Pamela Cundell
Encyclopedia
Pamela I. Cundell is a British
character actress. Her best known role was Mrs Fox
in the long-running TV comedy Dad's Army
.
She is a descendant of Henry Condell
, one of the managers of the Lord Chamberlain's Men
, the playing company of William Shakespeare
. Henry Condell also helped put together the first folio of Shakespeare's works after his death.
, Benny Hill
and Bill Fraser
, the last of whom she married. Making her first television appearance in 1957 with Peter Sellers
and Michael Bentine
, she has since appeared in many popular shows, including, The Bill
, On The Buses
, Casualty
, Z Cars, and Big Deal
. Pam Cundell has kept busy with theatre work and pantomime, has appeared in several feature films, and in 2002 worked on a new film by Mel Smith
.
Her most notable credits include Dad's Army (as Mrs Fox), later the on-screen wife of Clive Dunn
, The Borrowers
, The Benny Hill Show
and, more recently, as Nora Swann in EastEnders
.
She is the widow of the Scottish
character actor
Bill Fraser
, who died in 1987. He appeared on British television during the 1960s, as Snudge (opposite Alfie Bass
) in The Army Game
.
) who has admired her for some time. This admiration is returned, with little 'extras' being passed across the counter on her visits to his shop. Beset with bad luck during the war, we hear that her brother did not make it through by the time she has been courted by Jones and accepts his hand in marriage. She is also very fond of George Mainwaring
and even asks him to give her away since she no longer has any male relatives. Always looking her best and with her trademark fox fur draped over her shoulders, Mrs Fox brings light to any room she steps into.
On 3 August 2008 Pamela Cundell was interviewed, alongside Bill Pertwee
and Frank Williams
, about her time on Dad's Army
for the 40th anniversary tribute show Jonathan Ross
Salutes Dad's Army.
She explained that her character Mrs. Fox was so-called because of the fox fur she wore draped over her shoulders.
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...
character actress. Her best known role was Mrs Fox
Mrs Fox
Mrs Marcia Jones is a minor character, played by the actress Pamela Cundell in Dad's Army, a situation comedy depicting life in wartime England that ran between 1968 and 1977 on BBC TV...
in the long-running TV comedy Dad's Army
Dad's Army
Dad's Army is a British sitcom about the Home Guard during the Second World War. It was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft and broadcast on BBC television between 1968 and 1977. The series ran for 9 series and 80 episodes in total, plus a radio series, a feature film and a stage show...
.
She is a descendant of Henry Condell
Henry Condell
Henry Condell was an actor in the King's Men, the playing company for which William Shakespeare wrote. With John Heminges, he was instrumental in preparing the First Folio, the collected plays of Shakespeare, published in 1623....
, one of the managers of the Lord Chamberlain's Men
Lord Chamberlain's Men
The Lord Chamberlain's Men was a playing company for whom Shakespeare worked for most of his career. Formed at the end of a period of flux in the theatrical world of London, it had become, by 1603, one of the two leading companies of the city and was subsequently patronised by James I.It was...
, the playing company of 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"...
. Henry Condell also helped put together the first folio of Shakespeare's works after his death.
Life and career
Pam Cundell was born into a show business family, and trained at the Guildford School of Music and Drama before cutting her teeth in rep and summer shows as a stand up comic. She has worked with many of the great comics, including Frankie HowerdFrankie Howerd
Francis Alick "Frankie" Howerd OBE was an English comedian and comic actor whose career, described by fellow comedian Barry Cryer as "a series of comebacks", spanned six decades.-Early career:...
, Benny Hill
Benny Hill
Benny Hill was an English comedian and actor, notable for his long-running television programme The Benny Hill Show.-Early life:...
and Bill Fraser
Bill Fraser
-External links:* *...
, the last of whom she married. Making her first television appearance in 1957 with Peter Sellers
Peter Sellers
Richard Henry Sellers, CBE , known as Peter Sellers, was a British comedian and actor. Perhaps best known as Chief Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther film series, he is also notable for playing three different characters in Dr...
and Michael Bentine
Michael Bentine
Michael Bentine CBE was a British comedian, comic actor and founding member of the Goons. A Peruvian Briton by heritage as a result of his father's nationality, In 1971 Bentine received the Order of Merit of Peru because of his fund-raising work for the 1970 Great Peruvian...
, she has since appeared in many popular shows, including, The Bill
The Bill
The 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...
, On The Buses
On The Buses
On the Buses was a British situation comedy created by Ronald Wolfe and Ronald Chesney which was broadcast in the UK from 1969 to 1973. The writers' previous successes with The Rag Trade and Meet the Wife were for the BBC, but the Corporation rejected On the Buses, not seeing much comedy potential...
