# Nell Campbell

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Australian actor and singer

Nell Campbell Campbell at GalaxyCon Raleigh in 2019 Born Laura Elizabeth Campbell (1953-05-24) 24 May 1953 (age 73) Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Other name Little Nell Occupations Actress singer Years active 1973–present Organisation Nell's (1986–2004) Children 1 Relatives Cressida Campbell (sister) Musical career Genres Pop disco Instrument Vocals Labels A&M Records Festival Records Musical artist

**Laura Elizabeth Campbell** (born 24 May 1953), better known as **Nell Campbell** or by her [stage name](/source/Stage_name) **Little Nell**, is an Australian actress, singer and former club owner.

She is best known for her role as Columbia in the 1975 film *[The Rocky Horror Picture Show](/source/The_Rocky_Horror_Picture_Show)*, and the [original stage play](/source/The_Rocky_Horror_Show) from which it was adapted. Campbell released her EP, *The Musical World of Little Nell (Aquatic Teenage Sex & Squalor)*, through [A&M Records](/source/A%26M_Records) in 1978. She appeared as Nurse Ansalong in the 1981 film *[Shock Treatment](/source/Shock_Treatment),* the sequel of *Rocky Horror Picture Show*. In 1984, she appeared as Beth in the drama film *[The Killing Fields](/source/The_Killing_Fields_(film))*.

## Early life

Campbell was born in Sydney, to Ruth and [Ross Campbell](/source/Ross_Campbell_(writer)). Ross, a writer,[1] referred to her as "Little Nell" (after [a character](/source/Nell_Trent) in [Charles Dickens](/source/Charles_Dickens)' *[The Old Curiosity Shop](/source/The_Old_Curiosity_Shop)*) in his family life column in the *[Sydney Daily Telegraph](/source/Sydney_Daily_Telegraph)*. She grew up with three siblings: Sally, Patrick and Cressida. Elder sister Sally was a property master, a set designer and (subsequently) a fashion designer; younger sister [Cressida Campbell](/source/Cressida_Campbell) is an artist; elder brother Patrick (who died in 2020) was a solar engineer at the [University of New South Wales](/source/University_of_New_South_Wales). Nell began dancing when she was 10, in order to remain healthy following being diagnosed with [hepatitis A](/source/Hepatitis_A). She was called Laura E. Campbell until the age of about 17, when she went by the nickname "Sonny" (pronounced to rhyme with "Donny"), short for "Sonata". She attended high school at [Abbotsleigh School for Girls](/source/Abbotsleigh) in Sydney, supporting herself as a waitress.

## Career

Campbell decided to use the name "Little Nell" as a stage name after her arrival in Britain in the early 1970s with her family. She sold clothes at [Kensington Market](/source/Kensington_Market%2C_London); her stall was next to [Freddie Mercury](/source/Freddie_Mercury)'s.[2][3] She also worked as a [busker](/source/Busker) and as a [soda jerk](/source/Soda_jerk) in a café, where her tap dancing is often noted as the reason why she was cast as Columbia in the original production of *The Rocky Horror Show* following an impromptu audition.[4] She reprised the role in *The Rocky Horror Picture Show*,[5] released in 1975, and starred as Nurse Ansalong in the 1981 sequel, *[Shock Treatment](/source/Shock_Treatment)*.

After *The Rocky Horror Picture Show*, Campbell signed a recording contract with [A&M Records](/source/A%26M_Records). Her debut single was "Stilettos and Lipstick" backed with "Do the Swim", released in 1975. She also recorded a [disco](/source/Disco) version of the song "[Fever](/source/Fever_(Little_Willie_John_song))" in 1978, which was again backed with "Do the Swim". The B-side of both of these releases became better known, perhaps helped by a performance on British television in which she accidentally (and repeatedly) exposed her breasts. While edited out of the original broadcast in 1975, the unedited version was shown worldwide on [bloopers](/source/Blooper) shows (beginning with the British show *[It'll Be Alright on the Night](/source/It'll_Be_Alright_on_the_Night)* in 1977).[6] Following this notoriety, another effort was made to promote the recordings made in 1975 and 1976. In 1978, a "triple B-side" extended play titled *The Musical World of Little Nell (Aquatic Teenage Sex & Squalor)* was released which featured both "Do the Swim" and "Stillettos and Lipstick" along with the track "Dance that Cocktail Latin Way" (also known as "Tropical Isle") which originally appeared as the B-side of her second single from 1976. Following some success with the EP, the other two tracks, singles "Fever" and "See You Round like a Record", were released as a single but that was to be her last release on A&M. A final single, "Beauty Queen" from the film *The Alternative Miss World*, was released on PRE Records in 1980.

Campbell in 2015

Campbell has also appeared in several stage productions, including the [Off-Broadway](/source/Off-Broadway) play *You Should Be So Lucky* and the Broadway musical *[Nine](/source/Nine_(musical))*.[7] She appeared as Sandra LeMon in the British TV series *[Rock Follies of '77](/source/Rock_Follies_of_'77)*.

