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.
Career MacColl began her career in the late 1970s, making her debut in the French romantic drama , directed by Just Jaeckin, in which she received a small role. In 1975, she starred in a touring production of Death of a Salesman in her native Britain. 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.
She subsequently starred in the other films of the trilogy, The Beyond 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.
Subsequent work She has also appeared in such films as Hawk the Slayer (1980), Afraid of the Dark (1991), A Good Year (2006), and the 2011 horror anthology film The Theatre Bizarre. Accessed March 25, 2015.
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.
MacColl has had a successful career in television. In 1978 she made her television debut in the French series Il était un musicien. Her credits include the mystery series Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson, the short-lived BBC series Squadron, the mini-series The Last Days of Pompeii, Dempsey and Makepeace, The Hardy Boys, and the French soap opera Plus belle la vie.
Personal life MacColl was married to actor Jon Finch from 1982 to 1987 and lives in France.
Filmography +Key Denotes titles that have not yet been released Film
+ Year Title Role Notes1978 1979 Lady Oscar Oscar François de Jarjayes 1980 Woman in Photocopier City of the Living Dead Mary Woodhouse Credited as 'Katherine MacColl' Hawk the Slayer Eliane 1981 The Beyond Liza Merril Credited as 'Katherine MacColl' The House by the Cemetery Lucy Boyle 1982Lucy1983Power GameElizabeth 1988 Trois places pour le 26 Betty Miller Mangeuses d'Hommes Deborah 1989 Jeniec Europy Lady Lowe 1991 Afraid of the Dark Blind Woman 1992Jean-Jean's Mother 1998 A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries Mrs. Smith 2004 Saint Ange Francard 2006 A Good Year English Woman 2011 The Theatre Bizarre Mere Antoinette Segment: "Mother of Toads" 2013 Chimères Michelle A Long Way from HomeMiddle-Aged English Woman The Love Punch Wedding Guest 2014 Horsehead Catelyn 2021Borrowed TimeKate DenardBorrowed Time II2022Borrowed Time III2023You and Eye CatherineIsaac Dr. AbnerTBDEleonore GoldsteinPost-production
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
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