Angela Pleasence, a film and TV actress who appeared in multiple cult classic British horror movies, has passed away. A cause of death was not shared, but her passing was announced by her talent agency, Waring McKenna. She was 84 years old.
“We are very sad to announce the passing of our dear client, Angela Pleasence,” a statement posted online by Waring McKenna reads. “We were honored to represent Angela, who built a career of quiet distinction spanning more than five decades… While never defined by any one genre, her contribution to the British industry remains a distinctive and much-admired part of her legacy. Our thoughts are with her family at this very sad time.”
The actress was born Daphne Anne Angela Pleasence on Sept. 17, 1941. She was the daughter of actor Donald Pleasence, known for his role as Dr. Loomis in the Halloween movie series. The younger Pleasence followed in her father’s footsteps by studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.
After getting her acting career started on the stage, Pleasence transitioned into appearing in feature films by the late 1960s. Her first major role was as Traudel in 1973’s Hitler: The Last Ten Days. In 1974, she appeared in two cult classic horror films, including acting alongside her father in the British anthology horror film From Beyond the Grave. She also played the lead in the psychological horror movie Symptoms, and later starred in the 1980 horror The Godsend. These appearances helped make her forever appreciated by fans of classic horror.
Pleasence would go on to appear in the Martin Scorsese movie Gangs of New York in 2002. Some of her other movie roles include Stealing Heaven, The Favour, the Watch and the Very Big Fish, The Search for John Gissing, and The Gigolos. Her final feature film role was in the 2011 stoner comedy movie Your Highness.
Additionally, Pleasence had notable roles in a variety of well-known TV shows for several decades, dating back to appearing in Armchair Mystery Theatre in 1965. In 2013, she starred as a series regular in the British police procedural Whitechapel, which followed an appearance as Queen Elizabeth I in a 2007 episode of Doctor Who. In 1984, she played the Ghost of Christmas Past in a TV movie version of A Christmas Carol.
Some of her many other small screen credits include roles in Coronation Street, Mansfield Park, Casualty, The Bill, Crime Traveller, Midsomer Murders, Dr. Terrible’s House of Horrible, Agatha Christie’s Marple, Agatha Christie’s Poirot, and The Sarah Jane Adventures. Officially, her final performance was in a recurring role in the crime drama series Happy Valley in 2016.
Rest in peace, Angela Pleasence.
View this post on Instagram