In 1986, Campbell opened the nightclub [Nell's](/source/Nell's) on West 14th Street in Manhattan (New York) with [Keith McNally](/source/Keith_McNally) and Lynn Wagenknecht. In 1995 she opened two restaurants in New York: The Kiosk (uptown) and E&O (downtown). Nell's was sold in 1998 to Noel Ashman and his business partner, actor [Chris Noth](/source/Chris_Noth), right before Campbell gave birth to her daughter, Matilda Violet, with ex-boyfriend and business partner, Eamon Roche.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] The club closed in 2004.[7]

Campbell has written several magazine articles, including regular segments called "MamaTalks" and "FirstLook" in the now-defunct [*Talk*](/source/Talk_(magazine)) magazine, starting in the December 1999 issue.

## Filmography

### Film

Year Title Role Notes 1974 Barry McKenzie Holds His Own Nerida Brealey Feature film 1974 Ulla's Fete Self Short film 1975 The Rocky Horror Picture Show Columbia Feature film Lisztomania Olga Feature film Alfie Darling Party Guest Feature film 1976 Summer of Secrets Kym Feature film 1977 Jubilee Crabs Feature film Journey Among Women Meg Feature film 1980 The Alternative Miss World Herself Film documentary 1981 The Rocky Horror Treatment Self (uncredited) TV film 1981 Shock Treatment Nurse Ansalong Feature film (sequel to The Rocky Horror Picture Show) 1982 Pink Floyd – The Wall Groupie Live-action/animated feature film 1983 Dead on Time Female Teller Short film Stanley Amy Benton Feature film 1984 The Killing Fields Beth Feature film 1985 I Wanna Be a Beauty Queen The Opening Act 1998 Great Expectations Erica Thrall Feature film 2000 Joe Gould's Secret Tamara Feature film The Intern The Host Feature film 2013 The Last Impresario Herself Documentary film 2019 Palm Beach Unimpressed Grandmother Feature film 2021 Seriously Red Doc Nell Feature film

### Television

Year Title Role Notes 1971 GTK TV series, 1 episode 1975 The London Weekend Show Performer 2 episodes 1977 Rock Follies of '77 Sandra LeMon 6 episodes It'll Be Alright on the Night Herself 1979 Hazell Pamela 1 episode Shoestring Joanna Lomas 1980 Armchair Thriller Zoe Summers 3 episodes 1981 Funny Man Fiona 1 episode 1981 Countdown Performer (singing "Beauty Queen") 1 episode 1983 Bergerac Mrs. Moberley 1987 Saturday Night Live Performer 2010 Rake Flick Moyers

### Television (as self)

Year Title Role Notes 1980 TV's Bloopers & Practical Jokes Self TV series US, 1 episode 1987 Saturday Night Live Self – Guest TV series US, 1 episode 1989 After Dark Self – Guest TV series UK, 1 episode 1990 The Big Picture Self (as Little Nell) TV series UK, 1 episode 1990 The Word Self – Guest TV series UK, 1 episode 1990 Juke Box Jury Self – Panelist (as Little Nell) TV series UK, 1 episode 1995 Rocky Horror Double Feature Video Show Self Video US 2000 VH-1 Where Are They Now? Self TV series US, 1 episode 2000 Rocky Horror 25: Anniversary Special Self TV Special US 2001 Backstory Self TV series US, 1 episode 2001 Tracey Ullman's Visible Panty Lines Self TV series UK, 2 episodes 2008 Spicks and Specks Self TV series Aus, 2 episodes 2015; 2022 Studio 10 Self with Patricia Quinn TV series, 1 episode 2016; 2022 Today Extra Self – Guest TV series Aus, 1 episode 2018 Horror Kung-Fu Theatre Self TV series US, 1 episode 2019 Time Warp: The Greatest Cult Films of All-Time Self TV miniseries US 2020 Midnight Movie Macabre Self TV series US 2021 Rocky Horror 45: The Movie Self Film documentary UK 2022 The Chronicles of Podcast Self TV series UK, 1 episode 2022 Today Extra Self – Guest TV series Aus, 1 episode 2022 Studio 10 Self – Guest TV series Aus, 1 episode 2023 The Morning Show Self – Guest TV series Aus, 1 episode 2023 Weekend Sunrise Self TV series Aus , 1 episode 2023 Studio 10 Self – Guest TV series Aus, 1 episode

## Theatre

Year Title Role Notes 1973 The Rocky Horror Show Columbia The Royal Court Theatre Upstairs 1975 And They Used to Star in Movies Minnie Mouse Soho Theatre 1977 A Streetcar Named Desire Stella Oxford Playhouse Censored Scenes From King Kong Iris Fantoccini Open Space Theatre 1978 Stoop Herself Soho Theatre 1985 Women Behind Bars Host Footbridge Theatre at Sydney University 1994 You Should Be So Lucky Polly Off-Broadway 2003 Nine Lina Darling On Broadway at Eugene O'Neill Theatre 2006 The Rocky Horror Tribute Show Herself The Royal Court Theatre Upstairs 2022–2023 All's Nell That Ends Nell[8] One-woman show 2023 The Rocky Horror Show 50th Anniversary Narrator London

