Who was The Lady in the Van in real life?
Who was The Lady in the Van in real life?
| Margaret Fairchild | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Mary Teresa Sheppard Miss Shepherd M T Sheppard |
| Education | École Normale de Musique de Paris |
| Occupation | Concert pianist, nun |
| Known for | Dramatised by Alan Bennett in The Lady in the Van |
What is the story behind The Lady in the Van?
This movie tells the true story of Alan Bennett’s (Alex Jennings’) strained friendship with Miss Mary Shepherd (Dame Maggie Smith), an eccentric homeless woman who Bennett befriended in the 1970s before allowing her temporarily to park her Bedford van in the driveway of his Camden house.
Who was Underwood in The Lady in the Van?
Jim Broadbent
Underwood is played by Jim Broadbent, with whom I last worked on The Insurance Man, a film about Kafka directed by Richard Eyre which we did in Liverpool in 1985, since when Jim has become an international film star much as Pete Postlethwaite did, while seeming no older than he did thirty years back.
What happened to Miss Shepherd lady in the van?
Fifteen years longer, in fact. This extraordinary true story would be chronicled several times by Bennett, after Miss Mary Shepherd, otherwise known as “the lady in the van,” passed away in 1989.
Did Maggie Smith play the piano in The Lady in the Van?
In a moving scene towards the end of the film it appears Ms Smith’s proficient hands, as Miss Shepherd, play the piano. However, close up shots of her hands were performed by the talented pianist, Helen Davies from Menai Bridge – a role which came about by “chance”.
Is there a blue plaque for lady in the van?
After filming of the Lady in the Van wrapped, there simply seemed no reason to keep No 23 any longer. “At the conclusion of the film of The Lady in the Van, a blue plaque is unveiled to Miss Mary Shepherd who lived in the drive for 15 years,” Bennett writes.
What age is Maggie Smith?
87 years (December 28, 1934)Maggie Smith / Age
