Diana Quick

Professions :

Born :

November 23, 1946

Good looks are not something you earn. But as you get older, how you look is a reflection of the life youve led.

looking-good reflection looks

I have a cottage near Aldeburgh, and from there its a sturdy two-mile walk across farmland to an empty beach, where I collect hag stones and run around with the dog. Im a keen walker, and I love Suffolks big skies.

dog running beach

I'm an actress, not a celebrity. by Diana Quick

I'm an actress, not a celebrity.

Its always been fun for me to play a variety of parts, and over the years, Ive been lucky with the things Ive been asked to do.

There have been setbacks, illnesses and other obstacles, so inevitably I've had disappointments. But once you realise that things can't always go your own way, you're on the right track to being able to handle your own life.

you obstacles life way

I don't pretend to be happy all the time. I think to be human is to be happy and unhappy by turns. But I have a great capacity to enjoy myself, and it seems to grow as I get older.

be-happy myself happy time

I'm a complete addict of The 'X Factor,' so I can see why everyone gets so inspired. But there's a downside to celebrity: your life is up for grabs, your career is much more disposable, and you are therefore vulnerable. It's a high price to pay.

see you i-can life

I don't wear much make-up in my non-working life, though I love to dress up and put on a face for a special occasion. As I get older, I see less of the fantasy 'Indian' self I inherited from my father, and I see my mother looking back at me.

me mother love life

When I was growing up and trying to get my foot on the ladder, I had the self-belief that my mother taught me, and it never occurred to me that anything could go wrong. I've learned life can't be like that.

never me mother life

I did a couple of sketch shows with Mike Palin and Terry Jones... and then I got hired by Granada to do a weekly topical show.

show then sketch got

I discovered that there is Indian blood in my ancestry on my father's side - a fact that had not been talked about in my family. No wonder I've often been cast in exotic roles - Indian princesses, Russian revolutionaries, Algerians, Gypsies and Greeks.

family wonder father blood

When Mary arrived, I felt a mixture of emotions, including panic and overwhelming love. I felt a great sense of responsibility, not just towards my child but also towards her father. There have been many influences on my life, but that thing of finally becoming a family person was the greatest.

family love life father

I'd love to play a femme fatale in a film noir. I'm thinking of one of those roles that Lauren Bacall or Bette Davis might have played. What I wouldn't like is to suddenly find myself being cast, as many senior actresses seem to be, as the abbess in a convent.

myself play love thinking

I don't think it's ungracious to seek cosmetic help - it has crossed my mind from time to time, and I have been tempted. But it's too short-term. Once you start down that road, you have to keep going.

you keep-going mind time

If you try to live as well as you can, then hopefully your face will reflect that. But it's unfair that we put so much pressure on women to look good and then give them so much stick when they go under the knife to achieve this.

face good you women

What was I like in 1966? I was 19 years old, very confident, and... by Diana Quick

What was I like in 1966? I was 19 years old, very confident, and life was a big adventure.

confident like adventure life

My father was a very warm, gregarious, sociable person who had many interests. He lived his life very much in the present, full of activities and the next project. He had many hobbies. He was not given to retrospection.

person warm life father

My parents liked to go dancing, and they encouraged all of us to bring our friends home. My brother had a skiffle group, and there would often be dancing in the house. And my parents would come and dance with us.

parents dance brother home

'The Discovery of France' by Graham Robb is teaching me lots about a country I've long loved but realise I didn't really know.

loved me long country

I walked across Tuscany from Siena to Rome, which was a lovely way to see the landscape. It was sunny but not too hot, and we made detours to look at treasures - churches, paintings, little hill villages. The first couple of days, you feel your knees are turning to jelly. But, at the end, you feel very limber. I hope I can always do it.

look you hope hot

Beatrice Lillie

Adepero Oduye

Adrienne Barbeau

Bindu

Alexandra Breckenridge

Bojana Novakovic