{{Short description|English actress and singer (born 1952)}} {{EngvarB|date=August 2014}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}} {{Infobox person | name = Dillie Keane | image = Dillie Keane.JPG | caption = Keane performing with Fascinating Aïda, 2000 | birth_name = Louise Miriam Keane | birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=y|1952|5|23}} | birth_place = Portsmouth, England | death_date = | death_place = | years_active = 1984–present | education = Trinity College Dublin<br>London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (BA) | website = {{url|fascinatingaida.co.uk}} | awards = Perrier Award nominations (1984, 1990) }} '''Louise Miriam''' "'''Dillie'''" '''Keane''' (born 23 May 1952<ref>{{cite web|last=Kennedy|first=Hannah|title=20 Questions With...Dillie Keane|url=http://www.whatsonstage.com/interviews/theatre/london/E8821057947347/20+Questions+With...Dillie+Keane.html|work=Whatsonstage.com|accessdate=29 June 2010|date=14 July 2003|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20091008010801/http://www.whatsonstage.com/interviews/theatre/london/E8821057947347/20+Questions+With...Dillie+Keane.html|archivedate=8 October 2009|df=dmy-all}}</ref>) is an actress, singer and comedian. She has been a member of the comedy cabaret trio Fascinating Aïda since its 1983 inception, and has also pursued a solo career. In 1995, with Fascinating Aïda, she was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Entertainment.
==Early life== Born in Portsmouth in 1952, Keane is the daughter of Frank Keane, a doctor from County Mayo, and Miriam Slattery, originally from Tralee, County Kerry, and was brought up in Portsmouth as a Roman Catholic.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.britishtheatreguide.info/otherresources/interviews/DillieKeane.htm |title=Interview with ''The British Theatre Guide'' |access-date=30 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091008023413/http://www.britishtheatreguide.info/otherresources/interviews/DillieKeane.htm |archive-date=8 October 2009 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref> "My mother was a dragon," Keane said in 2008.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.ie/woman/celeb-news/the-importance-of-being-funny-26425647.html|title=The Importance of Being Funny|newspaper=Irish Independent|date=24 February 2008|first=Ciara|last=Dwyer}}</ref>
Keane was educated at the strict Roman Catholic Woldingham School (or Sacred Heart), where she sang in the school choir and played the guitar on the ''Folk Mass'' album recorded by some of the girls at Abbey Road Studios in 1967. She has described the school as disorganised. At the age of eighteen, she was expelled for going to see Fellini's ''Satyricon'' in London with boys from Worth School.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=The Independent|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/i-thought-well-if-i-die-i-die-1284294.html|title=I thought well if I die, I die|first=Emma|last=Daly|date=21 January 1997}}</ref>
Keane then crammed for A-levels and studied music at Trinity College, Dublin, but left the four-year course after three years and went on to study acting for three years at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thisistheatre.com/regional/grumpy-old-women.html |title=Grumpy Old Women Live UK tour: Ticket and show information |publisher=Thisistheatre.com |accessdate=23 March 2013 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140813165533/http://www.thisistheatre.com/regional/grumpy-old-women.html |archivedate=13 August 2014 |df=dmy }}</ref>
==Career==
===Theatre and Fascinating Aïda=== Keane was nominated for a Perrier Award at the Edinburgh Festival in 1990 for her one-woman theatre show ''Single Again'' (Sean Hughes would go on to win the award), returning the following year with ''Citizen Keane''. In 1995, with Fascinating Aïda, she was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Entertainment.<ref name="Olivier">{{cite web|title=Olivier Winners 1995 |url=http://www.olivierawards.com/winners/view/item98529/olivier-winners-1995/ |website=Olivier Awards|accessdate=6 January 2018}}</ref> Between 1999 and 2001 she toured a one-woman show, ''Back With You'', taking in the UK and Germany, and winning the Best Comedy Award at the Moers Comedy Festival in 2001.
In 2002, Keane wrote the songs for Sandi Toksvig's musical comedy ''Big Night Out at the Little Palace Theatre'' (starring in the show itself at the Watford Palace Theatre with Toksvig and Bonnie Langford). Other works include the plays ''A Slice of Life'' (1981) and ''Boat People'' (1983). She has written songs for two pantomimes with Adèle Anderson.{{Citation needed|date=August 2011}}
thumb|left|Fascinating Aïda performing in 2008 Keane continued her acting career, including touring versions of ''Dancing at Lughnasa'' and ''Charley's Aunt'', ''Juno and the Paycock'' at the Leicester Haymarket; ''The Plough and the Stars'' at the West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds; ''Accommodating Eva'' at the King's Head Theatre in Islington and ''Present Laughter'' at Birmingham Repertory Theatre. She was included in the premiere production of ''The Vagina Monologues'' in Dublin in 2002. She appeared with Kit and The Widow in ''Tomfoolery'' in 2005 and in the premiere one night only staging of a new musical version of ''Little Women'' at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.{{Citation needed|date=August 2011}}
[[Image:Grumpy Old Women Live Final Performance.JPG|thumb|right|Keane with Jenny Eclair and Linda Robson in the final performance of ''Grumpy Old Women Live'']]
In 2006, Keane appeared with Jenny Eclair and Linda Robson, in ''Grumpy Old Women Live'', and as the Duchess in ''Me and My Girl'' (2006) on a new national tour. She performed the role of Dolly in ''Frank and Dolly'' a new play by Lizzie Hopley at the Edinburgh Festival 2007, for which she was nominated for the Stage Best Actress Award, before getting back on tour with ''Grumpy Old Women Live''. She then toured round Ireland performing the role of Lady Bracknell in ''The Importance of Being Earnest'', before returning to England, and beginning to write new songs for the 25th anniversary of Fascinating Aïda, which performed for a few weeks at the Jermyn Street Theatre.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.jermynstreettheatre.co.uk/box-office.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509091636/http://www.jermynstreettheatre.co.uk/box-office.html|url-status=dead|title=Jermyn Street Theatre, the official online home of London's leading Off-West-End venue|archivedate=9 May 2008|accessdate=14 July 2020}}</ref>
On 29 June 2008, she appeared in (and produced with Barb Jungr) ''The Lovely Russell Concert'', which celebrated the life of her friend and colleague Russell Churney.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ucl.ac.uk/event-ticketing/bloomsbury-theatre-studio-events|title=Bloomsbury Theatre & Studio Events|date=4 November 2019|website=Event Ticketing|accessdate=14 July 2020}}</ref> In 2009, she toured England with Fascinating Aïda, and completed a new album.
