Jill Summers

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jill Summers
Jill Summers as Phyllis Pearce in Coronation Street
Born	December 8, 1910 Eccles, Lancashire
Died	January 12, 1997

Honour Margaret Rosell Santoi Fuller, better known as Jill Summers (December 8, 1910 - January 12, 1997), was a British music hall performer and comedienne born in Eccles, Lancashire. In later life she achieved stardom as Phyllis Pearce, in Granada Television's long running soap opera, Coronation Street.^[1]^[2]

She first appeared in the soap in 1972, playing Bessie Proctor, a cleaner with Hilda Ogden. In 1982, she reappeared as Phyllis Pearce, a blue rinsed pensioner, forever lusting after pompous ex-serviceman Percy Sugden.^[2]

Her career in entertainment lasted eighty years. She first performed on stage aged six, in a comedy double act with her brother Tom. When her mother died when she was only 13, she went to work in a Cotton Mill. Later she ran a combined hairdressers and newsagents with her first husband (who was more than 20 years older than her). He died only a few years into their marriage.^[1]

During World War II, she entertained troops as part of ENSA, and was known as Lancashire Comedienne Jill Summers, the Pin-Up Girl of British Railways. Most of her variety material was written by her second husband, Dr Clifford Simpson-Smith, who she stayed married too till his death in 1986.^[2] She became a comedian when she tripped up on stage and swore, which the audience lapped up.^[1]

Other appearances by Summers include Agatha (alongside Dustin Hoffman and Vanessa Redgrave), Play For Today, Sez Lez (with Les Dawson) and performing a Victoria Wood scripted monologue in 1982's Wood and Walters, as well as appearing in her TV play Nearly A Happy Ending.^[3]