Imogen Hassall

Imogen Hassall
Imogen Hassell, 1976. Photograph by Allan Warren.
Born	25 August 1942 (1942-08-25) Woking, Surrey, England, United Kingdom
Died	16 November 1980 (1980-11-17) (aged 38) Wimbledon, London, England, United Kingdom
Occupation	Actress, Model
Years active	1963–1980
Spouse(s)	Kenneth Ives (1974–1978) Andrew Knox (1979–1979)

Imogen Hassall (25 August 1942 – 16 November 1980) was an English actress who appeared in 33 films during the 1960s and 1970s.

Named after Shakespeare's Cymbeline heroine, she was born in Woking, Surrey, to a family of artists and businessmen. Her grandfather, John Hassall, and her aunt, Joan Hassall, worked as illustrators, while her father, Christopher Hassall, was a poet and lyricist. Her godfather is said to have been the composer Ivor Novello, with whom her father had worked extensively as lyricist. Yet on occasion Imogen would proudly claim that this distinction was Sir William Walton's with whom her father had collaborated in the early 1950s, quietly denied by Lady Walton.

Imogen boarded and attended Elmhurst Ballet School, Camberley 1952–1954 and the Royal Ballet School, White Lodge, Richmond Park 1955–1958. Later in 1958 (aged 16) she studied in New York, USA and then resided in Hampstead Heath, London. She continued her absorption of the theatre mode with study at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art 1960–1962, following which she joined the company of the Royal Shakespeare Company for one season. After enjoying an appearance in the William Douglas-Home comedy "The Reluctant Peer" at the Duchess Theatre in 1964, she appeared in British TV adventure series of the 1960s such as The Saint, The Avengers and The Persuaders! In her first significant film role she played Tara in The Long Duel (1967). She gained further public notice as a dominant cave-girl in When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth (1970) and played major roles in Carry On Loving and the cult horror film Incense for the Damned the same year. In 1973 she appeared in White Cargo alongside David Jason.