Jean Marsh

Jean Marsh OBE
Marsh in 2009
Born	Jean Lyndsey Torren Marsh (1934-07-01) 1 July 1934 Stoke Newington, London, England
Occupations	Actress writer
Years active	1953–2014
Known for	Upstairs, Downstairs Doctor Who Willow
Spouse	Jon Pertwee ​ ​ (m. 1955; div. 1960)​

Jean Lyndsey Torren Marsh (born 1 July 1934) is an English actress and writer. She co-created and starred in the ITV series Upstairs, Downstairs (1971–1975), for which she won the 1975 Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her performance as Rose Buck. She reprised the role in the BBC's revival of the series (2010-2012).

Marsh co-created the television series The House of Eliott in 1991. Her film appearances include Cleopatra (1963), Frenzy (1972), The Eagle Has Landed (1976), The Changeling (1980), Return to Oz (1985), Willow (1988), Fatherland (1994) and Monarch (2000). She is also known for two roles in Doctor Who: as Sara Kingdom, a companion of the First Doctor, and later playing a villain opposite the Seventh Doctor.

Early life

Marsh was born and grew up in Stoke Newington, London.

Career

During the 1950s and 1960s, Marsh made many appearances on British and American television, including an episode of The Twilight Zone called "The Lonely" (1959), in which she portrayed a lifelike robot; The Moon and Sixpence (1959) opposite Laurence Olivier and Denholm Elliott; The Wonderful World of Disney (1961); an episode of the series Danger Man (1961) entitled "Name, Date and Place" as Kim Russell, Gideon's Way (1965); I Spy (1967); in four episodes of The Saint (1964–1968); and one episode of UFO ("Exposed" 1970, as Janna). She was also a regular in the ITV series The Informer (1966–67) starring Ian Hendry.

Marsh has appeared several times in the BBC series Doctor Who. She first appeared alongside William Hartnell in the 1965 serial The Crusade as Lady Joanna, the sister of Richard I (The Lionheart). She returned later that year as companion Sara Kingdom in 9 episodes of the 12-part serial The Daleks' Master Plan. Marsh reprised the role in the audio plays Home Truths (2008), The Drowned World (2009), The Guardian of the Solar System (2010), The Five Companions (2011), The Anachronauts (2012), The Light At The End (2013), An Ordinary Life (2014) and The Sontarans (2016). She also appeared in the 1989 television serial Battlefield as Morgaine, as well as the 2007 audio play The Wishing Beast. She made an un-billed cameo appearance in the 2013 docudrama about Doctor Who, An Adventure in Space and Time.

Marsh featured as Bertha Mason Rochester in the George C. Scott-Susannah York version of Jane Eyre, directed by Delbert Mann. The film was released theatrically in the United Kingdom in 1970 and shown in the United States on NBC television in 1971.

Marsh's 2000 film about the death of Henry VIII, Monarch, was re-released in cinemas in 2014.

With Eileen Atkins, Marsh created the British period drama Upstairs, Downstairs and played the role of the house parlourmaid Rose Buck for the duration of the series, from 1971 until 1975. The programme was screened internationally and received numerous awards including two BAFTA Awards, two Royal Television Society awards, eight Emmys and a Golden Globe. Marsh received a Royal Television Society award in 1971 and an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress for her role in 1975, and was nominated for the same award on three more occasions – 1974, 1976, and (for the show's revival) in 2011. She also received awards from the American Drama Centre and American Drama Critics Circle for the role as well as two Golden Globe Award nominations.

She and Atkins created The House of Eliott, another television series broadcast between 1991 and 1994. This time, Marsh did not act in the series, but she did write some of the episodes.

Marsh as Roz Keith in 9 to 5, 1982

Marsh's film credits include the Tony Hancock film The Rebel (1961), Cleopatra (1963) as Octavia, Unearthly Stranger (1964), Charlie Bubbles (1967), The Limbo Line (1968), Alfred Hitchcock's Frenzy (1972), Dark Places (1973), The Eagle Has Landed (1976), The Changeling (1980) and the fantasy films Return to Oz (1985) and Willow (1988). In 1994, she starred in a villain role in the Nickelodeon/Thames Television remake of The Tomorrow People. Her television films include Goliath Awaits (1981), See China and Die (1981), Master of the Game (1984), The Corsican Brothers (1985), A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1989), Fatherland (1994) for which she won a CableACE award for supporting actress, and The Pale Horse (1997). From 1982 to 1983, she portrayed the part of Roz Keith in the American sitcom 9 to 5.

Marsh served as the presenter for International Animation Festival, an American public television series featuring award-winning animated short films from around the world. The thirteen-part series was broadcast in 1975 on PBS.

