First Name |
Imogen
|
Last Name |
Hassall
|
Maiden Name |
Hassall
|
Full Name at Birth |
Imogen Hassall
|
Alternative Name |
The Countess of Cleavage, Imogen Hassell, Imogen Knox, Imogen Ives, The Queen of Premieres, @imogenhassall1980 [facebook]
|
Birthday |
6th August, 1942
|
Birthplace |
Woking, Surrey, England, UK
|
Died |
16th November, 1980
|
Place of Death |
Wimbledon, London, England, UK
|
Cause of Death |
Suicide by Overdose of sleeping pills.
|
Buried |
Gap Road Cemetery, Wimbledon, London Borough of Merton, Greater London, England
|
Height |
5' 5" (165 cm)
|
Weight |
114lbs (52 kg)
|
Build |
Voluptuous
|
Eye Color |
Green
|
Hair Color |
Brown - Dark
|
Distinctive Feature |
Long lustrous black hair and a very large bust...., She had a daughter called Melanie Ives Hassall, who died four days after being born in 1972..., Her second husband Andrew Knox also committed suicide in 1987..., She miscarried her second baby (by actor Andrew Knox) in 1979...., Hassall's private life was a regular subject of interest in tabloid newspapers, who labelled her 'The Countess of Cleavage'...., She was known for playing sexy, scantily-clad characters on film, TV & at film premieres...., After her failed relationships, the death of her child, her miscarriage, and her career decline, she became depressed & was found dead in her Wimbledon home on the morning of 16 November 1980...., Shortly before her death, she described her second marriage to Andrew Knox as "a total farce," while other times she expressed despair over the breakup and divorce...., Hassall had recently been very depressed over the failure of her second marriage and her inability to find consistent, full-time acting work in several years..., Police said she was found in bed, with a telephone in one hand and an empty bottle of pills in the other. Friends said that she had been hospitalized the week before for one of several suicide attempts...., Typecast as a ditzy sex-bomb in popular television series such as The Avengers and The Saint and was increasingly frustrated at being offered parts that, for the most part, belied her fierce intelligence and classical training...., By the mid-1970s, both the television and films roles started to dry up and Imogen began to seek other employment, taking on casual work in a wine bar...., Possessing a personal magnetism that defied her professional accomplishments, Imogen once remarked that she had two careers ‘as actress and as glamour girl.’ Tragically, she found fulfillment in neither...., In 2002, Dan Leissner published the biography, Tuesday’s Child: The Life and Death of Imogen Hassall in which he claimed ‘she would be delighted to know that we’re still talking about her'...., She lived at the house next to the pub The Crooked Billet which she frequented...., She married twice and cultivated a reputation for promiscuity making her a tabloid favourite, and soon the nickname 'the Countess of Cleavage' was coined...., Imogen was quickly pigeon-holed by the media and casting directors as only capable of playing certain roles. One can only imagine how frustrating this must have been for someone who was clearly talented...., Jacki Piper and Richard O'Callaghan spoke fondly of Imogen, sharing many happy memories of working with her on the film...., Imogen’s private life was tabloid’s dream. A regular on the party circuit and attending movie premiers, she was labelled “the Countess of Cleavage”, due to her rather scantily clad appearances...., This fun-loving outward persona however, hid an inner torment, and in her later years Imogen’s life was plagued with depression. Her life had become a rollercoaster, and after many failed relationships, her career was now in a rapid decline...., Imogen Hassall may have appeared outgoing and lively, but her lively appearance hid deep insecurities. She was a very attractive woman with a degree of talent, but she was also lonely and lacking confidence and self belief...., A loving, kind person whose star shone briefly, Imogen left an indelible mark as a starlet in a handful of British B-movies...., It is the human tragedy of a warm and caring, loving individual, who was broken inside and was lost...., Failing to find screen work due to alcoholism, she appeared in small touring theatre productions and worked as a waitress...., Actress friend Suzanna Leigh found Hassall dead in her apartment on the morning they had planned to take a holiday...
|
Zodiac Sign |
Leo
|
Sexuality |
Straight
|
Ethnicity |
White
|
Nationality |
British
|
High School |
[1952–54] Elmhurst Ballet School, Camberley, Surrey, [1955–58] Royal Ballet School, White Lodge, Richmond Park, London, [1958-??] She studied in New York City
|
University |
[1960–62] London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA)
|
Occupation Text |
Actress, Model, Ballerina
|
Occupation |
Actress
|
Claim to Fame |
Jenny Grubb in ‘Carry On Loving’
|
Year(s) Active |
1963-1980...........................(CAREER), 1974-1978 (wife of Kenneth Ives), 1979-1979 (wife of Andrew Knox), 1972-1972 (mother of Melanie Ives Hassall), 1969-1973 (self appearances: 2 x tv quiz show as panellist), 1963–1980
|
Associated Acts |
Royal Shakespeare Company
|
Bust (inches) |
33
|
Cup Size |
D
|
Waist (inches) |
25
|
Hips (inches) |
36
|
Official Websites |
www.facebook.com/imogenhassall1980/
|
Father |
Christopher Hassall (Poet Screenwriter Composer), Alexander Knox (Father in Law)
|
Mother |
Eve Lynett, Doris (Nolan) Knox (Ex Mother in Law)
|
Family Member |
Andrew Knox, Kenneth Ives
|
Pets |
A Parrot called Bubba, A Turtle called Rock, Andrew Knox (2nd husband), Kenneth Ives (1st husband), John Hassall (grandfather), Joan Hassall (aunt), Christopher Hassall (father), Ivor Novello (godfather), Melanie Ives Hassall (daughter), Suzanna Leigh (actress friend), Alexander Knox (ex father-in-law), Doris Nolan (ex mother-in-law), Eve Lynett (mother), Bryan Lawrence (fellow ballet student), Richard Farley (ex boyfriend), Jacki Piper (actor), Richard O'Callaghan (actor)
|
Favorite Places |
Hampstead Heath, London, Woodhayes Road, Wimbledon, London (residence), Mombasa, Kenya, The Crooked Billet, Wimbledon (pub)
|
Imogen Hassall (25 August 1942 – 16 November 1980) was an English actress who appeared in 33 films during the 1960s and 1970s.