Catriona MacColl

Catriona MacColl (born 3 October 1954), also credited as Katherine MacColl, is an English actress, who has worked extensively in both film and television across Europe.

She is perhaps best known for her work in Italian horror films, as she has appeared in Lucio Fulci's Gates of Hell trilogy; City of the Living Dead (1980), The Beyond (1981) and The House by the Cemetery (1981). She also portrayed the title role in Jacques Demy's Lady Oscar (1979), a live-action adaptation of the manga The Rose of Versailles.

Early life MacColl was born in London on 3 October 1954. In her youth, she trained professionally as a ballerina from the age of five, attending the Royal Ballet School. As a young adult, MacColl suffered a foot injury that prevented her from continuing her career path in dancing. The same year, she was in the company of the .

In 1979, she received her first leading role in Lady Oscar, a historical drama directed by Jacques Demy based on the Japanese manga The Rose of Versailles by Riyoko Ikeda. According to MacColl, because Lady Oscar was not widely released in Europe, her career stalled: "I met all kinds of incredible French directors and of course they all knew Jacques. And they would all say: 'Oh, you’re the girl who played the lead in the Demy film that never came out?' So, they all knew who I was, but that really didn’t help me."

Gates of Hell trilogy She appeared in the first of director Lucio Fulci's Gates of Hell trilogy, City of the Living Dead. MacColl was hesitant to do City of the Living Dead, because she felt the screenplay was badly written. "It seemed to me like a series of special effects without a story," she said in an interview in 2011. She called her agent to seek his advice. He told her to "take the film, because nobody is going to see it anyway." MacColl says her agent turned out to be wrong about that. and The House by the Cemetery (both 1981). She was asked by Fulci to star in his next film The New York Ripper, but she declined.

She also starred in the Swiss short comedy film Employé du mois. In 1988, she starred in Pierre Bourgeade's play The Eagle and the Serpent in London. and lives in France.

Filmography +Key Denotes titles that have not yet been released Film

Television

+ Year Title Role Notes 1980 Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson Helen Grey Episode: "The Case of the Three Uncles" La Peau de chagrin Countess Foedora TV miniseries 1982 Les amours des années grises Patricia Episode: "Histoire d'un bonheur" Squadron Flt. Dr. Susan Young 7 episodes 1984 The Last Days of Pompeii Julia TV miniseries 1985 Dempsey and Makepeace Angie Hughes Episode: "Hors de Combat" 1989 Katts and Dog Lydia Episode: "The Grand Hotel Caper" The Hitchhiker Catherine Episode: "Garter Belt" 1990 Counterstrike Lorraine Sydberg Episode: "The Lady of the Rhine" 1996 Strangers Eva Episode: "Touch" 2006 Plus belle la vie Ann Boccara Episode: #2.182