Jill Freud obituary

"She was a highly active MP's wife, married to the Liberal politician Clement Freud, and the mother of five children, but it was not until later life that she truly flourished creatively. In 1980, in her 60s, she founded Jill Freud & Company, producing seasons of summer repertory in Southwold and Aldeburgh for three decades. The company brought high-quality theatre to coastal Suffolk, produced hundreds of plays, toured abroad, and became a cherished local institution."

"On graduating from the Rada drama school in London in 1947, Jill, under the stage name Jill Raymond, was given a leading role in the film The Woman in the Hall, starring Jean Simmons. She also worked in radio and television, including on Torchy the Battery Boy for the BBC Light Service. On stage, a highlight was The Dame of Sark with Celia Johnson at the Wyndham theatre (1974)."

"At the start of the second world war she was evacuated to Oxford, where she was billeted with a succession of homeowners, before, aged 15, she was sent to a house owned by an academic known as Jack. At first, she had no idea that he was actually her favourite writer, CS Lewis. She became a beloved member of the household for three years,"

Jill Freud trained at Rada and began performing in film, radio, television and stage, with early roles including the film The Woman in the Hall and work on Torchy the Battery Boy. She married Liberal politician Clement Freud, raised five children, and was an active MP's wife. In her 60s she founded Jill Freud & Company in 1980, producing summer repertory seasons in Southwold and Aldeburgh for three decades. The company staged hundreds of plays and became a cherished Suffolk institution. Actors returned annually, attracted by her fairness, wit and commitment to company members and regional theatre. Her legacy continues each summer in the playhouses she created.

Read at www.theguardian.com