Gudrun Ure

Scottish actress (1926–2024)

Gudrun Ure

Ure in The Sea Shall Not Have Them, 1954

Born|

Gudrun Henderson Ure

(1926-03-12)12 March 1926

Milton of Campsie, Stirlingshire, Scotland

Died| 14 May 2024(2024-05-14) (aged 98)

London, England

Other names| Ann Gudrun
Years active| 1951–2010
Spouse|

John Ramsay

(m. 1964; died 2008)​

Children| 1

Gudrun Henderson Ure (12 March 1926 – 14 May 2024), also known as Ann Gudrun, was a Scottish actress, best known for her portrayal of the title character in the children's television series Super Gran. Ure's career encompassed stage, film, television, and radio, with notable performances including Desdemona in Orson Welles's 1951 stage production of Othello and a role in the 1953 film noir 36 Hours. Her portrayal of the title character in Super Gran, a show that aired from 1985 to 1987, gained international recognition and was exported to sixty countries, winning an International Emmy in 1985.

## Early life

[edit]

Ure was born in Milton of Campsie, Stirlingshire, in 1926, the oldest of three children.[1][2] She grew up in the Hyndland district of Glasgow, where she was educated at the Laurel Bank School for Girls.[3] Ure began an acting career at Citizens Theatre in Glasgow,[4] including a role as Cleopatra.[5]

## Career

[edit]

In her teens, Ure performed on BBC Radio Scotland's Children's Hour. She first worked as a teacher after leaving school and then acted in repertory theatres in Scotland.[3]

Ure's first major acting part was starring as Desdemona[6] opposite Orson Welles in his 1951 stage production of Othello at St James's Theatre in London.[7][8] She also appeared in the 1953 film noir 36 Hours under the name Ann Gudrun,[2] due to Orson Welles's inability to pronounce her surname correctly.[9][10] She played Sergeant Smith in the 1954 film The Diamond.[11] Both 36 Hours and The Diamond were directed by Montgomery Tully.

### Super Gran

[edit]

Ure's best known role was as the titular Super Gran in the children's TV series produced by Tyne Tees Television for Children's ITV, which originally ran from 1985 to 1987[1] and was based on a series of books by Forrest Wilson.[6] Twenty-seven episodes were produced; the show was exported to sixty other countries, and won an International Emmy in 1985.[6]

### Other work

[edit]

Ure also starred in the pilot of a series called Life After Life, written by Yes Minister creator Jonathan Lynn; no further episodes were produced. She also appeared in The 10th Kingdom as Mrs Murray, the mother of Tony Lewis's tyrannical boss and owner of their apartment building, T-Bag and the Pearls of Wisdom, Midsomer Murders, Casualty and The Crow Road.[6] Her final screen credit was a 2009 episode of Casualty.[3]

Ure was in many radio plays in from the 1950s onwards. These included in The Snow Goose with Laurence Olivier and the part of Joan Danbury, the mother of Inspector Gwen Danbury, in the first series of the police drama An Odd Body by Sue Rodwell, broadcast on BBC Radio 4 between 2008 and 2010.[12] She also portrayed the secretary of the central detective in the series Destination Fire (1962–66) on BBC Radio.[13]

In a set of Encyclopædia Britannica-produced educational films about the works of Shakespeare, Ure played the role of Lady Macbeth.[1]

## Personal life and death

[edit]

Ure married John Ramsay in 1964; he died in 2008. She had a stepson, Gordon.[14] Ure died at her home in London on 14 May 2024, at the age of 98.[1][14][3]

## References

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1. ^ a b c d "Super Gran star Gudrun Ure dies aged 98". BBC News. 14 May 2024. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
2. ^ a b Lyons, Bev (13 March 2021). "Supergran actress Gudrun Ure turns 95 as we remember the hit Scottish TV series". Daily Record. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
3. ^ a b c d Hayward, Anthony (16 May 2024). "Gudrun Ure obituary". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
4. ^ To-day's Cinema News and Property Gazette. Amer. Company, Limited. 1953.
5. ^ Saltire Review of Arts, Letters and Life. Saltire Society. 1958. p. 64.
6. ^ a b c d Weaver, Matthew (15 May 2024). "Super Gran actor Gudrun Ure dies aged 98". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
7. ^ Squitieri, Victor Paul (1994). The Twofold Corpus of Orson Welles's Othello. University of California, Berkeley. p. 55.
8. ^ British Film and Television Year Book. British and American Press. 1957. p. 148.
9. ^ Brady, Frank (25 April 2023). Citizen Welles: A Biography of Orson Welles. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 978-0-8131-9714-2.
10. ^ jeffsabu (16 July 2016). Gudrun Ure interview "Diamond Wizard". Retrieved 16 May 2024 - via YouTube.
11. ^ The Stage Year Book. Stage Offices. 1954. p. 83.
12. ^ "An Odd Body". BBC TV. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
13. ^ "Destination Fire". BBC Radio. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
14. ^ a b "Gudrun Ure obituary: Super Gran star with no time for Orson Welles". The Times. 16 May 2024. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 16 May 2024.

## External links

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* Gudrun Ure at IMDb
* BBC Comedy Guide profile at the Wayback Machine (archived 2 January 2007)
* Gudrun Ure discography at Discogs

Authority control databases: Artists |

* MusicBrainz

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*[m.]: married