Actress Claire Nielson, who starred alongside John Cleese in one of the most memorable episodes of Fawlty Towers, has died at the age of 89
An actress from iconic sitcom Fawlty Towers has died at the age of 89. Claire Nielson starred alongside John Cleese in one of the most memorable episodes of the comedy show.
Nielson played the part of a glamorous guest Mrs Hamilton who arrives at the Fawlty Towers hotel with her American husband. In the skit, her husband clashes with Basil over a Waldorf salad, which gave the classic episode its name.
The hilarious scenes were from the second series of the show. The episode sees a furious Fawlty throwing all guests out of his establishment.
Following news of her death, fans of the show and the actress expressed their sadness online.
One Twitter/X user wrote” “#rip to the wonderful Claire Nielson, actress from Fawlty Towers’ Waldorf Salad episode, among many other UK TV appearances.”
Previously, Nielson had opened up about her agent’s fury after she revealed she had accepted the role. They were scared playing such a part would ruin her career.
At the time, she said: “Back then, pretty young women who did light entertainment stopped being offered dramatic parts but I’d always preferred comedy, so I didn’t care.”
As well as her role on Fawlty Towers, Nielson appeared in a number of other popular shows. She regularly played female roles in The Two Ronnies sketches.
Other shows included The Dick Emery Show, Upstairs Downstairs, Z-Cars, Taggart and Monarch of the Glen.
In the 60s, she played a key part in the crime series Ghost Squad. She also portrayed Barbara Grant in the 1971 film version of Kidnapped.
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