{{Short description|English actress (1932–2021)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}} {{Infobox person | image = | name = Avril Elgar | imagesize = | caption = | birth_name = Avril Elgar Williams | birth_date = {{Birth date|1932|4|1|df=y}} | birth_place = Halifax, West Riding of Yorkshire, England | death_date = {{Death date and age|2021|09|17|1932|04|01|df=yes}} | death_place = Bristol, England | othername = | years_active = 1958–2011 | spouse = {{marriage|James Maxwell|1952|1995|end=died}} | children = 2 }}
'''Avril Elgar Williams''' (1 April 1932 – 17 September 2021) was an English stage, radio and television actress.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://explore.bfi.org.uk/4ce2b9f4330dd|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120725121917/http://explore.bfi.org.uk/4ce2b9f4330dd|url-status=dead|archive-date=25 July 2012|title=Avril Elgar|work=BFI}}</ref>
==Early life and career == Avril Elgar Williams was born on 1 April 1932 at barracks in Halifax, West Riding of Yorkshire, England to John and Annie (née Rose) Williams. The family moved to Catterick, North Yorkshire and Royal Arsenal before Elgar's father was posted to India. They returned to Britain in 1945, where they settled in Penzance. She trained at the Old Vic Theatre School in London.<ref name="Coveney2021">{{cite news|last=Coveney|first=Michael|author-link=Michael Coveney|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2021/sep/29/avril-elgar-obituary|title=Avril Elgar obituary|newspaper=The Guardian|date=29 September 2021|access-date=29 September 2021}}</ref>
At the National Theatre, she appeared in productions of Victoria Benedictsson's ''The Enchantment'', Pam Gems' ''Stanley'', and Julian Mitchell's ''Half Life''.<ref>[http://www.nt-online.org.uk/27021/company-members/avril-elg] {{dead link|date=January 2022}}</ref> She appeared in drama and comedy roles and in many series on British television including ''Dixon of Dock Green'', ''Midsomer Murders'' and ''Tales of the Unexpected''. She played Ethel Pumphrey, the sister of Mildred Roper in ''George and Mildred''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.comedy.co.uk/guide/tv/george_and_mildred/episodes/5/7/|title=George & Mildred|website=Comedy.co.uk}}</ref>
Her last stage appearance was as Maria in Andrew Hilton's revival of ''Uncle Vanya'' at the Bristol Old Vic in 2009.<ref name="Coveney2021" />
== Personal life == She was married to the American actor-director James Maxwell, from 1952 until his death in 1995. Together they had two sons. Maxwell directed her in a production of ''The Corn is Green'' at Manchester's Royal Exchange Theatre.<ref>{{cite news|last=Benedick|first=Adam|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-james-maxwell-1598361.html|title=Obituary:Avril Elgar|newspaper=The Independent|date=27 August 1995|access-date=29 September 2021}}</ref> Elgar died in Bristol on 17 September 2021, aged 89.<ref name="Coveney2021" />
== Filmography == === Film === * ''Room at the Top'' (1959) * ''Ladies Who Do'' (1963) * ''Spring and Port Wine'' (1970) * ''The Medusa Touch'' (1978) * ''Betrayal'' (1983) * ''Thirteen at Dinner'' (1985) * ''Wilde'' (1997)
=== Television === {{Div col|colwidth=30em}} * ''The Diary of a Nobody'' directed by Ken Russell (1964) * ''Gideon's Way'' episode "The Firebug" (1965) * ''Dixon of Dock Green'' episodes "The Root of all Evil" and "Slim Jim" (1965) * ''Dixon of Dock Green'' episode "The Pact" (1966) * ''Softly, Softly'' episode "All That Glitters" (1966) * ''The Wednesday Play'', Jonathan Miller's ''Alice in Wonderland'' playing the "peppercook" (1966) * ''Boy meets Girl'' episode "There was I, waiting..." (1967) * ''Z-Cars'' episode "A Little Bit of Respect" parts 1 and 2 (1967) * ''Theatre 625'' episode "To See How Far It Is", scripted by Alan Plater (1968) * ''Callan'' episode "Land of Light and Peace" (1969) * ''Detective'' episode "Hunt for the Peacock", Hugh Leonard dramatisation of H R F Keating novel (1969) * ''Leon Garfield's Smith'' episodes "God Save the King!" and "The Black Angel" (1970) * ''ITV Playhouse'' ''The Style of the Countess'' script Simon Gray, director Michael Apted (1970) * ''Ryan International'' episode "The Muck Raker" (1970) * ''Play for Today'' episode "I Can't See My Little Willie" (1970) * ''Paul Temple'' episode "The Quick and the Dead" (1971) * ''Public Eye'' episode "I Always Wanted a Swimming Pool" (1971) * ''The Befrienders'' episode "A Case of No Resolution" (1972) * ''Budgie'' second series (1972) as Mrs Silverstone * ''Carrie's War'' (1974) * ''Bedtime Stories'' episode "The Water Maiden" (1974) * ''The Stars Look Down'' (1975) * ''Headmaster'' TV series episode "First Day" (1977) * ''Romance'' TV series episode "Moths" (1977) * ''Rosie'' (1977–1979) * ''George and Mildred'' (1976–1979), as Ethel Pumphrey, Mildred Roper's sister * ''Shoestring'' episode "Looking for Mr. Wright" (1980) * ''Tales of the Unexpected'' episode "Back for Christmas" (1980) * ''Tales of the Unexpected'' episode "The Moles" (1982) * ''Play for Today'' episode "Under the Skin" (1982) * ''Objects of Affection'' (TV series) episode "Our Winnie" (1982) * ''The Bank Manager's Wife'' TV play