Louise English

**Louise English** is an English actress, singer, dancer and model best known for her work as a cast member and performer on the "The Benny Hill Show" on which she starred from 1978 to 1986. As one of the Hill's Angels, she both performed and starred in numerous sketches, becoming one of the most popular stars of the series, second only to Sue Upton, who helped found the Angels.

Despite being one of the most memorable talents of "The Benny Hill Show," not much is known of her past before the show. According to a 1998 version of her page on the IMDB, she was born December 1, 1963 in London, England, but this info has since been removed from her page. However, since she confesses she was 16 when she started on the series, 1962 appears to be more accurate, with a birthday of April 27, and even her birthplace as Bow area of London, England appearing on some websites. (As of 2019, her birth year has been posted on the IMDB as 1961.) What is known is that she is the daughter of actress, singer and dancer Elizabeth English, who appeared in "Evening Stars," a review that toured with Benny Hill during his early show business career. A dancer at the age of two and a half years, English won a scholarship at the Stella Mann School of Dancing in London and studied in both classical ballet and modern dance. She had a role in Alan Parker's all-child version of "Bugsy Malone" and later attended the Anna Scher Theater School, turning down an opportunity to attend the Royal Ballet School, preferring to concentrate on the acting side of her career.

While still in ballet school, English became a member of Pan's People, a nationally touring dance troupe with television and theater appearances. She also worked in cabaret and modeled while appearing in television commercials. After appearing at an Isle of Wight showcase, she formed her own singing group, Patches, which played at London clubs.

In 1978, English auditioned to be one of the original members of the Hill's Angels, but her popularity on the series developed into a starring vehicle as a featured performer with Benny, Bob Todd, Jack Wright, Henry McGee and Sue Upton, who became her closest friend on the series. Benny even seemed to adopt her as his unofficial daughter, insisting on meeting and checking over men she was dating. Dancing with the Hill's Angels and starring in sketches. she became one of the show's most popular stars with her singing voice, performing renditions of classic songs including "La Vie en Rose," "Pour Un Flirt Avec Toi," "Paradise," and "Milord."

In between episodes, Louise found time to star in movies and other tv shows including "The Wicked Lady" in 1983 with Faye Dunaway, Denholm Elliott, and John Gielgud and "House of the Long Shadows" with Vincent Price, Christopher Lee, John Carradine, and Peter Cushing.
After the series ended, she appeared on other British television shows, such as "Brush Strokes," "Mike Yarwood in Person," "Elkie And Our Gang" with Elkie Brooks and the pilot for the BBC game show, "Full Swing." She was also a featured guest on the Central TV Entertainment specials, "Elkie and Our Gang," "Saturday Royal," and "Entertainment Express." Her other credits include "Fresh Fields," "Lytton’s Diary," "Full House," "Chance in a Million," "Give Us a Clue" and "Don’t Rock the Boat" for Thames TV.

English continued to star in cabaret in England, the Channel Islands, and Bangkok. She also had starring roles in "Absent Friends," "Suddenly at Home," "Tommy Boy," "Don't Dress For Dinner," "Bedside Manners" and "Shadow of Doubt." She also starred in stage productions of Mike Harding's comedy "Fur Coat and No Knickers," Ted Willis' play "Tommy Boy," Tom Lehrer's "Tom Foolery," Oscar Wilde's "An Ideal Husband," Russ Abbot's "Madhouse," and "Gypsy: A Musical Fable at the Crucible Theatre." She also traveled to Stockholm to appear in a production of Neil Simon's "I Ought To Be In Pictures."

Today, English almost exclusively performs in cabarets and on stage, rarely doing any more television work. Some of her theatrical credits have ranged from pantomime to Bournemouth Pier farce with Robin Askwith and John Inman. Benny visited her briefly while she was starring in "Me and My Girl" in the West End of London just before his death. Today, she has almost entirely withdrawn from the public except for her work, and her official fan site is almost entirely abandoned. She does still get together with Sue Upton, a close friend, with whom she often reunites during retrospectives and interviews about the show.

## Episode(s)

* Friday Night Fever
* Leprechaun TV
* The Police Raid in Waterloo Station - unconfirmed
* Women's Lib TV
* Butch Cafferty and the Fundance Kid
* Name That Tune
* WonderGran Meets Dr. Jackal and Mr. Hyde
* A Tribute to the Lower Tidmarsh Volunteer Fire Brigade
* Big Poppa
* The Monte Carbolic Show
* Talking Point - unconfirmed
* Super-Teech
* Holiday
* Scuttle-Vision
* The Hot Shoe Show
* The B-Team - unconfirmed
* Forever Love
* Carmen
* R. Dibble: Handyman
* The Herd

## Gallery

* Clare Smalley, Louise English and Sue Upton
* Denise Gyngell, Sue Upton and Louise English
* Louise English, Erica Lynley and another Angel
* Benny Hill and Louise English
* Louise English
* Louise, Benny and SueGo to Sue Upton
* Louise English today
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