Jean Hopkirk
The Character
Jean Hopkirk, Marty's widow, steps in as secretary for Jeff to help him out after Marty's death, while still grieving over her loss. She doesn't expect to be dragged into the murky world of gangsters and men dressing in strange clothes, but despite it all she holds her head up high and retains a cool manner. Marty does what he can to help out, even if it means he chases off potential new suitors! She remains in the same apartment, No. 8 (although it somehow changes to 21 in 'Could You Recognise The Man Again'), and takes custody of Marty's red Mini.
Naturally, Jean doesn't know that Marty is communicating with Jeff, and is not surprisingly worried to find Jeff talking to himself on a couple of occasions, going so far as to commit him to a psychiatric ward! Jean has a very sharp sense of style and dresses brightly, reflecting her mind - alert and intelligent. She puts up with a great deal, bailing Jeff out when he needs an alibi, answering phone calls and keeping the business afloat. Jean is a level-headed woman, even though she misses Marty terribly.
The Actress
Annette André, the daughter of an Italian who emigrated to Australia, was very nearly not in Randall and Hopkirk. At the same time she was competing for a role in The Champions against Alexandra Bastedo (who guest stars in 'Whoever Heard of a Ghost Dying). Alexandra won, and Annette was offered the part of Jean Hopkirk. At first, she was wary of taking a part in a series, worrying that she would be typecast. She relented; but after the series ended, her fears were justified - "I couldn't find any work for a year."
Annette began her acting career in radio after being under-age for ballet (she was 15). Australia didn't get television for another two years. She made herself known in comedy roles alongside names like Bob Hope and Benny Hill when they toured Australia, and later, encouraged by television director Leslie Norman (who incidentally directed 3 episodes of R&H), she travelled to Europe and made herself a small part in 1963 epic Cleopatra as a handmaiden. "It was such a small part, I could hardly spot myself on the screen!" she laughs.
But it proved to bear fruit, as she made contacts in the Italian film industry. Through them, she appeared in another Italian production with Maurice Chevalier, and then she met British stage and TV producer Lionel Harris, who was about to make Vanity Fair on the London stage. He told her that she could audition for a part if she came to England; so she made her British debut, followed closely by television serial Emerald Street and, strangely, a film with Mike Pratt, This Is My Street.
It wasn't long before she was in demand as a leading lady. She made appearances in The Saint, The Baron, Sentimental Agent, The Avengers, Crane, Sergeant Clark and The Prisoner to name but a few. She starred alongside Frank Ifield in feature film Up Jumped A Swagman, and in 1966 she was the only woman in A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum, playing Buster Keaton's daughter. It turned out to be his last film.
Annette still utilised her comedic role, appearing with Dick Emery, Sid James and again with Benny Hill. She recalls Benny as "a wonderful man, very shy and lonely and a bit eccentric." He even proposed to her once! "He suggested marriage... It was mentioned and then very gently not gone through with... There was never any big showdown or anything. To me he was a friend and that was it."
Annette recalls adoring London in the Swinging Sixties. "I loved living in London - I loved being able to get on a plane and be in a different country almost immediately. I suppose I was part of the jet set - parties in Chelsea, film roles and weekend trips to Europe."
While filming A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum, she met El Cordrobes, the legendary Spanish bullfighter. The newspapers ran with the couple's on-off relationship in their gossip columns for months, but oddly, it was a case of mistaken identity that got her the biggest headlines!
"It was at a time when George Best was leaving Manchester United, and was always in the news. I knew George and had been out with him a couple of times, so when I saw him in a London nightclub one evening, I went over to him and said, 'Hi, how are you?'"
But for some reason, the press thought it was she who was the mystery girl who left the club with him later that night. For all the press attention, however, she did get some publicity out of it - "And they did choose a good photograph of me!"
Work was slow after Randall and Hopkirk (deceased), although Annette made guest appearances in The Persuaders and The Return Of The Saint along with provincial stage tours. The lull in work usually meant a new sideline. After making herself a camel cloak, her friends all wanted one. She never made money out of it, but she enjoyed the distraction. In 1984, she took on the role of Sarah Alexander in Crossroads, a ruthless businesswoman who was intent on wrecking motel boss David Hunter's marriage.
Four years later, she was in Maigret as Judith, a woman whose husband was murdered. It was while working on Maigret that she met American producer Arthur Weingarten, whose credits included The Man From UNCLE, The F.B.I. and The Bionic Woman. In 1989, Annette and Arthur were married. She now tends to divide her time between London and L.A.