, Casualty
Casualty (TV series)
Casualty, stylised as Casual+y, is a British weekly television show broadcast on BBC One, and the longest-running emergency medical drama television series in the world. Created by Jeremy Brock and Paul Unwin, it was first broadcast on 6 September 1986, and transmitted in the UK on BBC One. The...
, Z Cars, and Big Deal
Big Deal
Big Deal or The Big Deal may refer to:* Big Deal , a 1986 Broadway musical* Big Deal , a 1996 series on FOX* Big Deal , a British comedy drama...
. Pam Cundell has kept busy with theatre work and pantomime, has appeared in several feature films, and in 2002 worked on a new film by Mel Smith
Mel Smith
Melvin Kenneth "Mel" Smith is an English comedian, writer, film director, producer, and actor. He is most famous for his work on the sketch comedy shows Not the Nine O'Clock News and Alas Smith and Jones along with his comedy partner Griff Rhys Jones.- Early life :Smith's father, Kenneth, was born...
.
Her most notable credits include Dad's Army (as Mrs Fox), later the on-screen wife of Clive Dunn
Clive Dunn
Clive Robert Benjamin Dunn OBE is a retired English actor, comedian and author, best known for his role as Lance-Corporal Jack Jones in the BBC sitcom Dad's Army.-Early life:...
, The Borrowers
The Borrowers
The Borrowers, published in 1952, is the first in a series of children's fantasy novels by English author Mary Norton. The novel and its sequels are about tiny people who live in people's homes and "borrow" things to survive while keeping their existence unknown...
, The Benny Hill Show
The Benny Hill Show
The Benny Hill Show is a British comedy television show starring Benny Hill.There were various incarnations of the show between 1951 and 1991, and it aired in over 140 countries. The show is generally sketch-based with heavy use of slapstick, mime, parody and double-entendre...
and, more recently, as Nora Swann in EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
.
She is the widow of the Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
character actor
Character actor
A character actor is one who predominantly plays unusual or eccentric characters. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a character actor as "an actor who specializes in character parts", defining character part in turn as "an acting role displaying pronounced or unusual characteristics or...
Bill Fraser
Bill Fraser
-External links:* *...
, who died in 1987. He appeared on British television during the 1960s, as Snudge (opposite Alfie Bass
Alfie Bass
Alfred Bass was an English actor. He was born in Bethnal Green, London, the youngest in a Jewish family with ten children; their parents had fled persecution in Russia...
) in The Army Game
The Army Game
The Army Game is a British sitcom that aired on ITV from 1957 to 1961. Made in black-and-white, it is about National Service conscription to the post-war British Army. It was created by Sid Colin...
.
Character of Mrs Fox
During the course of the war, Mrs Fox sadly becomes a widow. This is good news to butcher Jack Jones (Lance-Corporal Jack JonesLance-Corporal Jack Jones
Lance Corporal Jack Jones is a fictional Home Guard platoon lance-corporal, veteran of the British Empire and butcher portrayed by Clive Dunn in the BBC television sitcom Dad's Army...
) who has admired her for some time. This admiration is returned, with little 'extras' being passed across the counter on her visits to his shop. Beset with bad luck during the war, we hear that her brother did not make it through by the time she has been courted by Jones and accepts his hand in marriage. She is also very fond of George Mainwaring
Captain George Mainwaring
Captain George Mainwaring is the bank manager and Home Guard platoon commander portrayed by Arthur Lowe on the BBC television sitcom Dad's Army, set in the fictional seaside town of Walmington-on-Sea during the Second World War...
and even asks him to give her away since she no longer has any male relatives. Always looking her best and with her trademark fox fur draped over her shoulders, Mrs Fox brings light to any room she steps into.
On 3 August 2008 Pamela Cundell was interviewed, alongside Bill Pertwee
Bill Pertwee
William Desmond Anthony Pertwee MBE is a British comedy actor. He is best known for playing the part of antagonist ARP Warden Hodges in the popular sitcom Dad's Army.-Early and personal life:...
and Frank Williams
Frank Williams (actor)
Frank Williams is an English actor.Williams was educated at Ardingly College. He starred in The Army Game and as the Vicar in Dad's Army. In 1970, he starred in the short-lived sitcom As Good Cooks Go...
, about her time on Dad's Army
Dad's Army
Dad's Army is a British sitcom about the Home Guard during the Second World War. It was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft and broadcast on BBC television between 1968 and 1977. The series ran for 9 series and 80 episodes in total, plus a radio series, a feature film and a stage show...
for the 40th anniversary tribute show Jonathan Ross
Jonathan Ross
Jonathan Ross may refer to:* Jonathan Ross , English television and radio personality* Jonathan Ross , United States Senator, Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court* Jonathon Ross , former Australian rules footballer...
Salutes Dad's Army.
She explained that her character Mrs. Fox was so-called because of the fox fur she wore draped over her shoulders.