VALERIE GAUNT: Terribly sad to hear that actress VALERIE GAUNT
(Reddington Valerie) has passed away, aged 84 after a short illness.
VALERIE'S short career on the big screen featured only in two films, and
they were along side Peter Cushing. Just two roles, but they left a
lasting impact, that would outlast many longer career! Her playing of
Justine in 'The Curse of Frankenstein' (1957) and her performance in
Hammer films,1958 'Dracula' hold a special place for lovers of fantasy
cinema. Born Valerie Shelia Gaunt, on the 9th July 1932 in
Stratford-on-Avon, Warwickshire, England, following an interest in
amateur theater, after leaving school embarked on a career as a model,
before auditioning for Hammer and landing her first professional role in
1957. Gaunt married her husband Gerald Alfred Reddington on May
17th,1958.
Valerie will be buried today (November
30th ) following a service at St Helen's, Seaview, Isle of Wight, She is
survived by her husband, Gerald and their four children.
I am very sorry to hear the sad news. My sympathies and affection to Gerald and family. It was a privilege and pleasure to have known Valerie as neighbour and friend in London in the 1980s. - Martin
ReplyDeleteR I P Valarie, not a bad age,i am not a fan of hers but the fans who are will miss her deeply, my sympathy to her family.
ReplyDeleteHello Martin, Thank you for your message. - Marcus (pcas)
ReplyDeleteValerie was very effective as the vampire women in Horror of Dracula. I think of all the vampire ladies whoever appeared on celluloid I would rate Valerie, Isobel Black and Carol Marsh as the best. I am very sad to hear of Valerie's passing. Hopefully she's caught up with Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Michael Ripper, Carol Marsh and other Hammer alums "upstairs". RIP.
ReplyDeleteValerie is/was my Grandmother....it wasnt really a "short illness"..
ReplyDeletei'm 35 now and she died when i was 33.
She had Parkinsons....longer than i can remember. and fought it off bloody well for enough years to see me go from a baby to a full grown man.
but unfortunately in the later years, the Parkinsons and other issues seem to have got the better of her....but she went down fighting, and is one of the main role models ive had in life.
its nice to every now and then find stuff like this. she never shared the film life she had, so its always been kind of fun funding blogs/ articles about her.
if you ever want or are interested, i have alot more unseen photos and screen shots of her from the Hammer Horror days.
sorry for the rant.....but thankyou for posting this...its humbling and im sure she would appreciate it too!
Hello there!
DeleteThank you for taking the time and trouble to write and give us a much better understanding of your Grandmother's passing. The 'short illness' was actually sourced from a press release, and I never probe, as that 'short illness' statement usually covers for families and friends who want and actually at such a time, want little privacy. Like many here, that Valerie was a victim of Parkinson disease is a very sad fact that we had no knowledge of. So thank you for sharing that. I manage the Peter Cushing Appreciation Society, it was launched back in 1957 by Gladys Fletcher and I took over in 1978. It's a hobby, that has expanded even more since Peter's passing in 1994 and then with the arrival of the internet! I am so glad you appreciate our post on your Gran. She was such a great actress, in such a short time but made a very lasting impression and is held with great affection and admiration here and the many fans of fantasy genre films. I try to keep the memory and the flame burning for not only people who were such outstanding in their work, but also those who supported Peter Cushing in his roles, and without whom Peter would not have enjoyed the success that he had or indeed would the films have become such a success an still loved and remembered today.... your Grandmother, is one of those fine artist. We celebrate the fact, that for those who love the 'horror film / adult fairy story' she was the FIRST full colour, seductive and terrifying Scream Queen. A title held with much pride by other actresses like Barbara Shelley, Ingrid Pitt and many others, but your Gran was the first. I would love to learn more about Valerie, as so little is known. I wrote a short tribute feature to Valerie, here at the site, which you may have seen? I have posted the link below. Info was scarce, but I managed to find some clips from her appearances in some BBC dramas and plays. It was still fun to try and research. I have an email address, which I would very much love you to use to maybe contact me, if have the time? It is the theblackboxclub@gmail.com ... Again, thank you for reaching out and getting in touch. Take care, stay safe and here's to a Happy New Year! - Marcus (Marcus Brooks, PCASuk Manager and Editor) https://petercushingblog.blogspot.com/2018/02/friday-femme-fatles-hammer-film-actress.html
I just saw "Curse of Frankenstein" on TCM this morning and wanted more info on this fine actress. I'm happy to see she had a long life with kids & grandkids.🌷
ReplyDelete