Annette's other great passion is animals, and she works as a volunteer with the Born Free Foundation, run by Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers. Both she and her husband work on a voluntary basis - "He's mad about animals too," Annette says, "It's very close to my heart."
At one point, Annette took three years away from active work 'just for myself,' she says. "Now I'm hoping I can make a bit of a comeback! I still get recognised in the streets from Randall and Hopkirk and get very good feedback from the public." She admits she never imagined that the series would be so successful so many years on. "It was a pity (we had to stop), because we had such wonderful ideas for a second batch (of stories). We wanted to go abroad, to take Marty overseas, to involve him in adventures with, say, a French ghost. That would have been fun!"
Annette's ITC Appearances
The Baron: 'Roundabout' as Samantha
Ballard
Gideon's Way: 'The Nightlifers' as Sue
Young
The Persuaders!: 'Powerswitch' as Pekoe
The
Prisoner: 'It's Your Funeral' as the watchmaker's
daughter
Return Of The Saint: 'Yesterday's Hero' as
Sandy
The Saint: 'The Saint Steps In' as Madeline
Grey
The Saint: 'The Loving Brothers' as Linda
Henderson
The Saint: 'The Abductors' as Madeline
The
Saint: 'The House On Dragon's Rock' as Carmen
The Saint:
'To Kill A Saint' as Annette
The Sentimental Agent:
'Finishing School' as BetsyAnn
Jean's / Marty's Car
Jean took custody of Marty's car when he passed on - even though Marty seems to think otherwise on occasion - usually whenever Jeff gets the idea to borrow it!
The Mini, registration BAP 245C
Mailing List & Forum | The Episode Guide | Main Page
The Characters | Memorable Quotes | Fanfiction & Fanart
R&H Media | Gallery | Humour | Links
'martyhopkirk'@earthlink.net, 2002
Randall and Hopkirk (deceased) is copyright ITC
References: 'Randall and Hopkirk (deceased) by Geoff Tibballs, 1994. No copyright infringement is intended.
Jean Hopkirk, Marty's widow, steps in as secretary for Jeff to help him out after Marty's death, while still grieving over her loss. She doesn't expect to be dragged into the murky world of gangsters and men dressing in strange clothes, but despite it all she holds her head up high and retains a cool manner. Marty does what he can to help out, even if it means he chases off potential new suitors! She remains in the same apartment, No. 8 (although it somehow changes to 21 in 'Could You Recognise The Man Again'), and takes custody of Marty's red Mini.Naturally, Jean doesn't know that Marty is communicating with Jeff, and is not surprisingly worried to find Jeff talking to himself on a couple of occasions, going so far as to commit him to a psychiatric ward! Jean has a very sharp sense of style and dresses brightly, reflecting her mind - alert and intelligent. She puts up with a great deal, bailing Jeff out when he needs an alibi, answering phone calls and keeping the business afloat. Jean is a level-headed woman, even though she misses Marty terribly.
The Actress
Annette André, the daughter of an Italian who emigrated to Australia, was very nearly not in Randall and Hopkirk. At the same time she was competing for a role in The Champions against Alexandra Bastedo (who guest stars in 'Whoever Heard of a Ghost Dying). Alexandra won, and Annette was offered the part of Jean Hopkirk. At first, she was wary of taking a part in a series, worrying that she would be typecast. She relented; but after the series ended, her fears were justified - "I couldn't find any work for a year."
Annette began her acting career in radio after being under-age for ballet (she was 15). Australia didn't get television for another two years. She made herself known in comedy roles alongside names like Bob Hope and Benny Hill when they toured Australia, and later, encouraged by television director Leslie Norman (who incidentally directed 3 episodes of R&H), she travelled to Europe and made herself a small part in 1963 epic Cleopatra as a handmaiden. "It was such a small part, I could hardly spot myself on the screen!" she laughs.
But it proved to bear fruit, as she made contacts in the Italian film industry. Through them, she appeared in another Italian production with Maurice Chevalier, and then she met British stage and TV producer Lionel Harris, who was about to make Vanity Fair on the London stage. He told her that she could audition for a part if she came to England; so she made her British debut, followed closely by television serial Emerald Street and, strangely, a film with Mike Pratt, This Is My Street.
