Knight was born in Marylebone, London. She was the daughter of actor Esmond Knight and his first wife, Frances Clare, and the stepdaughter of actress Nora Swinburne.[6] Being from a theatrical family, she was introduced to theatre at an early age. She was inspired by a visit to the bombed-out Old Vic Theatre in 1949 with her father to see performances of The Snow Queen and As You Like It.[7] After studying there for two years under Glen Byam Shaw and George Devine, she was offered a position as Assistant Stage Manager at the Midland Theatre Company in Coventry. From Coventry, she moved to Ipswich Repertory Company, where Joe Orton was a fellow ASM.[8]
Two years later, she joined a touring group, the West of England Theatre Company, for an eight-month stint. She was spotted by a producer, which led to her being cast as a schoolgirl in Blue Murder at St Trinian's (1957).[8] That same year, she starred with her father, playing father and daughter, in the BBC production of Nicholas Nickleby.[9] An earlier film role, albeit uncredited, was as a lady-in-waiting in Laurence Olivier's film Richard III (1955), which also featured her father.[3]
In the late 1950s, Knight appeared in the BBC Radio comedy series Ray's a Laugh.[10] During this period, she also performed in two early Carry On films. In Carry On Nurse (1959), she played Nurse Nightingale and in Carry On Teacher (also 1959), she played Felicity Wheeler, a prim school inspector whose amorous hopes toward Kenneth Connor's wimpy science master are continually thwarted. In 1963, she played Mrs Fitzpatrick in the film of Tom Jones and was in a second St Trinian's film, playing a teacher in The Wildcats of St Trinian's in 1980.[3]
Knight married theatre and television director Michael Elliott in July 1959; the couple remained married until his death in 1984.[7] They had two daughters including Marianne Elliott, a theatre director who is married to actor Nick Sidi, and actress Susannah Elliott.[14]
Deathedit
Knight died on 19 December 2020, at the age of 87.[15]
Partial filmographyedit
Gone to Earth (1950) – Young Girl at Racecourse (uncredited)
^Coveney, Michael. "Rosalind Knight obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
^"Carry On actress Rosalind Knight dies aged 87". Metro. 20 December 2020. Rosalind Knight has sadly died at the age of 87, it has been confirmed. The actress, best known for her roles in the Carry On movies and Friday Night Dinner, died on Saturday.
^ abcd"Rosalind Knight". Archived from the original on 2 June 2017.
^Kellaway, Kate (29 October 2006). "'When it goes well it is like falling in love. It gives you an incredible high'". The Observer. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
^"Rosalind Knight: Friday Night Dinner and Carry On actress dies aged 87". BBC News.