Do You Mind If I Smoke: The Memoirs of Fenella Fielding

(Hardback)

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Do You Mind If I Smoke tells the story of Fenella Fielding's remarkable 65-year career in theatre, radio, TV, and film. Best known for her 1960s film appearances in classic comedies such asCarry On Screaming, Doctor in Clover, and Carry On Regardless, Fielding's sublime talents also brought her success in serious roles on the stage, including title roles in Hedda Gabler and Colette. Spiced with star-studded anecdotes and personalised with moving stories about innocence and experience, the early struggles of an aspiring actress, and later professional rivalries,Do You Mind If I Smoke is a witty, warm, and wonderfully recounted memoir of an extraordinary life.

Reviews

'England's First Lady of the double entendre.' - Independent; 'Fenella has long been a national treasure and an inspiration to many. She's a comic original - she invented what she did.' - Bill Nighy; 'Fielding is a phenomenal storyteller. She reminds me of the great raconteur Quentin Crisp - the same love of language, mastery of its rhythms, perfectly formed sentences, and a joie de vivre even when relating her profound despair.' - The Guardian

Author Bio

FENELLA FIELDING was born Fenella Feldman in 1927 in London to Russian and Romanian Jewish emigre parents. Her breakthrough as an actor came in Sandy Wilson's musical "Valmouth", after which she starred in Harold Pinter's revue "Pieces of Eight", alongside Kenneth Williams, a partnership reprised most famously when she played the Vampirish Valeria in "Carry On Screaming" (1966). Other film credits include the comedies "Doctor in Distress" (1963) and "Doctor in Clover" (1966). Her TV credits include several memorable appearances on "The Morecambe and Wise Show". Simultaneously she had an illustrious stage career that includes leading roles in works by Wilde, Shakespeare, Sheridan and Chekhov. As recently as 2012, Fenella appeared in the TV teen drama "Skins".