adapted from a novel by Valerie Kershaw (ITV Central) (1982) * ''The Citadel'' (1983) * ''Sakharov'' (1984) * ''Minder'' series 6 episode "Give Us This Day Arthur Daley's Bread" (1985) * ''Them and Us'' (TV series) episode "Flash-Point" (1985) * ''A Taste for Death'' (miniseries) (1988) * ''Campion'' episode "Police at the Funeral" parts 1 and 2 (1989) * ''Poirot'' episode "The King of Clubs" (1989) * ''Rides'' (1993) * Catherine Cookson's ''The Glass Virgin'' miniseries (1995) * ''Midsomer Murders'' episode "The Killings at Badgers Drift" (1997) * ''Goodnight Mister Tom'' (1998) * ''My Family'' episode "Tis Pity She's a Whore" (2001) * ''Heartbeat'' episode "Dirty Len" (2002) * ''Waking the Dead'' episode "Walking on Water" (2003) * ''Casualty'' episode "Finding Faith" (2004) * ''New Tricks'' episode (2004) * ''Doctors'' episode "Pardon" (2004) * ''Doctors'' episode "You'll Be a Man, My Son" (2008) {{div col end}}
== Theatre == Her roles in the theatre include: <ref>Murray, Braham (2007). ''The Worst It Can Be Is a Disaster''. London: Methuen Drama. {{ISBN|978-0-7136-8490-2}}.</ref> <ref>The Royal Exchange Theatre Company Words & Pictures 1976-1998, 1998, {{ISBN|0-9512017-1-9}}</ref> * Young Macduff and second witch, ''Macbeth'' at the Royal Court Theatre, London (1958) * Norah, ''Epitaph for George Dillon'' by John Osborne and Anthony Creighton, directed by William Gaskill at the Royal Court Theatre, London (1958) * Lucille, ''Danton's Death'' by George Buchner, directed by Casper Wrede for the 59 Theatre Company at the Lyric Theatre (Hammersmith) (1959) * Asta, ''Little Eyolf'' by Henrik Ibsen, directed by Casper Wrede for the 59 Theatre Company at the Lyric Theatre (Hammersmith) (1960) * ''The Blood of the Bambergs'' by John Osborne, directed by John Dexter at the Royal Court Theatre, London (1962) * ''Under Plain Covers'' by John Osborne, directed by Jonathan Miller at the Royal Court Theatre, London (1962) * Alice Maitland, ''The Voysey Inheritance'' by Harley Granville-Barker at the Royal Court Theatre, London (1966) * Olga, ''The Three Sisters'' by Anton Chekov at the Royal Court Theatre, London (1967) * Aase, ''Peer Gynt'' by Henrik Ibsen, directed by Michael Elliott for 69 Theatre at the University Theatre, Manchester (1970) * Agatha, ''The Family Reunion'' by T S Eliot directed by Michael Elliott for 69 Theatre at the Royal Exchange (1973) * Agatha, ''The Family Reunion'' by T S Eliot, directed by Michael Elliott at the Royal Exchange, Manchester (1979) * Miss Moffatt, ''The Corn is Green'' by Emlyn Williams, directed by James Maxwell at the Royal Exchange, Manchester (1981) * ''Hope Against Hope'' adapted and directed by Casper Wrede at the Royal Exchange, Manchester (1983) * The Queen, ''Cymbeline'' at the Royal Exchange, Manchester (1984) * Miss Havisham, ''Great Expectations'' adapted by James Maxwell at the Royal Exchange, Manchester (1985) * Mrs Perkins, ''The Admirable Crichton'' by J M Barrie at the Royal Exchange, Manchester (1985) * Linda, ''Death of a Salesman'' by Arthur Miller, directed by Greg Hersov at the Royal Exchange, Manchester (1985) * Aglae, ''Court in the Act'' by Maurice Hennequin, British premiere directed by Braham Murray at the Royal Exchange, Manchester (1986) * Wendy, ''Among Barbarians'' by Michael Wall, world premiere directed by James Maxwell at the Royal Exchange, Manchester (1989) * Amanda Wingfield, ''The Glass Menagerie'' by Tennessee Williams, directed by Ian Hastings at the Royal Exchange, Manchester (1989) * Mrs Bennett, ''Pride and Prejudice'', world premiere adapted and directed by James Maxwell at the Royal Exchange, Manchester (1991) * ''The Innocents'' by William Archibald, directed by Robert Delamere at the Greenwich Theatre, London. (1991) * Lady Bracknell, ''The Importance of Being Earnest'' by Oscar Wilde, directed by James Maxwell at the Royal Exchange, Manchester (1994) * ''Hedda Gabler'' by Henrik Ibsen, directed by Braham Murray at the Royal Exchange, Manchester (2001) * ''Les Blancs'' by Lorraine Hansberry, directed by Greg Hersov and Marianne Elliott at the Royal Exchange, Manchester (2001) * ''Richard III'', directed by Michael Grandage at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield (2002) * Mrs Wilberforce, ''The Ladykillers'' adapted by Giles Croft, directed by Ben Crocker at the Northcott Theatre, Exeter (2005) * The Concierge, ''The Enchantment'' by Victoria Benedictsson, directed by Paul Miller at the Royal National Theatre, London (2007) * Maria, ''Uncle Vanya'' by Anton Chekhov, directed by Andrew Hilton for Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory, Bristol Old Vic (2009)
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links == * {{IMDb name|0253364|name=Avril Elgar}} * {{NPG name|id= 145362}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Elgar, Avril}} Category:1932 births Category:2021 deaths Category:English film actresses Category:English television actresses Category:English stage actresses Category:English radio actresses Category:Actresses from Halifax, West Yorkshire Category:20th-century English actresses Category:21st-century English actresses Category:Actresses from Cornwall Category:People from Penzance