Judy Campbell
| Judy Campbell | |
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Judy Campbell in 1940
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| Born |
Judy Mary Gamble 31 May 1916 Grantham, Lincolnshire, England, UK |
| Died | 6 June 2004 (aged 88) London, England, UK |
| Spouse(s) | Lieutenant-Commander David Birkin, RNVR (1943–1991) |
Judy Campbell (31 May 1916 – 6 June 2004), originally Judy Mary Gamble was an English actress and playwright, widely known to be Noël Coward's muse. Her daughter is the actress and singer Jane Birkin, her son the screenwriter and director Andrew Birkin, and among her grandchildren are the actresses Charlotte Gainsbourg and Lou Doillon, the late poet Anno Birkin, the artist David Birkin and the late photographer Kate Barry.
Campbell was born in Grantham, Lincolnshire on 31 May 1916, daughter of John Arthur Campbell and his wife Mary (Fulton), and was educated at St Michael's Convent in East Grinstead, Sussex. Both her parents were on the stage; her father was also the author of several plays under his professional name of J.A. Campbell.
Campbell made her stage debut in 1935 as a "Guest" in The Last of Mrs. Cheyney at the Theatre Royal, Grantham, and entered films in 1940 in the London-based thriller Saloon Bar. She insisted that she could neither sing nor dance, but she had a rare ability to invest a song with theatrical grace and charm. In 2002 she lent her patrician presence to a television remake of The Forsyte Saga.
In 1941 she had a role in the stage musical Lady Behave. While touring with Coward from September 1942 to March 1943, she created the roles of Joanna in Present Laughter and Ethel in the stage production of This Happy Breed, and played Elvira in Blithe Spirit. She also appeared with him in twice-weekly troop concerts. In 1943 at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket, she performed in Present Laughter and This Happy Breed on alternate nights under the umbrella title of Play Parade, before playing Elvira in the West End presentation of Blithe Spirit at the Duchess Theatre in 1943. During one performance on tour, she was surprised to feel Coward stroking her shoulder in an affectionate way that was not called-for in the script, and she began to wonder "Have I succeeded where so many women have failed?" In fact, he was just trying to keep his hands warm in an unheated theatre during fuel rationing.
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