## Discography

**Singles / EPs**

- "Stillettos and Lipstick" / "Do the Swim" ([A&M](/source/A%26M_Records), 1975)

- "See You Round like a Record" / "Dance that Cocktail Latin Way" (A&M, 1976)

- "[Fever](/source/Fever_(1956_song))" / "Do the Swim" (A&M, 1976)

- *The Musical World of Little Nell (Aquatic Teenage Sex & Squalor)* (A&M, 1978)

- "Fever" / "See You Round like a Record" (reissue) (A&M, 1978)

- "Beauty Queen" (Pre Records, 1980)

**Guest vocals**

- Tuff Little Surfer Boy (featured as "Roxanne" for the song by Truth & Beauty) (1974)

**Soundtracks and Cast Recordings**

- *[The Rocky Horror Show](/source/The_Rocky_Horror_Show)* (Original London Cast) (1973)

- *[The Rocky Horror Picture Show](/source/The_Rocky_Horror_Picture_Show)* (1975)

- *[Shock Treatment](/source/Shock_Treatment)* (1981)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-WhosWho_1-0)** Spencer, Chris; Nowara, Zbig; McHenry, Paul (2002) [1987]. ["LITTLE NELL"](https://web.archive.org/web/20120229232852/http://www.whiteroom.com.au/howlspace/whoswho/aboutww.htm). [*The Who's Who of Australian Rock*](http://www.whiteroom.com.au/howlspace/whoswho/aboutww.htm). [Noble Park](/source/Noble_Park%2C_Victoria), Vic.: Five Mile Press. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [1-86503-891-1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/1-86503-891-1). Archived from [the original](http://www.whiteroom.com.au/howlspace/whoswho/PHPTracks.php?Band_ID=123040) on 29 February 2012. Retrieved 14 February 2010. Note: [on-line] version established at White Room Electronic Publishing Pty Ltd in 2007 and was expanded from the 2002 edition.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** [FitzSimons, Peter](/source/Peter_FitzSimons) (29 January 2022). ["Nell Campbell: Rocky Horror brought Meat Loaf and me together"](https://www.smh.com.au/national/nell-campbell-rocky-horror-brought-meat-loaf-and-i-together-20220128-p59s28.html). *The Sydney Morning Herald*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** James, Michael (17 August 2022). ["Watch: Nell Campbell of Rocky Horror talks her life and new show"](https://qnews.com.au/watch-nell-campbell-of-rocky-horror-talks-her-life-and-new-show/). *QNews*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** [Maynard](/source/Maynard_(broadcaster)). ["Rocky Horror Night with Little Nell"](https://web.archive.org/web/20141006152541/http://www.maynard.com.au/maynards_malaise/rocky-horror-night-with.html). *Planet Maynard* (Podcast). Event occurs at 8:00. Archived from [the original](http://www.maynard.com.au/maynards_malaise/rocky-horror-night-with.html) on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 30 September 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["The Rocky Horror Picture Show"](https://web.archive.org/web/20090918161600/http://wwwmcc.murdoch.edu.au/ReadingRoom/film/dbase/2005/rocky.doc). *Australian Film Database*. [Murdoch University](/source/Murdoch_University). Archived from [the original](http://wwwmcc.murdoch.edu.au/ReadingRoom/film/dbase/2005/rocky.doc) ([doc](/source/DOC_(computing))) on 18 September 2009. Retrieved 13 February 2010.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["RockyMusic - Do The Swim (London Weekend Show) by Little Nell video"](http://www.rockymusic.org/showvideo/29cd578f2401e26a74dd353ff68da830.php). *rockymusic.org*.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-auto_7-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-auto_7-1) ["The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Whatever Happened to the Cast?"](https://www.looper.com/618481/the-rocky-horror-picture-show-whatever-happened-to-the-cast/). 29 September 2021.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["All's Nell That Ends Nell - Brisbane Powerhouse - Tickets on sale"](https://brisbanepowerhouse.org/whats-on/event/alls-nell-that-ends-nell/). *Brisbane Powerhouse*. Retrieved 9 January 2023.

## External links

- [Website](https://www.littlenellcampbell.com)

- [Nell Campbell](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0132752/) at [IMDb](/source/IMDb_(identifier))

- [Little Nell at RockyMusic.org](http://www.rockymusic.org/tags/Little+Nell.php)

Authority control databases International ISNI VIAF GND WorldCat National United States France BnF data Czech Republic Spain Poland Artists MusicBrainz 2 People Deutsche Biographie Deutsche Synchronkartei Other Yale LUX

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Nell Campbell](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nell_Campbell) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nell_Campbell?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.