The 'Upstairs, Downstairs' star was convinced her father was the infamous Nazi leader when she was young because of the resemblance between the two men.
- October 16, 2021
AceShowbiz - Eileen Atkins grew increasingly convinced her father was Adolf Hitler due to the similarities he bore to the dictator.
The star released her memoir "Will She Do?: Act One of a Life on Stage" earlier this month (Oct21) and, speaking on Britain's "The Graham Norton Show", she recalled growing up during the Second World War.
According to Eileen, "someone had told my father that he looked like Adolf Hitler and strangely he played up to it with a moustache and slicked down hair" - leaving the youngster concerned for her family's safety.
"I thought it was true and was terribly worried about what would happen when he was exposed," she recalled. "But I also thought about what a good position we would be in if Germany won the war!"
The star, who was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 2001, also opened up on her working class roots and explained why she only seems to take on "posh" roles.
"My mother wanted me to play a leading role in Panto but realised I wouldn't get that with my accent, so she paid someone to teach me to speak 'properly,' " recalled Eileen.
"When Upstairs, Downstairs (a U.K. TV series she co-created) came back I begged to be the cook, but they said I was too posh!"
Meanwhile, in an interview with The Guardian, the actress said she enjoyed lockdown. "I'm ashamed to tell you that I had a wonderful lockdown," she said. "I absolutely loved the whole thing."
