Margaret Fairchild

Margaret Fairchild
Fairchild in 1989
Born
Margaret Mary Fairchild

(1911-01-04)4 January 1911
Hellingly, East Sussex, England
Died28 April 1989(1989-04-28) (aged 78)
23 Gloucester Crescent, Camden, London, England
Burial placeSt Pancras and Islington Cemetery
Other names
  • Mary Teresa Sheppard
  • Miss Shepherd
  • M T Sheppard
EducationÉcole Normale de Musique de Paris
Occupation(s)Concert pianist, nun
Known forDramatised by Alan Bennett in The Lady in the Van

Margaret Mary Fairchild (4 January 1911 – 28 April 1989), also known as Mary Teresa Sheppard, Miss Shepherd and M T Sheppard,[1] was a British homeless woman.

Her life was depicted in the 2015 film The Lady in the Van by Alan Bennett in which she was played by Dame Maggie Smith. Smith had previously played her in a 1999 play of the same name and a radio adaptation for BBC Radio 4 in 2009. Fairchild had also been a concert pianist and nun.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Probate was invoked but never defined (see the help page).