This article is from page 7 of the 2011-08-09 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 7 JPG
MANY tributes have been paid this week to the late Mary Bredin, who was Ennis’ link to the silver screen thanks to her name appearing on the credits of a string of major Hollywood films in the 1960s and ‘70s.
This brush with fame and celebrity has been recalled by members of the wider Bredin family following her sudden death at the age of 72.
Ms Bredin trained as a hairdresser in the 1950s, serving her apprenticeship with Kay O’Grady on Parnell Street, before opening up her own salon above Moloney’s shop on the same street.
However, it was her move to London in 1959 that launched her career as the ‘hairstylist to the stars’, as her niece Shirley Bredin told The Cla re People this week.
“She was itching to go travelling and she was only around 20 when she went to London, working in the West End. She got work with the British film industry and through this she met Raquel Welch,” she revealed.
“She always wanted to go to America, but it was hard to get a visa, but was able to go over when Raquel hired her as her own personal hair stylist. She travelled everywhere with Raquel and worked on a number of films with her,” she added.
Her first break in Hollywood came with the 1968 film, Ina dmissa ble Evidence that starred James Coburn, James Mason, Ian McShane and Raquel Welch.
Bredin was also associated with Welch in a host of other films, working with her as lead hair stylist and supervisor in films such as Ha nnie Ca ulder