Jump to content

Eleanor Fazan

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Eleanor Fazan
Born
Eleanor Henta Fazan

(1929-05-29)29 May 1929
Died20 January 2024(2024-01-20) (aged 94)
NationalityKenyan
Other namesFiz
Occupation(s)Actress, director, choreographer, dancer
Years active1949–2012
SpouseStanley Myers
Children1

Eleanor Henta Fazan OBE (29 May 1929 – 20 January 2024) was a British actress, dancer, and choreographer.[1][2] She is best known for her roles in productions: Willow, Hot Fuzz and Lassiter. Fazan was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2013 New Year Honours for services to dance.[3][4]

Personal life

[edit]

Eleanor Henta Fazan was born on 29 May 1929 in Kenya. She later trained in dancing with Sadler's Wells Ballet (currently known as 'The Royal Ballet'). Later she joined the Arts Educational School.[3]

Fazan was married to the British composer Stanley Myers in 1955, and they had one son. She died on 20 January 2024, at the age of 94.[5][6][7]

Career

[edit]

In 1959, Fazan directed One to Another, a revue at the Lyric Opera House in Hammersmith written by Bamber Gascoigne, John Cranko, John Mortimer, N. F. Simpson, and Harold Pinter, amongst others. It starred Beryl Reid, Patrick Wymark, Joe Melia[8] Sheila Hancock and Ray Barrett.[9] In 1960 she was choreographer for The Lily White Boys, directed by Lindsay Anderson at the Royal Court.[10] In 1961 she was the director of Beyond the Fringe, when it began its initial London run at the Fortune Theatre.[11] In 1974, she made her Royal Opera debut on Der Ring des Nibelungen, directed by Götz Friedrich. She did phenomenal work at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, where she contributed to numerous productions in the following years under the prominent directors Elijah Moshinski, John Copley, Friedrich and John Schlesinger in their productions of operas such as: Peter Grimes, Lohengrin, The Rake’s Progress, Macbeth, Samson, Otello, Attila, Ariadne auf Naxos, Semele, Idomeneo, re di Creta, Elektra, Les Contes d’Hoffmann and Der Rosenkavalier.[3]

Meanwhile, she entered cinema as a choreographer as well as actress where she appeared in Oh! What a Lovely War, Heaven’s Gate, Willow, Cold Comfort Farm, Mrs Henderson Presents and Hot Fuzz. In 1993, she was awarded the Industry Award from British Film Institute.[3]

Partial filmography

[edit]

Source: British Film Institute[1]

Year Film Role Genre
1950 Cinderella Cast member Film
1955 Value For Money Leopard 'doll' in revue number (uncredited) Film
1955 Two of a Kind Betty Film
1957 Pink Scarf Mrs Ware Film
1957 A Santa for Christmas Dance direction Film
1959 Follow a Star Choreography Film
1960 The Ladies' Man Choreography Film
1965 The Day of Ragnarok Cast member Film
1965 Scruggs Cast member Film
1965 The Intelligence Men Cast member Film
1968 Inadmissible Evidence Anna Maitland Film
1969 Oh! What a Lovely War Choreography Film
1972 Lady Caroline Film Dance movement Film
1973 O Lucky Man! Cast member Film
1973 Savage Messiah Madame Gaudier Film
1973 The Ruling Class Choreographer Film
1974 Barry McKenzie Holds His Own Musical staging Film
1974 Great Expectations Choreographer TV film
1977 Wombling Free Choreographer Film
1977 Joseph Andrews Dances Film
1978 The One and Only Phyllis Dixey Musical numbers TV film
1979 Yanks Choreographer Film
1980 Nearly a Happy Ending Choreography TV play
1980 Heaven's Gate Choreography Film
1981 A Midsummer Night's Dream Choreography Television
1982 The Scarlet Pimpernel Choreographer TV film
1984 Lassiter Choreographer Film
1984 A Christmas Carol Choreographer TV film
1985 King David Choreography Film
1986 Babes in Toyland Choreography TV film
1987 Top of the Bill Choreography Film
1988 Willow Choreography Film
1990 Mountains of the Moon Choreography Film
1991 Performance: "Absolute Hell" Choreography Television
1992 L'Amant Choreography Film
1994 The Innocent Choreographer Film
1995 Cold Comfort Farm Choreography Film
1999 Onegin Choreographer Film
2005 Mrs Henderson Presents Choreography Film
2007 Hot Fuzz Choreographer Film

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Eleanor Fazan; Born: 29 May 1930". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 13 October 2017. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
  2. ^ Fazan, Eleanor (22 May 2018). "Voluntourism in Malawi: Can horse power can make a better world?". telegraph. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d "Eleanor Fazan: CHOREOGRAPHER". Royal Opera House. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  4. ^ The United Kingdom:"No. 60367". The London Gazette (1st supplement). 28 December 2012. p. 10.
  5. ^ Blacker, Terence (22 February 2024). "Eleanor Fazan obituary". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  6. ^ "Obituary: Stanley Myers". Independent.co.uk. 23 October 2011.
  7. ^ "Eleanor Fazan, trailblazing director revered within British theatre and opera – obituary". The Telegraph. 7 February 2024. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  8. ^ Milton Shulman ‘The Moth Collector Can Go…’ London Evening Standard 16 July 1959 p. 10
  9. ^ Philip Hope-Wallace ‘From one extreme to another’ London Guardian 16 July 1959 p. 5
  10. ^ Milton Shulman ‘Three smart boys make this a musical to remember’ 28 June 1960 London Evening Standard 28 June 1960 p. 12
  11. ^ Milton Shulman ‘Four Young Men Make This Revue a Rare Delight’, London Evening Standard 11 May 1961 p. 19
[edit]