Quick Facts
Biography
Elizabeth Shepherd (born 12 August 1936) is an English character actress whose long career has encompassed the stage and both the big and small screens. Her television work has been especially prolific. Shepherd's surname has been variously rendered as "Shephard" and "Sheppard".
Career
She began acting in television series in 1959. In 1960, she appeared in an adaptation of A. J. Cronin's novel, The Citadel. She was the original choice to play Emma Peel in the 1960s television series The Avengers. However, after filming nearly two episodes, Shepherd left the production and was replaced by Diana Rigg. In 1970 she appeared on Broadway in Barry England's Conduct Unbecoming, a story of the British Army in Kipling's India, as Mrs. Hasseltine. She was praised for her performance in Time magazine. Shepherd was pictured in Time along with her co-stars, the pop singers Jeremy Clyde and Paul Jones, who began their roles as British subalterns in London during 1969.
In film she appeared as both Lady Rowena and Ligeia in Roger Corman's The Tomb of Ligeia (1965), as well as Damien: Omen II as the ill-fated reporter Joan Hart, The Kidnapping of the President, Deadly Companion and Amelia. Her TV work includes the cult series The Corridor People (1966), the 1978 miniseries The Bastard, and The Cleopatras, a BBC historical drama.
Elizabeth Shepherd has acted in numerous stage plays in both Shakespearean and contemporary dramas. As well as teaching drama at the Stella Adler school, she starred in "December Fools" in 2006 at the Abingdon Theater in New York. In 2014, she starred in a Canadian production of Driving Miss Daisy.
An article in the Toronto Star reported an incident of Shepherd being a victim of identity theft and mortgage fraud in 2006.
Filmography
- The Queen's Guards (1961)
- What Every Woman Wants (1962)
- Blind Corner (1963)
- The Tomb of Ligeia (1965)
- Hell Boats (1970)
- Damien: Omen II (1978)
- Deadly Companion (1980)
- The Kidnapping of the President (1980)
- Invitation to the Wedding (1983)
- Head Office (1983)
- Criminal Law (1988)
- Mustard Bath (1993)
- Time to Say Goodbye? (1997)
- The White Raven (1998)
- The Spreading Ground (2000)
- Desire (2000)
- Amelia (2009)