Vera Day
Vera Day | |
|---|---|
| Born | 4 August 1935 London, England |
| Years active | 1954–2007 |
| Spouse(s) | Arthur Mason (1954–1958) Terry O'Neill (1963–1976, divorced) |
| Children | 2 |
Vera Day (born 4 August 1935 in London) is an English film and television actress.[1] She was born in London just before the war and grew up in Forest Gate, East London.[2]
Early career[]
Leaving school at 15, she had various jobs before finding employment in a hair salon. Modelling for hairstylists, she became a full-time model. One day she saw an advertisement in a theatrical paper for showgirls, so taking time off work and with the smallest bikini she could find, she attended the auditions.[3] Even though she was untrained in singing and dancing, she caught the attention of Jack Hylton, who gave her a part in Wish You Were Here at the London Casino in 1953. She was only nineteen. Val Guest was at the opening night and left a note for her at the stage door to contact him. This led to Vera being cast in the film Dance Little Lady. However, she had ask permission from Jack Hylton, for she was under contract for two more shows, which ended up being Pal Joey at the Princes Theatre and Jokers Wild with the Crazy Gang at the Victoria Palace Theatre.[4]
Film career[]
From the late 1950s, Day was a popular figure in British films, a glamorous blonde bombshell who appeared most memorably in the classic Stanley Baker drama Hell Drivers (1957) and the Hammer science fiction film Quatermass 2 (1957). Her other film roles include that of George Cole's girlfriend in Mario Zampi's comedy Too Many Crooks (1959) and as the heroine in the horror film Womaneater (1958), one of her few leading parts.
Many years later, Day appeared in a supporting role in Guy Ritchie's Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels (1998).
Selected filmography[]
- Dance, Little Lady (1954)
- The Crowded Day (1954)
- It's a Great Day (1955)
- A Kid for Two Farthings (1955)
- Fun at St. Fanny's (1955)
- Quatermass 2 (1957)
- Hell Drivers (1957)
- The Prince and the Showgirl (1957)
- I Was Monty's Double (1958) - Angela
- The Woman Eater (1958)
- Up the Creek (1958) - Lily
- Grip of the Strangler (1958) - Pearl
- Too Many Crooks (1959) - Charmaine
- And the Same to You (1960) - Cynthia Tripp
- Trouble with Eve (1960) - Daisy Freeman
- The Trunk (1961) - Diane
- Watch it, Sailor! (1961) - Shirley Hornett
- A Stitch in Time (1963) - Betty
- Saturday Night Out (1964) - Arlene
- Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) - Tanya
- The Riddle (2007) - Sadie Miller
References[]
- ^ "Vera Day". BFI.
- ^ Marks, Harrison (1962). Vera. London: Kamera Publications.
- ^ "Bullet bra sweater girl – Vera Day". Never Knowingly Overdressed.
- ^ Marks, Harrison (1962). Vera. London: Kamera Publications.
External links[]
| hide Authority control  | |
|---|---|
| General | |
| National libraries | |
 | This article about a British film actor is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by . |
- 1935 births
- Living people
- British film actresses
- British television actresses
- Actresses from London
- British film actor stubs