Monica Evans



Monica Evans (born 1940) is an English actress best known for her portrayal of Cecily Pigeon in Neil Simon's The Odd Couple. She was in the original Broadway cast for its entire run, then appeared in the film version in 1968, and finally appeared in some episodes of the first season of the television series based on the play, all in the same role, alongside Carole Shelley as her sister Gwendolyn Pigeon. She also provided voices for Disney animated films such as The Aristocats, as Abigail Gabble (the Goose), again alongside Carole Shelley (as Amelia Gabble, clearly in take-off roles and nods to their roles as the Pigeon sisters), and in Robin Hood (1973) as Maid Marian.

Evans trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in the 1950s and was the stand-in for Joan Plowright in Rhinoceros. She took over the role from Joan Plowright when Plowright's's relationship with Laurence Olivier became public.

She was also one of the stars in a magazine soap opera called Compact and starred in The Severed Head in the West End. Evans was the maid of honor at Carole's wedding in 1967.

She moved to the USA for some years, and on her return to the UK married BBC Radio 1 DJ Dave Cash. Her brother-in-law is Charles Hayward, the drummer of This Heat. ==Filmography ==
 * Make Mine Mink (1960)
 * You Can't Win (TV series 1961)
 * The Escape of R.D.7 (TV series 1961)
 * Compact (TV series 1962-63)
 * No Hiding Place (TV series 1964)
 * Be My Guest (1965)
 * The Odd Couple (1968)
 * Here Come the Brides (TV series 1970)
 * The Odd Couple (TV series 1970-71)
 * The Aristocats (1970) (Abigail's voice)
 * Robin Hood (1973) (Maid Marian's voice)