Diane Holland | |
---|---|
Born | June Diane Neeltje 28 February 1930 Melbourne, Victoria, Australia[1] |
Died | 24 January 2009[2] Godstone, Surrey, England |
(aged 78)
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 1966–2001 |
Diane Holland (28 February 1930[3] – 24 January 2009) was a British actress.
She was unmarried and trained as a dancer before being given the part of Yvonne Stewart-Hargreaves in Hi-de-Hi! (1980) by her brother-in-law, Jimmy Perry. Jimmy, who co-wrote Hi-de-hi!, married Diane's sister Gilda, and saw Diane's talent.
At the peak of Hi-de-Hi! in the '80s, Diane received a letter from a troop in the Falklands and it "just snowballed". She became a forces sweetheart.[4] Diana also played, in 1992 and 1993, the notoriously outrageous female Magistrate, Celia Littlewood, in Grace and Favour, the sequel to the long running comedy, Are You Being Served. One of her last appearances included The Nutcracker in Covent Garden.
She lived in Godstone, Surrey and died on 24 January 2009 at the age of 78 after suffering from bronchial pneumonia. The news of her death was not made public until more than three weeks later.[5]