Gabrielle Drake
| Gabrielle Drake | |
|---|---|
| Born |
30 March 1944 Lahore, British India |
| Residence | Much Wenlock, Shropshire |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | Royal Academy of Dramatic Art |
| Occupation | Film, television and stage actress |
| Television | UFO |
| Spouse(s) | Louis de Wet |
| Relatives | Nick Drake (brother) |
Gabrielle Drake (born 30 March 1944) is a British actress. She became well known for her appearance in the television series UFO. In the early 1970s she appeared in several erotic roles on screen. She later took parts in soap operas Crossroads and Coronation Street. She has also had a long career on stage.
Her brother was the musician Nick Drake. She has consistently helped to promote his work since his death in 1974.
Drake was born in Lahore, British India, the daughter of Rodney Drake and amateur songwriter Molly Drake. Her father was an engineer working for the Bombay Burmah Trading Corporation. The family moved from Burma to Britain when she was eight. She later commented that,
Until then, life was fairly easy out east. There were lots of servants ... not that I remember having a spoilt childhood. Then suddenly we were back in England and in the grips of rationing. And yet, we were lucky in a way. We came back with my nanny who knew far more about England than mummy did. I remember the two of them standing over the Aga with a recipe book trying to work out how to roast beef, that sort of thing!
On the ship travelling to Britain she appeared in children's theatrical productions, later saying of herself "I was a dreadful exhibitionist." She attended Edgbaston College for Girls in Birmingham, Wycombe Abbey School, Buckinghamshire and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London. She has had a long stage career beginning in the mid-1960s, and has regularly appeared in television dramas.
Drake first gained wide attention for her portrayal of Lieutenant Gay Ellis in the 1970 science fiction television series UFO, in which her costume consisted of a silver suit and a purple wig. In the series, the character of Lt Ellis is the commander of Moonbase, which is Earth's first line of defence against invading flying saucers. Drake appeared in roughly half the 26 episodes produced, leaving the series during a break in the production to pursue other acting opportunities.
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