Big Red Book

Celebrating television's This Is Your Life

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THIS IS YOUR LIFE - Chili Bouchier, actress, was surprised by Michael Aspel while signing copies of her newly published autobiography at Harrods department store in London.

Chili trained as a typist after leaving school, and later worked as a fashion model at Harrods. In 1927 she won a contest run by the Daily Mail to become a film star, and made her first film appearance the same year as a bathing belle in Shooting Stars. Within a few years she had became one of British cinema's first female sex symbols and one of the country's first international stars.

Chili achieved stardom in the silent cinema as 'The Brunette Bombshell', specialising in vamps and flappers. She later softened her image to play more romantic roles, and her career spanned over 60 years, embracing both the silent and sound cinema, as well as appearances in over 90 theatre productions.

"How very clever! Very clever!"

programme details...

• Edition No: 944
• Subject No: 920
• Broadcast date: Wed 14 Feb 1996
• Broadcast time: 7.00-7.30pm
• Recorded: Fri 9 Feb 1996
• Venue: Teddington Studios
• Series: 36
• Edition: 24
• Code name: Pepper

on the guest list...

• Vincent Shaw
• Irene - sister
• Patricia Roc
• Edna Bruce
• Sian Phillips
• Peggy Mount
• Avril Angers
• Lionel Blair
• Mary Millar
• Dorothy Tutin
• Hilda - sister
Filmed tributes:
• Douglas Fairbanks Jr
• Leslie Ash
• Petula Clark

related appearance...

• Freddie Young - Oct 1996

production team...

• Researcher: Elizabeth Ross
• Writer: Ian Brown
• Director: Brian Klein
• Associate Producer: John Graham
• Executive Producer: Peter Estall
• Producer: Malcolm Morris

• names above in bold indicate subjects of This Is Your Life

An Actor's Life For Me

spotlight on the stars

Lionel Blair

Petula Clark

Douglas Fairbanks Jr

Sian Phillips

Dorothy Tutin

Interviews

Michael Thornton, friend of Chili Bouchier, recalls this edition of This Is Your Life in an exclusive interview recorded in October 2012

Screenshots of Chili Bouchier This Is Your Life