A History Of Liverpool Thespians - Gladys Ambrose

Gladys Ambrose was born on the 28th of December 1930 in Everton, Liverpool. Having undertaken singing, dancing and voice projection lessons at the Madam Edith Clarke School in Liverpool, she made her professional debut in the chorus line of Joye de Vivre at the Theatre Royal, Castleford in 1949. She graduated to starring roles and became a favourite in pantomime as both principal girl and principal boy. While playing the Wicked Queen in the original British stage tour of 'Snow White', she met Dutch-born acrobat Johnny Votel (Johannes Duiveman) who was performing as an acrobat in a speciality act at the Wood Green Empire, London. They married in 1954 and after Gladys learned the trapeze, the couple perfected their act at a training school in Holland and began performing a comedy acrobatic routine which toured the Continent and the Middle East for several years. This was fter her husband fell 5 metres (16 ft) during a training session, they gave up 'high flying' and moved on to foot juggling and their comedy knockabout acrobatic routine, touring the Continent and the Middle East for many years. Following her husband's retirement in 1977,  Gladys concentrated on her singing, working in pantomime, summer seasons, cabaret, revue, musicals and variety across the country. She founded Rose Productions, staging shows alongside her daughters Janette and Wendy who performed a double-act as the Votel Sisters. 

With Vicky Ogden in 'The Brothers McGregor' (1987)

 

Gladys made her television debut in a play called 'Match of the Day', in which Bill Dean, who later played Harry Cross in 'Brookside', was her husband. She followed it with another TV play, 'Bag of Yeast', with Bill Dean as her brother and Peter Kerrigan - grandfather of Justine Kerrigan, who played her granddaughter Tracy Corkhill in 'Brookside' - as her husband. She appeared on 'Coronation Street' in two roles: firstly as Mrs Hindle,  a prospective buyer of No.11 Coronation Street when the house was put on the market in November 1979. She returned to the programme as a Landlady of an address in Bootle, where Eddie Yeats had been briefly lodging since his disappearance from Weatherfield in December 1982. She appeared in one episode of the British television anthology series 'Red Letter Day' in 1976, and her other credits included roles in 'Second City Firsts' and 'Bulman and Bread', however she is best known for her role as the gossipy Julia Brogan on the long-running soap opera 'Brookside' which she played from 1985. 

She played Mrs Barrett in 'The Inheritance' (1987), an episode of 'The Brothers McGregor', a spin-off of  'Coronation Street' and a noisy shopper in 'Bread'. Gladys Ambrose's 30th anniversary in showbusiness was celebrated in 1989 by BBC Radio Merseyside in a programme titled 'They Call Her Their Lillie
Marlene'.

Gladys passed away on the 4th of July 1998 aged 67 in Knowsley Village, following a four year battle with cancer. At the service, at St Mary's Church, Knowsley Village, near Liverpool, Brookside's creator, Phil Redmond and actor John Burgess gave a eulogy. "There is no doubt that old Gladys had a spirit that was very difficult to beat", Redmond said, "It's great to share her last bill and it's standing room only and not a dry eye in the house. We'll miss her will, that spirit of inspiration, and her sense of professionalism. She was a lovely woman."

see also :- http://www.thefootballvoice.com/2023/08/a-history-of-liverpool-thespians-tom.html