A History Of Liverpool Thespians - Liz Gebhardt

 

Elisabeth Anne Gebhardt was born on the 12th of April 1945 in Liverpool and her early years, Liz attended Willesden County Grammar School in North-West London. In 1968 she married fellow actor Ian Talbot who appeared in 'Z-Cars' and 'Champion House' that year. After appearing in single episodes of 'The Rat Catchers' (1966), 'Blackmail' (1966), 'Emergency Ward 10' (1967) and 2 episodes of 'Half Hour Story' (1967-68), viewers saw Liz playing the part of Form 5C pupil Maureen Bullock in the LWT sitcom 'Please Sir!' (1968–71) and in the subsequent spin-off show, 'The Fenn Street Gang' (1971–73). In Episode 3 in the first series, following a study of 'Romeo & Juliet', Maureen turns her affections towards Mr Hedges and when Maureen is seen leaving his new flat, the rumours begin to fly.

 

Following on from her role in the show and its spin-off, she continued working in television, starring in 6 episodes as Doreen Bissel in 'Dear Mother...Love Albert' (1971) with Rodney Bewes. Further roles followed such as 3 episodes of  'Z-Cars' again (1968-74) and 4 episodes of 'General Hospital' as Mrs Jessie Foreman (1975). Solitary appearances followed until she played the role of Annette for 13 episodes in 'Trouble and Strife' (1986-86) and then as Mrs Edelman in 3 episodes of  'Grange Hill' (1987). Her last TV appearances were in 'Keeping Up Appearances' (1990), 4 episodes of 'The Bill' (1989-1993) and 'Love Hurts' (1994). Her few film roles included the movie version of 'Please Sir!' (1971), and a brief appearance as a maid in 'Julius Ceasar' (1970).

Whilst married to fellow actor and the former director of the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, Ian Talbot, she had a son, Joseph Robert on the 25th of April 1973 at Queen Mary's Hospital, Roehampton. Luckily proper nurses were on duty that day as Liz when playing Maureen in 'The Fenn Street Gang' had passed her "O" levels and began a career as a nurse. However the patients and staff where in for a shock with the arrival of a 'modern-day Florence Nightingale gone berserk!'

 

Husband Ian had supported Liz through a 17-year-long struggle with cancer and his regular salary helped pay for dieticians and faith healers. He said, "She wanted to take control of it herself. I’m slightly cynical about all of that, but I didn’t go through it and if it helped her…" Liz was admitted to hospital in summer 1995 and she died on the 10th of August 1995, aged 50. During her cancer treatment, she sustained injuries from radiotherapy, a situation which contributed to the formation of a campaign to prevent damage from such treatment.

see also :- http://www.thefootballvoice.com/2023/12/a-history-of-liverpool-thespians.html