Monica Evans

Monica Evans is an English actress and comedian born on 7 June 1940 in Camberwell, United Kingdom. She trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama in the 1950s and built a career spanning stage, film, television, and voice work.

Evans began her professional stage career as a stand-in for Joan Plowright in Rhinoceros, subsequently taking over the role from Plowright when Plowright's relationship with Laurence Olivier became public. She also appeared in The Severed Head in the West End and was a cast member of the BBC Television soap opera Compact, which was set in the offices of a magazine.

Her Broadway career ran from 1965 to 1968 and included three productions: The Odd Couple, The Flip Side, and White Liars. Her most prominent Broadway credit was Neil Simon's The Odd Couple, in which she originated the role of Cecily Pigeon and remained with the production for its entire run. Carole Shelley appeared alongside her in the same production as Gwendolyn Pigeon, the character's sister. Evans served as maid of honor at Shelley's wedding in 1967.

Following the Broadway run, Evans reprised the role of Cecily Pigeon in the 1968 film adaptation of The Odd Couple and subsequently appeared in episodes of the first season of the television series based on the play, again opposite Shelley. The two performers also reunited for Walt Disney Productions, with Evans voicing Abigail Gabble, a goose, in The Aristocats (1970), while Shelley voiced her sister Amelia Gabble. Evans later voiced Maid Marian, a vixen, in Robin Hood (1973), with Shelley appearing in the same film as Lady Kluck.

Evans lived in the United States for a period before returning to the United Kingdom. She was married to BBC Radio 1 DJ Dave Cash from 1973 to 2010. In 2018, she attended the TCM Classic Film Festival, where she reunited with Shelley. As of April 2025, Evans is the last surviving adult cast member of Robin Hood, alongside four child actors: Billy Whitaker, Dana Laurita, Dori Whitaker, and Richie Sanders. As of May 2025, she, Dean Clark, and Roddy Maude-Roxby are the last surviving cast members of The Aristocats.