From 2000 until 2002, Marsh appeared in The Ghost Hunter. Her many stage credits included the West End stage revival of Boeing Boeing at the Comedy Theatre in 2007 and in Peter Hall's production of The Portrait of a Lady in 2008. She made an appearance in the 2008 BBC adaptation of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility; played the recurring character Lizzie Galbraith alongside Joanna Lumley as Davina Jackson (the lead character) in Babycow Productions' Sensitive Skin, which aired on BBC Two in 2005 and 2007. She appeared in BBC Four's Crooked House in December 2008 in a role written for her by Mark Gatiss.

A three-part revival of Upstairs, Downstairs was commissioned by the BBC with the first episode broadcast on BBC One on 26 December 2010. Marsh reprised her role as Rose Buck, who had returned to London to run an agency for domestic servants after a period spent nursing her mother in Suffolk. Eileen Atkins, who co-created the original series with Marsh, also starred in the revived series. It was set in the same London house as the original ITV series, 165 Eaton Place, resuming in 1936. Subsequently, a six-part second series was commissioned, and began transmission in February 2012 with Marsh's character appearing less frequently due to the stroke suffered by the actress.

Marsh has written several books: Fiennders Abbey, The House of Eliott, and Iris.

Personal life

Marsh was married to the actor Jon Pertwee from 1955 until their divorce in 1960. She has had relationships with Albert Finney, Kenneth Haigh, and film director Michael Lindsay-Hogg.

On 3 October 2011, the BBC announced that Marsh had suffered a minor stroke and would miss the beginning of the second series of Upstairs, Downstairs. She was ultimately able to appear in only two scenes over the series. A third series was not commissioned.

Honours

Marsh was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2012 Birthday Honours for services to drama.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1947	The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby	Sewing Girl	Uncredited
1953	Will Any Gentleman...?	Dancer
	The Limping Man	The Landlay's Daughter
1954	The Love Lottery	Dancer in Sally's Dream	Uncredited
1961	Call Me Genius	Strange Woman at Party
	The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone	Party Guest
1963	Cleopatra	Octavia
	Unearthly Stranger	Miss Ballard
1964	Face of a Stranger	Grace
1967	Charlie Bubbles	Waitress	Uncredited
1968	The Limbo Line	Dilys
1970	Jane Eyre	Bertha Rochester
1972	Frenzy	Monica Barling
1974	Dark Places	Victoria
1976	The Eagle Has Landed	Joanna Grey
1980	The Changeling	Joanna Russell
1985	Return to Oz	Mombi/Nurse Wilson
1988	Willow	Queen Bavmorda
2009	The Heavy	Mrs. Mason

