...
and great-niece of Dame Peggy Ashcroft. She starred as Catherine in the 1986 film adaptation of Jane Austen
Jane Austen
Jane Austen was an English novelist whose works of romantic fiction, set among the landed gentry, earned her a place as one of the most widely read writers in English literature, her realism and biting social commentary cementing her historical importance among scholars and critics.Austen lived...
's Northanger Abbey
Northanger Abbey (1986 film)
Jane Austen's novel Northanger Abbey was adapted for television in 1986 by the A&E Network and the BBC.-Crew:*Giles Foster *Louis Marks *Ilona Sekacz *Nat Crosby...
.
Theatre
In 1990 she listed her earlier provincial stage work as:- Romeo and Juliet at the Sheffield Crucible;
- Agnes of GodAgnes of GodAgnes of God is a play by John Pielmeier which tells the story of a novice nun who gives birth and insists that the dead child was the result of a virgin conception. A psychiatrist and the mother superior of the convent clash during the resulting investigation...
, Stags and Hens, and Fair Stood the Wind for France, at the Theatre Royal Northampton; - The Marvellous Land of Oz at Leeds Playhouse;
- Nell Dunn's The Little Heroine at the Nuffield, Southampton.
Listed London work included:
- A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Merry Wives of Windsor and Bashville, at the Open Air Theatre, Regent's ParkOpen Air Theatre, Regent's ParkRegent's Park Open Air Theatre, in the City of Westminster, London, is a permanent venue with an annual sixteen-week summer season. It was founded in 1932 by Sydney Carroll and Robert Atkins.-The theatre:...
(1984); - The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Wyndham's TheatreWyndham's TheatreWyndham's Theatre is a West End theatre, one of two opened by the actor/manager Charles Wyndham . Located on Charing Cross Road, in the City of Westminster, it was designed by W.G.R. Sprague about 1898, the architect of six other London theatres between then and 1916...
(December 1984); - Three SistersThree Sisters (play)Three Sisters is a play by Russian author and playwright Anton Chekhov, perhaps partially inspired by the situation of the three Brontë sisters, but most probably by the three Zimmermann sisters in Perm...
at Greenwich TheatreGreenwich TheatreThe Greenwich Theatre is a local theatre located in Croom's Hill close to the centre of Greenwich in south-east London.-Building history:The building was originally a music hall created in 1855 as part of the neighbouring Rose and Crown public house, but the Rose and Crown Music Hall was...
(March 1987) and the Albery Theatre (June 1987); - The Living Room at the Royalty TheatreRoyalty TheatreThe Royalty Theatre was a small London theatre situated at 73 Dean Street, Soho and opened on 25 May 1840 as Miss Kelly's Theatre and Dramatic School and finally closed to the public in 1938. The architect was Samuel Beazley, a resident in Soho Square, who also designed St James's Theatre, among...
(October 1987).
She made her National Theatre
Royal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
debut in 1988 as Grace Wellborn in Ben Jonson
Ben Jonson
Benjamin Jonson was an English Renaissance dramatist, poet and actor. A contemporary of William Shakespeare, he is best known for his satirical plays, particularly Volpone, The Alchemist, and Bartholomew Fair, which are considered his best, and his lyric poems...
's Bartholomew Fair staged in the Olivier Theatre, followed in 1989 by her role as Jacinta in the Cottesloe revival of Lope de Vega
Lope de Vega
Félix Arturo Lope de Vega y Carpio was a Spanish playwright and poet. He was one of the key figures in the Spanish Golden Century Baroque literature...
's Fuente Ovejuna
Fuente Ovejuna
Fuenteovejuna is a play by the Spanish playwright, Lope de Vega. First published in Madrid in 1619 as part of Docena Parte de las Comedias de Lope de Vega Carpio , the play is believed to have been written between 1612 and 1614...
. In November 1989, again at the National, she played the title role in Steven Berkoff
Steven Berkoff
Steven Berkoff is an English actor, writer and director. Best known for his performance as General Orlov in the James Bond film Octopussy, he is typically cast in villanous roles, such as Lt...
's symbolist stage adaptation of Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s...
's Salomé
Salome (play)
Salome is a tragedy by Oscar Wilde.The original 1891 version of the play was in French. Three years later an English translation was published...
, a production which transferred to the Phoenix Theatre
Phoenix Theatre (London)
The Phoenix Theatre is a West End theatre in the London Borough of Camden, located on Charing Cross Road . The entrance is in Phoenix Street....
in January 1990. "Katharine Schlesinger mimed the dance of the seven veils
Dance of the Seven Veils
In several notable works of Western culture, the Dance of the Seven Veils is one of the elaborations on the biblical tale of the execution of John the Baptist...
and, without having taken anything off, persuaded a hushed audience that she was standing there totally naked.": critic Robert Tanitch
Robert Tanitch
Robert Tanitch, who lives in London, is a playwright, author, biographer, lecturer, theatre and film critic.He had the first professional production of one of his plays while he was still up at Oxford University....
.
In February 1991 at the Royal Court
Royal Court Theatre
The Royal Court Theatre is a non-commercial theatre on Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is noted for its contributions to modern theatre...