It wasn't long before she was in demand as a leading lady. She made appearances in The Saint, The Baron, Sentimental Agent, The Avengers, Crane, Sergeant Clark and The Prisoner to name but a few. She starred alongside Frank Ifield in feature film Up Jumped A Swagman, and in 1966 she was the only woman in A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum, playing Buster Keaton's daughter. It turned out to be his last film.
Annette still utilised her comedic role, appearing with Dick Emery, Sid James and again with Benny Hill. She recalls Benny as "a wonderful man, very shy and lonely and a bit eccentric." He even proposed to her once! "He suggested marriage... It was mentioned and then very gently not gone through with... There was never any big showdown or anything. To me he was a friend and that was it."
Annette recalls adoring London in the Swinging Sixties. "I loved living in London - I loved being able to get on a plane and be in a different country almost immediately. I suppose I was part of the jet set - parties in Chelsea, film roles and weekend trips to Europe."
While filming A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum, she met El Cordrobes, the legendary Spanish bullfighter. The newspapers ran with the couple's on-off relationship in their gossip columns for months, but oddly, it was a case of mistaken identity that got her the biggest headlines!
"It was at a time when George Best was leaving Manchester United, and was always in the news. I knew George and had been out with him a couple of times, so when I saw him in a London nightclub one evening, I went over to him and said, 'Hi, how are you?'"
But for some reason, the press thought it was she who was the mystery girl who left the club with him later that night. For all the press attention, however, she did get some publicity out of it - "And they did choose a good photograph of me!"
Work was slow after Randall and Hopkirk (deceased), although Annette made guest appearances in The Persuaders and The Return Of The Saint along with provincial stage tours. The lull in work usually meant a new sideline. After making herself a camel cloak, her friends all wanted one. She never made money out of it, but she enjoyed the distraction. In 1984, she took on the role of Sarah Alexander in Crossroads, a ruthless businesswoman who was intent on wrecking motel boss David Hunter's marriage.
Four years later, she was in Maigret as Judith, a woman whose husband was murdered. It was while working on Maigret that she met American producer Arthur Weingarten, whose credits included The Man From UNCLE, The F.B.I. and The Bionic Woman. In 1989, Annette and Arthur were married. She now tends to divide her time between London and L.A.
Annette's other great passion is animals, and she works as a volunteer with the Born Free Foundation, run by Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers. Both she and her husband work on a voluntary basis - "He's mad about animals too," Annette says, "It's very close to my heart."
At one point, Annette took three years away from active work 'just for myself,' she says. "Now I'm hoping I can make a bit of a comeback! I still get recognised in the streets from Randall and Hopkirk and get very good feedback from the public." She admits she never imagined that the series would be so successful so many years on. "It was a pity (we had to stop), because we had such wonderful ideas for a second batch (of stories). We wanted to go abroad, to take Marty overseas, to involve him in adventures with, say, a French ghost. That would have been fun!"
Annette's ITC Appearances
The Baron: 'Roundabout' as Samantha BallardGideon's Way: 'The Nightlifers' as Sue Young
The Persuaders!: 'Powerswitch' as Pekoe
The Prisoner: 'It's Your Funeral' as the watchmaker's daughter
Return Of The Saint: 'Yesterday's Hero' as Sandy
The Saint: 'The Saint Steps In' as Madeline Grey
The Saint: 'The Loving Brothers' as Linda Henderson
The Saint: 'The Abductors' as Madeline
The Saint: 'The House On Dragon's Rock' as Carmen
The Saint: 'To Kill A Saint' as Annette
The Sentimental Agent: 'Finishing School' as BetsyAnn
Jean's / Marty's Car
Jean took custody of Marty's car when he passed on - even though Marty seems to think otherwise on occasion - usually whenever Jeff gets the idea to borrow it!
The Mini, registration BAP 245C
Mailing List & Forum | The Episode Guide | Main Page
The Characters | Memorable Quotes | Fanfiction & Fanart
R&H Media | Gallery | Humour | Links
'martyhopkirk'@earthlink.net, 2002
Randall and Hopkirk (deceased) is copyright ITC
References: 'Randall and Hopkirk (deceased) by Geoff Tibballs, 1994. No copyright infringement is intended.
Randall and Hopkirk (deceased) is copyright ITC
References: 'Randall and Hopkirk (deceased) by Geoff Tibballs, 1994. No copyright infringement is intended.