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1956	ITV Television Playhouse	Christine	Episode: "Woman in a Dressing Gown"
1958	Omnibus	Mimi in La bohème	Episode: "What Makes Opera Grand?"
1959	The Third Man	Helene	Episode: "The Angry Young Man"
	The Moon and Sixpence	Ata	TV film
	The Twilight Zone	Alicia	Episode: "The Lonely"
1961	Danger Man	Kim Russell	Episode: "Name, Date, Place"
	The Magical World of Disney	Andrienne	Episode: The Horsemasters
1962	Heart to Heart (The Largest Theatre in the World)	Peggy Mann	TV play
1963-1964	ITV Play of the Week	Dorothy Lemonade/Margo Robertson	2 episodes
1964	The Edgar Wallace Mystery Theater	Grace	Episode: "Face of a Stranger"
1964-1968	The Saint	Various	4 episodes
1965, 1966, 1989	Doctor Who	Joan, Sara Kingdom, Morgaine	Serials: "The Crusade", "The Daleks' Master Plan" and "Battlefield"
1965	ITV Sunday Night Drama	Sheila	Episode: "Suspense Hour: Curtains for Sheila"
1965-1966	Gideon C.I.D.	Elspeth McCrae/Sandra Casey	2 episodes
1966-1967	The Informer	Sylvia Parish	17 episodes
1967	I Spy	Katherine Faulkner	Episode: "The War Lord"
	Adam Adamant Lives!	Lady Lydia	Episode: "Face in a Mirror"
1968	Detective	Julie Oliver	Episode: "The Deadly Climate"
	The Wednesday Play	Edna	Episode: "A Bit of Crucixion, Father"
	Thirty-Minute Theatre	Alex	Episode: "Cross Examine"
1969	The Expert	Sybil Houghton	Episode: "The Yellow Torrish"
	Department S	Agatha Pollen	Episode: "The Perfect Operation"
	The Root of All Evil?	Anabel	Episode: "What's in It For Me?"
1970	UFO	Janna	Episode: "Exposed"
1970-1972	ITV Saturday Night Theatre	Mrs. Philpott/Jenny	2 episodes
1971	The Persuaders!	Nicola	Episode: "Five Miles to Midnight"
	Play for Today	Madeline Walsh	Episode: "Skin Deep"
1971-1975	Upstairs, Downstairs	Rose Buck	54 episodes, also co-creator
1972	The Befrienders	Miranda Rawling	Episode: "Nobody Understands Miranda"
1973	The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes	Mrs. Vanrenen	Episode: "The Looting of the Specie Room"
1976	Camera Three		Episode: "Mad About the Boy: A Noel Coward Celebration"
1977	The Waltons	Hilary Von Kleist	Episode: "The Hiding Place"
1978	Hawaii Five-O	Sister Harmony	Episode: "The Miracle Man"
1981	See China and Die	Sally Hackman	TV film
	Trapper John, M.D.	Claire Browning	Episode: "Earthquake"
	Goliath Awaits	Dr. Goldman	Miniseries; 2 episodes
1982-1983	9 to 5	Roz Keith	Series regular
1983	The Love Boat	Ceilia Hoffman	Episode: "Japan Cruise"
1984	Master of the Game	Mrs. Talley	Miniseries; 1 episode
1985	The Corsican Brothers	Mazzere	TV film
	Tales from the Darkside	Joan Matlin	Episode: "Answer Me"
1989	Danny, the Champion of the World	Miss Hunter	TV film
	Act of Will	Eliza Crowther	Miniseries; 1 episode
1991-1994	The House of Eliott		Co-creator
1992	Screen One	Lisbeth Bede	Episode: "Adam Bede"
1993	Murder, She Wrote	Glenda Highsmith	Episode: "Murder in White"
1994	The Tomorrow People	Dr. Culex	Serial: "The Culex Experiment"
	The All New Alexei Sayle Show	Matron in Psycho Ward 11	6 episodes
	Fatherland	Anna Von Hogen	TV film
1996	The Ring
1997	Dangerfield	Mrs. Matthews	Episode: "Guilt"
1999	Kavanagh QC	Lady Tibbit	Episode: "End Game"
2000-2001	The Ghost Hunter	Mrs. Croker	18 episodes
2002	Holby City	Vera Engells	Episode: "Pills and Frills"
2003	The Mayor of Casterbridge	Furmity Woman	TV film
	Doctors	Liz	Episode: "Today's the Day"
2005	Julian Fellowes Investigates: A Most Mysterious Murder	Violet Sidney	Episode: "The Case of the Croydon Poisonings"
2007	Sensitive Skin	Lizzie Galbraith	Miniseries
2008	Sense and Sensibility	Mrs. Ferrars	Miniseries; 1 episode
	Crooked House	Lady Constance de Momery	2 episodes
2010-2012	Upstairs Downstairs	Mrs. Rose Buck	5 episodes
2013	An Adventure in Space and Time	Party Guest	Uncredited
2014	Grantchester	Daisy Livingstone	1 episode
2022	Willow	Queen Bavmorda	Episode: "The Whispers of Nockmaar"

Theatre

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1961	The Bird of Time	Shirley O'Neill	Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool and Savoy Theatre
1979	Whose Life Is It Anyway?	Dr. Scott	Trafalgar Theatre
1987	Let Us Go Then You and I	Narrator	Lyric Theatre
1992	The Chalk Garden	Miss Madrigal	King's Head Theatre
2006	The Old Country	Bron	Trafalgar Studios 1, Yvonne Arnaud Theatre and other locations
2007-2008	Boeing Boeing	Bertha	Comedy Theatre
2008	Portrait of a Lady	Mrs. Touchett	Theatre Royal, Bath and Rose Theatre

Books

• Jean Marsh, The House of Eliott, Sidgwick & Jackson (November 1993), 978–0283061554; St Martin's Press (February 1994), ISBN 978-0-312-10996-7
• Jean Marsh, Fiennders Keepers, Macmillan (1996), ISBN 978-0-333-63211-6; St Martin's Press (May 1997), ISBN 978-0-312-15528-5
• Jean Marsh, Iris, St Martin's Press (July 2000), ISBN 978-0-312-26182-5; Macmillan (February 2003), ISBN 978-0-333-71154-5
• Jean Marsh, Fiennders Abbey, Pan (5 August 2011), ISBN 978-1-4472-0007-9

External links

• Jean Marsh at IMDb
• Jean Marsh at the Internet Broadway Database
• Jean Marsh at the TCM Movie Database
• Jean Marsh at Rotten Tomatoes
• Jean Marsh(Aveleyman)