Catriona MacColl

Catriona MacColl (born 3 October 1954) is an English actress who has worked extensively in both film and television across Europe. She is best known for her work in Italian Horror films having appeared in Lucio Fulci's City of the Living Dead (1980), The Beyond (1981) and The House by the Cemetery (1981).

Catriona MacColl
MacColl in 2010
Born (1954-10-03) 3 October 1954
London, England
OccupationActress
Years active1978–present
Spouse(s)
​
(m. 1982⁠–⁠1987)​

Early life

MacColl was born in London on 3 October 1954.[1] In her youth, she trained professionally as a ballerina from the age of five, attending the Royal Ballet School.[2] As a young adult, MacColl suffered a foot injury that prevented her from continuing her career path in dancing.[2]

Career

MacColl is recognised for her work on European television and film, mainly in Italy. She has gained somewhat of a cult status, by horror fans, because of her career as an Italian horror actress. MacColl began her career in the late 1970s, making her debut in the French romantic drama Le dernier amant romantique, in which she received a small role. In 1979, she received her first leading role in Lady Oscar, a historical drama directed by Jacques Demy based on the manga Rose of Versailles by Riyoko Ikeda. Following her part in the drama Le fils puni, she appeared in the first of director Lucio Fulci's 'The Gates of Hell Trilogy', City of the Living Dead, playing the role of Mary Woodhouse, with Christopher George.

In her second role in the trilogy, The Beyond, she plays the role of Liza Merril, a young woman who inherits an infamous hotel in Louisiana only to discover what lies beneath it is one of the seven doors to Hell. MacColl has stated that The Beyond is her most favourable of the trilogy, for the fact that she enjoyed working with the cast and crew, especially David Warbeck, and that it was filmed in New Orleans. The final of the trilogy was The House by the Cemetery, for which she played Lucy Boyle, the mother and wife of a family who move into an old house, unaware that someone or something lives in the basement. MacColl did not originally plan to work in films with such a violent nature, as she had thought that they would not attract an audience, but following the growing fanbase of the trilogy over the years and that the films have received worldwide recognition, she is proud of the success of the trilogy.

She has also appeared in such films as Hawk the Slayer (1980), Afraid of the Dark (1991), A Good Year (2006), and most recently, the 2011 anthology film The Theatre Bizarre. She also starred in the Swiss short comedy film Employé du mois.[3]

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 the late actor Jon Finch from 1982 to 1987[4] and now lives in France.

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
1979Lady OscarOscar François de Jarjayes
1980Hawk the SlayerEliane
1980City of the Living DeadMary WoodhouseCredited as Katherine MacColl
1981The BeyondLiza MerrilCredited as Katherine MacColl
1981The House by the CemeteryLucy BoyleCredited as Katherine MacColl
1988Trois places pour le 26Betty Miller
1988Mangeuses d'HommesDeborahAlso known as: Man Eaters
1989Jeniec EuropyLady Lowe
1991Afraid of the DarkBlind Woman
1998A Soldier's Daughter Never CriesMrs. Smith
2004Saint AngeFrancardAlso known as: House of Voices
2006A Good YearEnglish Woman
2011The Theatre BizarreMere Antoinette
2013ChimèresMichelle
2013The Love PunchWedding Guest
2014HorseheadCatelyn

Television

References
  1. "Catriona MacColl". British Film Institute. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  2. MacColl, Catriona (2015). "Beyond and Back: Memories of Lucio Fulci" (Blu-ray). Disc 2. Grindhouse Releasing.
  3. "Check Out Chimeres Creator Olivier Beguin's Short Employee of the Month Right Now!", dreadcentral.com. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  4. "Jon Finch". The Daily Telegraph. London. 14 January 2013.
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