===Television=== As well as appearing in documentaries about Fascinating Aïda, Keane has appeared with Richard Griffiths and Samantha Janus in ''Pie in the Sky'', and with Phil Cool on a number of his series.
===Radio=== Keane has written and presented on radio for shows such as ''Stop the Week'', ''4th Column'', ''Booked!'' and ''Call Me When You're in Something'' (which won the Prix Monte Carlo).
===Writing=== Keane was a columnist for the ''Mail on Sunday'' (1993–95), and published two books connected with Fascinating Aïda: ''The Joy of Sequins—The Fascinating Aïda Songbook'' (1995) and ''Fascinating Who?'' (1985).
==Personal life== Keane was in a relationship with John O'Neill for over 22 years until his death from a stroke on 13 August 2022. She lives in Oxfordshire. She travels for her work, and particularly enjoys working in Ireland, the homeland of her parents.<ref>{{YouTube|yLaEXAOJBUU|Dillie Keane's Video Diary on the set of ''Importance of Being Ernest''}}</ref>
In 2003, she was interviewed about driving a Ford Transit: "I'm colossally uninterested in cars... but vans are different. They're incredible fun to drive. You are practically always the bigger dog. People always back up in small country lanes to let you pass. And even lorry drivers are much nicer; they'll flash you to let you in."<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/main.jhtml?xml=/motoring/2003/07/18/emrport19.xml|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130421080333/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/main.jhtml?xml=/motoring/2003/07/18/emrport19.xml|url-status=dead|archive-date=21 April 2013|title=Portrait of a driver: Dillie Keane|first=Harry|last=Mount|date=19 July 2003|accessdate=19 December 2019}}</ref>
In the local elections of 2017, she stood as a candidate for the Liberal Democrats in the Ploughley division of Oxfordshire County Council.<ref>{{cite web|title=Statement of Persons Nominated|url=http://www.cherwell.gov.uk/media/pdf/l/n/Statement_of_Persons_Nominated_Ploughley_Division.pdf|website=cherwell.gov.uk|publisher=Cherwell District Council|accessdate=10 April 2017|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170411055410/http://www.cherwell.gov.uk/media/pdf/l/n/Statement_of_Persons_Nominated_Ploughley_Division.pdf|archivedate=11 April 2017|df=dmy-all}}</ref> She came fourth, and was not elected.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2017-05-04 |title=Election results for Ploughley, 4 May 2017 |url=https://mycouncil.oxfordshire.gov.uk/mgElectionAreaResults.aspx?ID=180&RPID=9250033 |access-date=2024-02-02 |website=Oxfordshire County Council |language=}}</ref>
==Honours== In 2009, Keane was made an honorary Doctor of Letters by the University of Portsmouth, in recognition of her musical career and her links with the city.<ref name=honorary>{{cite web|url=http://www.port.ac.uk/departments/services/graduation/honorarygraduates/ |title=Honorary Graduates | Graduation | University of Portsmouth |publisher=Port.ac.uk |date=2009|accessdate=23 March 2013 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120210043441/http://www.port.ac.uk/departments/services/graduation/honorarygraduates/ |archivedate=10 February 2012 |df=dmy }}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *[https://web.archive.org/web/20091008023413/http://www.britishtheatreguide.info/otherresources/interviews/DillieKeane.htm Interview with ''The Theatre Guide''] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20110612011636/http://www.thestage.co.uk/features/feature.php/16323/the-dillie-keane-column A Dillie Keane Column at ''The Stage''] *[http://www.fascinatingaida.co.uk/ Fascinating Aïda Official Website] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20080509091636/http://www.jermynstreettheatre.co.uk/box-office.html Jermyn Street Theatre Fascinating Aïda Notice] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20080407053901/http://www.gavinbarkerassociates.co.uk/actresses/dillie-keane.htm Dillie Keane at Gavin Barker Associates] *[http://www.thisisyork.co.uk/whatson/theatre/display.var.1856262.0.preview_grumpy_old_women_with_britt_ekland_dillie_keane_and_denise_black_grand_opera_house_york_november_26.php Interview on ''Grumpy Old Women Live'']
{{Fascinating Aida}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Keane, Dillie}} Category:Alumni of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art Category:English stage actresses Category:English women songwriters Category:English women comedians Category:English television actresses Category:English people of Irish descent Category:1952 births Category:Living people Category:British cabaret performers Category:People educated at Woldingham School Category:Musicians from Portsmouth Category:English women columnists Category:Comedians from Hampshire Category:Actresses from Portsmouth Category:English comedy musicians Category:Writers from Portsmouth