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Ann Matyelok Gibbs (1 August 1932 – 14 August 2023) was
Early life and education[edit]
Ann Matyelok Gibbs was born on 1 August 1932 in Leatherhead, Surrey.[1] Her father, Eric Gibbs, was the chairman of printing company Bradbury-Wilkinson.[1] Her mother, Olga Postnikoff, was a refugee who fled Russia following the Russian Revolution. She found employment in the United Kingdom with the British Red Cross.[1] Gibbs had two half-brothers from her parents' previous marriages.[1]
Gibbs was raised in Leathered and London.[1] During the Second World War, she was evacuated to Gorran Haven in Cornwall.[1]
She was educated at a boarding school in Devon.[1] She then attended Queen's Gate School.[1]
Gibbs trained for the stage at the Webber Douglas School of Singing and Dramatic Art.[1]
Name[edit]
Gibbs was given the name Ann Matyelok Gibbs at birth, the word "Matyelok" being Russian for "moth".[1] She was given the nickname "Puck" by her mother due to her pointed ears at birth.[1]
Career[edit]
Unicorn Theatre[edit]
In December 1962, she starred in Amelia's African Adventure with Caryl Jenners' English Theatre for Children at the New Arts Theatre.[2] She was also responsible for the production's costume design.[2]
In December 1963, she played a fruit-seller in Mango-Leaf Magic at the New Arts Theatre.[3]
In December 1964, she starred in a New Arts Theatre production of Lady Audley's Secret, based on Mary Elizabeth Braddon's novel of the same name.[4]
In December 1964, she began starring in The Tingalary Bird at the New Arts Theatre.[5]
In December 1966, she played the Golux in an adaptation of The 13 Clocks at the New Arts Theatre.[6]
In 1967, she starred in a translation of Rene Tholy's Quotidians at the Arts Theatre.[7]
In December 1967, she played the Sorceress in an adaptation of The Snow Queen at the Arts Theatre.[8]
In 1968, she directed a production of Willis Hall's The Royal Astrologers for the Arts Theatre.[9]
Following Caryl Jenner's death in 1973, Gibbs became artistic director of the Unicorn Theatre.[1] The company was in a bad condition at the time of her takeover, the Greater London Council having recently withdrawn its funding for a proposed new theatre.[1]
She stopped leading the Unicorn in 1977.[1]
Playwrights scouted by Gibbs for Unicorn:
- Dianna Wynne Jones (sister of Ursula)[1]
- Ann Jellicoe[1]
- Henry Livings[1]
- John Arden[1]
- David Rudkin[1]
- Ken Campbell[1]
Other work[edit]
In 1972, she played Marion in Alan Ayckbourn's Absurd Person Singular at Scarborough Theatre-in-the-Round.[10]
In 1978, she played a deaf octogenarian in the Globe Theatre production of Alan Ayckbourn's Ten Times Table.[1]
In 1979 and 1980, she toured with the Royal Shakespeare Company.[1] She appeared in:
- Much Ado About Nothing as Ursula.[1]
- The Caucasian Chalk Circle[1]
- Plays by Barrie Keeffe and Howard Barker at the Warehouse Theatre.[1]
In 1981, she starred in a Tom Kempinski translation of The Workshop at the Hampstead Theatre.[1]
In 1984, she played a Russian nun named Sister Ludmilla in the television show The Jewel and the Crown.[1] It was described by Michael Coveney as her "best role of television".[1]
In 1988, she starred in To Kill a Priest.[1]
In 1989, she starred in Erik the Viking as the mother of the title character.[1]
In 1989, she played Lady Bountful in a production of The Beaux' Stratagem at the Royal National Theatre.[1]
In 1991, she starred in Steven Soderbergh's film Kafka.[1]
In 2002, she starred in And Now... Ladies and Gentlemen.[1]
In 2006, she starred in Copying Beethoven.[1]
In 2006, she starred in Miss Potter as the title character's chaperone Miss Wiggin.[11]
In 2010, she played Muriel Weasley in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1.[1]
Personal life[edit]
In 1959, while working at the Unicorn Theatre, Gibbs met the writer and actor Ursula Jones.[1] In 1961, they began living together in Notting Hill.[1] They began living near Toulouse in France following Gibbs's cancer diagnosis, and remained there for 23 years.[1]
The couple, known as "Puck and Ursie" by their friends, entered into a civil partnership in France.[1] They later entered a civil partnership in Britain.[note 1]
Her relationship with Jones was described by Michael Coveney as "a lifelong friendship".[1]
She died on 14 August 2023.[1]
Acting credits[edit]
Film[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | To Kill a Priest | [1] | ||
| 1989 | Erik the Viking | Erik's Mum | [1] | |
| 1991 | Kafka | [1] | ||
| 2002 | And Now... Ladies and Gentlemen | [1] | ||
| 2006 | Copying Beethoven | [1] | ||
| 2006 | Miss Potter | Miss Wiggin | [11] | |
| 2010 | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 | Muriel Weasley | [1] |
Television[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | The Jewel in the Crown | Sister Ludmilla | [1] |
Stage[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Venue | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | Amelia's African Adventure | Mrs. Noah | New Arts Theatre, London | [2] |
| 1963 | Mango-Leaf Magic | New Arts Theatre, London | [3] | |
| 1964 | The Tingalary Bird | New Arts Theatre, London | [5] | |
| 1964 | Lady Audley's Secret | New Arts Theatre, London | [4] | |
| 1966 | The Thirteen Clocks | The Golux | New Arts Theatre, London | [6] |
| 1967 | Quotidians | Arts Theatre, London | [7] | |
| 1967 | The Snow Queen | The Sorceress | Arts Theatre, London | [8] |
| 1972 | Absurd Person Singular | Marion | Scarborough Theatre-in-the-Round, Scarborogh | Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name (see the help page).
|
| 1978 | Ten Times Table | Globe Theatre, London | [1] | |
| 1981 | The Workshop | Hampstead Theatre, London | [1] | |
| 1989 | The Beaux' Stratagem | Royal National Theatre, London | [1] |
Directing credits[edit]
| Year | Title | Notes | Venue | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | The Royal Astrologers | Arts Theatre, London | [9] |
Notes[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az Coveney, Michael (27 August 2023). "Matyelok Gibbs obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
- ^ a b c "African Scene for Over-Fives". The Daily Telegraph. 20 December 1962. p. 13.
- ^ a b Stead, Jean (21 December 1963). "Mango-Leaf Magic at the New Arts". The Guardian. p. 4.
- ^ a b Bishop, George W. (28 November 1964). "Plays and Players". The Daily Telegraph. p. 11.
- ^ a b "Bird That Starts Up The Broomsticks". The Daily Telegraph. 22 December 1964. p. 11.
- ^ a b Gray, David (23 December 1966). "The Thirteen Clocks at the Arts Theatre". The Guardian. p. 5.
- ^ a b Darlington, W. A. (13 October 1967). "Play Like Author's Nightmare". The Daily Telegraph. p. 21.
- ^ a b Darlington, W. A. (19 December 1967). "Snow Queen That Suits The Young". The Daily Telegraph. p. 15.
- ^ a b "Ramshackle But Likeable". The Daily Telegraph. 20 May 1968. p. 19.
- ^ Bates, Merete (28 June 1972). "Absurd Person Singular in Scarborough". The Guardian. p. 12.
- ^ a b Koehler, Robert (20 December 2006). "Miss Potter". Variety. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
- ^ "Britain allows gays to form civil partnerships". NBC News. 5 December 2005. Retrieved 17 September 2023.