Gabrielle Drake was born on March 30, 1944, in Lahore, Pakistan, where her father worked in an import/export company or as an engineer. She spent the first eight years of her life traveling around Burma, India, and the Orient with her family, before they returned to England when she was eight years old. After settling back in the country, they moved near Stratford-upon-Avon, where Gabrielle would later draw inspiration from the famous Shakespearean town.
Gabrielle was educated at Wycombe Abbey School for Girls in High Wycombe, where she received a comprehensive education that would serve her well in her future endeavors. After leaving school, she spent some time in Paris as an au pair girl, looking after a family with four children and gaining valuable life experience.
Gabrielle then trained for several years at the Royal Academy for Dramatic Arts, where she honed her craft and developed her acting skills. She joined a group of other recently graduated students to form the Everyman Theatre in Liverpool, where she remained for three years, perfecting her craft and gaining valuable experience.
Gabrielle's next move was to the Malvern Theatre Company, where she became the youngest acting member during the reopening season. She then joined the Birmingham Repertory Company, Manchester's Royal Exchange, the Bristol Old Vic, the New Shakespeare Company, and The Young Vic, appearing in a wide range of productions, including "The Cherry Orchard", "Titus Andronicus", "A Phoenix Too Frequent", and "Comedy of Errors".
Gabrielle made her television debut in the 1966 series "Intrigue" and went on to appear in guest roles on "The Hidden Tiger", an episode of "The Avengers" (1961),"Coronation Street" (1960),"The Saint" (1962),"The Champions" (1968),"Journey to the Unknown" (1968),and "Virgin of the Secret Service" (1968). She landed the role of Lt. Gay Ellis in Gerry Anderson's "UFO" (1970) and made her feature film debut co-starring in "Crossplot" (1969).
Gabrielle's film career continued with appearances in "Connecting Rooms" (1970),as well as a series of sex comedy films, including "There's a Girl in My Soup" (1970),"Suburban Wives" (1972),"Au Pair Girls" (1972),and "Commuter Husbands" (1972). However, she was also much seen on television, particularly as Jill Hammond in "The Brothers" (1972),which made her a household name.
