Eleanor Henta Fazan OBE (29 May 1929 – 20 January 2024) was a British actress, dancer, and choreographer. She is best known for her roles in productions: Willow, Hot Fuzz and Lassiter. Fazan was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2013 New Year Honours for services to dance.The United Kingdom:
Personal life Eleanor Henta Fazan was born on 29 May 1929 in Kenya. She later trained in dancing with Sadler's Wells Ballet (currently known as 'The Royal Ballet'). Later she joined the Arts Educational School.
Fazan was married to the British composer Stanley Myers in 1955, and they had one son. She died on 20 January 2024, at the age of 94.
Career In 1959, Fazan directed One to Another, a revue at the Lyric Opera House in Hammersmith written by Bamber Gascoigne, John Cranko, John Mortimer, N. F. Simpson, and Harold Pinter, amongst others. It starred Beryl Reid, Patrick Wymark, Joe MeliaMilton Shulman ‘The Moth Collector Can Go…’ London Evening Standard 16 July 1959 p. 10 Sheila Hancock and Ray Barrett.Philip Hope-Wallace ‘From one extreme to another’ London Guardian 16 July 1959 p. 5 In 1960 she was choreographer for The Lily White Boys, directed by Lindsay Anderson at the Royal Court.Milton Shulman ‘Three smart boys make this a musical to remember’ 28 June 1960 London Evening Standard 28 June 1960 p. 12 In 1961 she was the director of Beyond the Fringe, when it began its initial London run at the Fortune Theatre.Milton Shulman ‘Four Young Men Make This Revue a Rare Delight’, London Evening Standard 11 May 1961 p. 19 In 1974, she made her Royal Opera debut on Der Ring des Nibelungen, directed by Götz Friedrich. She did phenomenal work at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, where she contributed to numerous productions in the following years under the prominent directors Elijah Moshinski, John Copley, Friedrich and John Schlesinger in their productions of operas such as: Peter Grimes, Lohengrin, The Rake’s Progress, Macbeth, Samson, Otello, Attila, Ariadne auf Naxos, Semele, Idomeneo, re di Creta, Elektra, Les Contes d’Hoffmann and Der Rosenkavalier.
Meanwhile, she entered cinema as a choreographer as well as actress where she appeared in Oh! What a Lovely War, Heaven’s Gate, Willow, Cold Comfort Farm, Mrs Henderson Presents and Hot Fuzz. In 1993, she was awarded the Industry Award from British Film Institute.
Partial filmography Source: British Film Institute Year Film Role Genre 1950 Cinderella Cast member Film 1955 Value For Money Leopard 'doll' in revue number (uncredited) Film 1955 Two of a Kind Betty Film 1957 Pink Scarf Mrs Ware Film 1957 A Santa for Christmas Dance direction Film 1959 Follow a Star Choreography Film 1960 The Ladies' Man Choreography Film 1965 The Day of Ragnarok Cast member Film 1965 Scruggs Cast member Film 1965 The Intelligence Men Cast member Film 1968 Inadmissible Evidence Anna Maitland Film 1969 Oh! What a Lovely War Choreography Film 1972 Lady Caroline Film Dance movement Film 1973 O Lucky Man! Cast member Film 1973 Savage Messiah Madame Gaudier Film 1973 The Ruling Class Choreographer Film 1974 Barry McKenzie Holds His Own Musical staging Film 1974 Great Expectations Choreographer TV film 1977 Wombling Free Choreographer Film 1977 Joseph Andrews Dances Film 1978 The One and Only Phyllis Dixey Musical numbers TV film 1979 Yanks Choreographer Film 1980 Nearly a Happy Ending Choreography TV play 1980 Heaven's Gate Choreography Film 1981 A Midsummer Night's Dream Choreography Television 1982 The Scarlet Pimpernel Choreographer TV film 1984 Lassiter Choreographer Film 1984 A Christmas Carol Choreographer TV film 1985 King David Choreography Film 1986 Babes in Toyland Choreography TV film 1987 Top of the Bill Choreography Film 1988 Willow Choreography Film 1990 Mountains of the Moon Choreography Film 1991 Performance: "Absolute Hell" Choreography Television 1992 L'Amant Choreography Film 1994 The Innocent Choreographer Film 1995 Cold Comfort Farm Choreography Film 1999 Onegin Choreographer Film 2005 Mrs Henderson Presents Choreography Film 2007 Hot Fuzz Choreographer Film
References
External links
FIZ and some Theatre Giants by Eleanor Fazan