's Theatre Upstairs, she took part in performances of selected plays in the Young Writers' Festival. Since then no further London stage credits for Katharine Schlesinger have been listed in the Theatre Record
Theatre Record
Theatre Record is a periodical that reprints reviews, production photographs, and other information about the British theatre.-Overview:Founded by Ian Herbert and published fortnightly since January 1981, Theatre Record is printed and published in England every two weeks.It reprints unabridged all...
annual Indexes.
Audio work
Schlesinger's audioContent (media and publishing)
In media production and publishing, content is information and experiences that may provide value for an end-user/audience in specific contexts. Content may be delivered via any medium such as the internet, television, and audio CDs, as well as live events such as conferences and stage performances...
work includes William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
's Love's Labour's Lost
Love's Labour's Lost
Love's Labour's Lost is one of William Shakespeare's early comedies, believed to have been written in the mid-1590s, and first published in 1598.-Title:...
and Henry VIII
Henry VIII (play)
The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight is a history play by William Shakespeare and John Fletcher, based on the life of Henry VIII of England. An alternative title, All is True, is recorded in contemporary documents, the title Henry VIII not appearing until the play's publication...
.
She also sang the period song That's the Way to the Zoo in her appearance in the Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
serial Ghost Light
Ghost Light (Doctor Who)
-Pre-production:Working titles for this story included The Bestiary and Life-Cycle. As revealed in the production notes for the DVD release, the story was renamed Das Haus der tausend Schrecken upon translation into German.The story evolved out of an earlier, rejected script entitled Lungbarrow...
(1989).
Select filmography
- In the BeginningIn the Beginning (2000 film)In the Beginning is a 2-part miniseries directed by Kevin Connor. It stars Martin Landau and Jacqueline Bisset and it premiered on NBC on 12 November 2000.-Plot:...
.... Miriam (TVM 2000) - Simon MagusSimon Magus (film)-Story:A Jew named Dovid Bendel tries to revive his dwindling village by building a railway station next to it. The squire agrees to provide the land, on the condition that Dovid will read his poetry. A cunning business man is also interested in the land and he tries to compete using money and...
.... Askha (1999) - The Tale of Sweeney ToddThe Tale of Sweeney ToddThe Tale of Sweeney Todd is a 1998 American television movie directed by John Schlesinger. The teleplay by Peter Buckman was adapted from a story by Peter Shaw. It was broadcast in the United States by Showtime on April 19, 1998 and released on videotape in France the following month...
.... Lucy (TVM 1998) - The BillThe BillThe Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...
- Puzzled .... Nicky (TV series) - Silent WitnessSilent WitnessSilent Witness is a BBC crime thriller series focusing on a team of forensic pathology experts and their investigations into various crimes. First broadcast in February 1996, the series is still airing to the present day, with a fifteenth series expected to air in January 2012. The series was...
- An Academic Exercise .... Dr Annabelle Evans (TV series) - RidesRides (TV series)Rides is a British television series produced by the BBC between 1992 and 1993. It lasted two series of six episodes each and was made by Warner Sisters, a UK based television production company based in Ealing....
.... Sue-Lyn (TV series, 1992–93) - Young CatherineYoung CatherineYoung Catherine is a 1991 American TV miniseries based on the early life of Catherine II of Russia. It stars Julia Ormond as Catherine and Vanessa Redgrave as Empress Elizabeth....
.... Elizabeth Vorontsova (TV mini-series, 1991) - Doctor WhoDoctor WhoDoctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
- Ghost LightGhost Light (Doctor Who)-Pre-production:Working titles for this story included The Bestiary and Life-Cycle. As revealed in the production notes for the DVD release, the story was renamed Das Haus der tausend Schrecken upon translation into German.The story evolved out of an earlier, rejected script entitled Lungbarrow...
.... Gwendoline (October 1989) - Madame SousatzkaMadame SousatzkaMadame Sousatzka is a 1988 British drama film directed by John Schlesinger, with a screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. It is based upon the novel of the same name by Bernice Rubens.-Plot synopsis:...
.... Piano Student (film, director John Schlesinger, 1988) - No FrillsNo Frills (TV series)No Frills was a television sitcom broadcast on BBC1 in 1988, and consisted of 7 episodes. It starred Kathy Staff as Molly Bickerstaff, a recently widowed woman who moves from Oldham to live in London with her divorced daughter Kate and gothic granddaughter Suzy ....
.... Suzy (TV sitcom, 1988) - The Diary of Anne FrankThe Diary of Anne Frank (1987 BBC TV serial)The Diary of Anne Frank is 1987 BBC televised miniseries. It was based on The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank, and it starred Elizabeth Bell, Janet Amsbury, Katharine Schlesinger and Emrys James.-Cast:*Katharine Schlesinger as Anne Frank...
.... Anne Frank (TVM 1987) - Northanger AbbeyNorthanger Abbey (1986 film)Jane Austen's novel Northanger Abbey was adapted for television in 1986 by the A&E Network and the BBC.-Crew:*Giles Foster *Louis Marks *Ilona Sekacz *Nat Crosby...
.... Catherine Morland (TVM 1986)