Celia Imrie- Actor of the Week

Celia Imrie

What a joy to have Celia Imrie as my Actor of the Week. She has been in so many of my favourite films that I had a hard time deciding which ones to feature.

Celia Imrie Fighter Pilot Bravo 5 Star Wars Phantom Menace

If you didn't know that Celia played the first female fighter pilot in Star Wars Episode 1: Phantom Menace, don't feel bad. I had no idea either! Apparently George Lucas made her remove her lipstick. No lippy for fighter pilots?

Celia Imrie as Una Alconbury in Bridget Jones's Diary

Of course I will always think of Celia as Una Alconbury in Bridget Jones's Diary. She was perfect as Auntie Una, the meddling best friend of Bridget's mum.

Una Alconbury: You career girls. Can't put it off forever. Tick-tock, tick-tock

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Una Alconbury:  Come and look at your gravy, Pam. I think it's going to need sieving.
Pam Jones:  Of course it doesn't need sieving. Just stir it, Una.

Celia Imrie in Calendar Girls- bigger buns!

In Calendar Girls, we will always remember Celia as "Bigger Buns" which is apparently what some fans shout out when they meet her in the street. Actually, as I was starting this post I told my husband I was featuring Celia Imrie he said he'd never heard of her. All I had to say was "Bigger Buns", and he replied "Oh, her!"

Celia Imrie as Mrs. Meyrick in Daniel Deronda

As the lovely Mrs. Meyrick in Daniel Deronda, we get to see Celia as a Victorian matron. Small part but very well done I think. I am reading Daniel Deronda now and I have her voice in my head as I am reading.

Celia Imrie as Mrs. Quickly in Nanny McPhee

Celia must have had a lot of fun playing the way over the top character of Mrs. Quickly in Nanny McPhee, chasing Colin Firth all over the highly coloured set. The food fight looked like a good time too!

Celia Imrie as Lady Glenmire in Cranford

In Cranford, Celia plays Lady Glenmire, not quite the grand lady that the Cranford crowd was expecting and she gives them quite a lot to talk about when she marries one of the few men in that village! Naughty, naughty!

Celia Imrie at the premiere of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

I just can't wait to see The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. This has been out in the UK for months, but we don't get it in North America until May 4th. I know I am going to end up buying this DVD! It looks like such fun from the trailers.

Celia Imrie as Grace Rushton in Titanic

I will be watching Titanic the TV miniseries again this weekend as I quite enjoyed it (despite what some critics and viewers are saying). Celia's character of Grace Rushton is a "new money" first class passenger who is snubbed by the aristocrats she is trying to impress. She is very concerned about her Pekinese Suki especially when the ship starts sinking.

So did I manage to cover all of your fave Celia Imrie films? Or would you like to add one or two to the list? I would have added the character of Mrs. Miller in The History of Tom Jones: A Foundling but I couldn't find a photo of her. She starred in Tom Jones with the father of her teenaged son Angus (Benjamin Whitrow aka Mr. Bennet from P&P 1995). And it is a gem if you have never seen it! Any others I missed?