Jean Gilpin Biography

Jean Gilpin (born c.1950) is a British television actress and voice-acting specialist.

Early life

Jean Gilpin was born in London. Her family moved to New York by way of Cuba, China, Thailand, France, Switzerland, the Congo and Zambia, as her father conducted a career working for the United Nations. Jean attended schools in Thailand, New York, England, France and Switzerland. She was awarded a BA in Drama and English from Bristol University. She also trained at the Drama Centre, London.

Acting career in Britain

Jean first made some brief appearances in BBC Bristol productions as a student in the Bristol University Drama Department. Her first professional theatrical job was a season with the Nottingham Playhouse Company where she received her Equity card. She spent three years at the Glasgow Citizens' Theatre, playing Principal Boy in their traditional pantomimes, and performing in Nol Coward's Semi-Monde directed by Philip Prowse.

Gilpin spent a year with the Royal Shakespeare Company. She played the Duchess of Vanholt in Faustus with Ian McKellen, directed by John Barton.

Her first credited appearance on British television was in the role of Julia in The Duchess of Malfi for the BBC.

Jean is perhaps best known to British television audiences as Sylvia, a precocious Auxiliary Territorial Service member who attempts unsuccessfully to seduce Private Pike in "The Making of Private Pike" (first broadcast 9 October 1977) in the final series of Dad's Army.

Jean also won minor roles in several British films of the 1970s including Catch Me a Spy (1971), The Stud (1978) and Feelings (1974). She also featured in several British television commercials, notably as The Avon Lady.

Career in the United States

After ten years working in British theatre and television, Jean Gilpin moved to Los Angeles. Her first role there was in Anne Sexton's Transformations at the Coronet Theatre in L.A. She also began to take roles in TV and film.

Jean Gilpin performed in Steven Berkoff's Greek at the Matrix Theatre in L.A. The ensemble won the BATCC Award. She co-produced and appeared in the L.A. premiere of Jean Reynolds' Dance With Me which was nominated for an LADCC for ensemble.

Voice-acting career

Since the 1980s, Gilpin has mainly worked as a voice actor on over two hundred Hollywood films. She worked regularly doing voice-acting for Max Steel.

More recently, Gilpin has featured as a voice actor in computer games, including Neverwinter Nights and James Bond 007: Nightfire. In particular, she has worked regularly in the voice acting cast for Bethesda Softworks, and can be heard in such games as Dragon Age II as the character Meredith, and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim as Elenwen, Boethiah and Meridia. She is also featured in The Elder Scrolls Online, Master of Orion: Conquer the Stars, in King's Quest as Pillare and Merlwyb Bloefhiswyn in the English version of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn but not in its expansion pack, Heavensward (credited as Jean Elizabeth).

Gilpin also did the "voice over" for the computer called "Stacie" in the film Nuclear Hurricane in 2007.