Zara Nutley

Zahrah Mary Chassib Jaber, born 19 August 1924 – 9 October 2016),^[1][2] better known by her stage name Zara Nutley, was an English actress. She is best known for her roles in two television comedy series, Mind Your Language (as college principal Miss Courtney) and Never the Twain (as Aunt Eleanor).^[3]

Zara Nutley
Born	Zahrah Mary Chassib Jaber 19 August 1924 Falmouth, Cornwall, England
Died	9 October 2016 (aged 92) Manor Park, Uckfield, East Sussex, England
Other names	Zara Jaber, Zarah Jaber, Zahrah Jaber
Occupation	Actress

Biography

Nutley was born in Cornwall in 1924,^[1][a] the daughter of Stanley Jaber and Gladys Gregory, who married in 1923.^[4]

Early in her career she was involved in amateur stage productions^[5] and subsequently repertory theatre.^[6] In the 1950s she studied and later taught at the Florence Moore Drama Studio in Hove, Sussex.^[6][7] Prior to 1977, she was variously billed as Zahrah,^[8] Zarah,^[9] or Zara^[10] Jaber.

In the television sitcom Mind Your Language (1977–1979 and 1986), Nutley played Dolores Courtney, the principal of an adult education college. Her character was scripted as a stern, authoritarian feminist and spinster who was detested and feared by the staff and students at the school.^[11] Her other regular television role was the final three seasons of Never the Twain (1981–1991),^[3] in which she played Donald Sinden's Aunt Eleanor.

Nutley died aged 92 in Uckfield, East Sussex, on 9 October 2016.^[2]

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1995	Grange Hill	Eve	1 episode
1994	Lovejoy	Mrs. Addison	Episode: Breaking the Broker
1993	Last of the Summer Wine	Mrs. Jack Attacliffe	Episode: The Black Widow
1988	Gentlemen and Players	Mrs. Fothergill	Episode: One for Sorrow Two for Joy
1987	Terry and June	Mrs Bunce	Episode: The Family Way
1986	Full House	Saleslady	Episode: It's in the Book
1985–1986	Victoria Wood as Seen on TV	Care Home Worker / Headmistress	2 episodes
1984–1991	Never the Twain	Aunt Eleanor	19 episodes
1984	Tales of the Unexpected	Ann Dibbell	Episode: The Mugger
	Bottle Boys	Dr. Gardner	Episode: All in a Day's Work
1980	Metal Mickey	Miss Beadle	Episode: Top Secret Mickey
1979	Mr. Selkie	Mrs. Craine
1978	Within These Walls	Nancy	Episode: Mixer
1977	Spaghetti Two-Step	Mrs. Danby	TV film
1977–1986	Mind Your Language	Miss Dolores Courtney	42 episodes
1976	Dawnbreakers		Short film
1975	Prometheus: The Life of Balzac	Madame du Bordello	Episode: The Human Comedy
1974	Father Brown	Nurse	Episode: The Dagger with Wings
	Dial M for Murder	Serafina	Episode: Frame
1973	Second City Firsts	Mrs. Shakespeare	Episode: The Movers
	Jane Eyre	Grace Poole	4 episodes

Notes

1. Sources asserting Nutley was born in New Zealand^[3] appear to be in error.

References

1. "England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916-2007". Ancestry.com. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
2. "Deceased Estates: Zahrah Jaber". The Gazette. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
3. "George Michael tops brutal year for celebrities - here's who we lost". Stuff.co.nz. 17 December 2016. Archived from the original on 18 December 2016.
4. "England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005". Ancestry.com. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
5. "Stafford News: "Granite"". Staffordshire Advertiser. 6 December 1947. p. 8 – via British Newspaper Archive. (subscription required)
6. "With Court Players for short spell". Peterborough Citizen & Advertiser. 23 August 1957. p. 2 – via British Newspaper Archive. (subscription required)
7. "Summer 84 Stage: Hardest worked 'stooge'". The Stage. 16 August 1984. p. 68 – via British Newspaper Archive. (subscription required)
8. "Stafford Players' courageous presentation of 'Streetcar'". Staffordshire Advertiser. 10 September 1954. p. 4 – via British Newspaper Archive. (subscription required)
9. "Producer Leaves". Staffordshire Advertiser. 14 January 1955. p. 2 – via British Newspaper Archive. (subscription required)
10. "On The Way". The Stage. 6 November 1975. p. 1 – via British Newspaper Archive. (subscription required)
11. Hayward, Anthony (13 February 1997). "Obituary: Barry Evans". The Independent. Archived from the original on 7 May 2022.

External links

• Zara Nutley at IMDb
• Zara Nutley at the British Film Institute^{[better source needed]}