Upstairs, Downstairs and The House Of Eliott actress and creator dies aged 90
Her friend, director Sir Michael Lindsay-Hogg, said in a statement issued through her agent: 'Jean died peacefully in bed looked after by one of her very loving carers. You could say we were very close for 60 years.
"She was as wise and funny as anyone I ever met, as well as being very pretty and kind, and talented as both an actress and writer. An instinctively empathetic person who was loved by everyone who met her. We spoke on the phone almost every day for the past 40 years.'
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She was best known for playing the role of Rose in the British drama television series Upstairs, Downstairs, which she co-created with Dame Eileen Atkins. For her portrayal she won an Emmy at the 1976 awards ceremony in the category of outstanding lead actress in a limited series.
Born Jean Lyndsey Torren Marsh on July 1 1934 in Stoke Newington, north London, her mother worked in a bar and as a theatre dresser while her father was a handyman and printer's assistant. She became interested in performing after taking dance and mime classes as therapy for an illness and began acting on stage, with a stint at Huddersfield Rep in the 1950s.
It was not long before she transferred to London and at the age of 12 the actress made her West End debut in The Land Of The Christmas Stocking at The Duke of York's Theatre. Her earliest screen appearances came in such TV classics as The Twilight Zone and Danger Man. She also appeared in Doctor Who adventures, most notably as William Hartnell's short-lived companion Sara Kingdom.
Her most notable films were fantasy adventure Willow (1988), thriller Frenzy (1972) and war movie The Eagle Has Landed (1976). In 2007 the cast of Upstairs, Downstairs, including Marsh, reunited for the first time in more than 30 years for a TV special marking the 60th anniversary of the Bafta awards.
Marsh said at the event: 'I clearly remember sitting in my friend Eileen Atkins' kitchen, nearly 40 years ago, discussing an idea for a series showing the contrast between upstairs and downstairs, and we were sharing stories about her father and my mother, both of whom had been in service.'
The BBC revived the period drama in 2010 and Marsh returned as Rose. A minor stroke forced Marsh to take a break in 2011, but she returned to work afterwards.
She was married to Doctor Who actor Jon Pertwee for five years before their divorce in 1960 and she also had relationships with actors Kenneth Haigh, Albert Finney and Sir Michael. Marsh starred in a number of other TV series including Sense And Sensibility, Hawaii Five-O, and Murder, She Wrote. She was made an OBE in 2012 for her career in drama.
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The Better Sister / Prime Video: Season 1 Cruel Intentions / Freevee: Season 1 Disney Jr.'s Ariel / Disney+: Season 1 Harlem / Prime Video: Season 3 Mayfair Witches / AMC: Season 2 Queenie / Hulu: Season 1 The Road Trip / Paramount+: Season 1 The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy / Prime Video: Season 2 SkyMed / Paramount+: Season 3 UnPrisoned / Hulu: Season 2 The Upshaws / Netflix: Season 4 About ReFrame Founded by Sundance Institute and Women In Film, Los Angeles (WIF), ReFrame is an initiative that employs a unique strategy: a peer-to-peer approach, in which ReFrame Ambassadors engage with senior industry decision-makers at over 50 Partner Companies to implement ReFrame systemic change programs. The initiative's goals are to provide research, support, and a practical framework that can be used by Partner companies to mitigate bias during the creative decision-making and hiring process, celebrate successes, and measure progress toward a more gender-representative industry on all levels. ReFrame is made possible by support from Netflix's Creative Equity Fund, IMDbPro, WME, Adobe and Pivotal Ventures. About IMDbPro IMDbPro is the essential resource for entertainment industry professionals. This membership service empowers professionals with information and features designed to help them achieve success throughout all stages of their career. IMDbPro premium membership includes the following: detailed contact and representation information; tools for members to manage and showcase their IMDb profile, including selecting their primary images and the credits they are best "known for"; exclusive STARmeter rankings determined by page views on IMDb; the IMDbPro app for iPhone, iPad, and Android; IMDbPro Track, which empowers members to receive personalized entertainment industry news and notifications on the people and film and TV projects they want to follow; and a convenient feature that generates custom digital assets to promote their work on social media and other platforms. IMDbPro is a division of IMDb, the world's most popular and authoritative source for information on movies, TV shows, and celebrities. Industry professionals can join IMDbPro today at Follow IMDbPro on Facebook, Instagram, and X. About IMDb IMDb is the world's most popular and authoritative source for information on movies, TV shows, and celebrities. Hundreds of millions of customers all over the world rely on IMDb to discover and decide what to watch, advance their professional entertainment careers through IMDbPro, and grow their businesses using IMDb data and trending insights. Products and services to help fans decide what to watch and where to watch it include: the IMDb website for desktop and mobile devices; apps for iOS and Android; and X-Ray on Prime Video. For entertainment industry professionals, IMDb provides IMDbPro and Box Office Mojo. IMDb licenses information from its vast and authoritative database to third-party businesses worldwide; learn more at IMDb is an Amazon company. For more information, visit and follow @IMDb. Sundance Institute As a champion and curator of independent stories, the nonprofit Sundance Institute provides and preserves the space for artists across storytelling media to create and thrive. Founded in 1981 by Robert Redford, the Institute's signature labs, granting, and mentorship programs, dedicated to developing new work, take place throughout the year in the U.S. and internationally. Sundance Institute Collab, a digital community platform, brings a global cohort of working artists together to learn from Sundance Institute advisors and connect with each other in a creative space, developing and sharing works in progress. The Sundance Film Festival and other public programs connect audiences and artists to ignite new ideas, discover original voices, and build a community dedicated to independent storytelling. Through the Sundance Institute artist programs, we have supported such projects as Beasts of the Southern Wild, The Big Sick, Bottle Rocket, Boys Don't Cry, Boys State, Call Me by Your Name, Clemency, CODA, Dìdi (弟弟), Drunktown's Finest, The Farewell, Fire of Love, Flee, Fruitvale Station, Half Nelson, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Hereditary, The Infiltrators, The Last Black Man in San Francisco, Little Woods, Love & Basketball, Me and You and Everyone We Know, Mudbound, Nanny, One Child Nation, Pariah, Raising Victor Vargas, RBG, Requiem for a Dream, Reservoir Dogs, Sin Nombre, Sorry to Bother You, Strong Island, Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), Swiss Army Man, A Thousand and One, Top of the Lake, Won't You Be My Neighbor?, and Zola. Through year-round artist programs, the Institute also nurtured the early careers of such artists as Paul Thomas Anderson, Gregg Araki, Darren Aronofsky, Lisa Cholodenko, Nia DaCosta, Ryan Coogler, The Daniels, Robert Eggers, Rick Famuyiwa, David Gordon Green, Sterlin Harjo, Marielle Heller, Miranda July, Nikyatu Jusu, James Mangold, John Cameron Mitchell, Kimberly Peirce, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Boots Riley, A.V. Rockwell, Ira Sachs, Walter Salles, Quentin Tarantino, Erica Tremblay, Taika Waititi, Lulu Wang, Sean Wang, and Chloé Zhao. Support Sundance Institute in our commitment to uplifting bold artists and powerful storytelling globally by making a donation at Join Sundance Institute on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, and Bluesky. About WIF Founded in 1973 as Women In Film, Los Angeles, WIF has been fighting for gender equity for more than 50 years. Its advocacy, career programs, and research efforts are a driving force for increasing gender representation in Hollywood. WIF works to dismantle gender bias in the screen industries by building the pipeline, sustaining careers, and advocating for change. Membership is open to all screen industry professionals, and more information can be found on our website: WIF is led by Chief Executive Officer Kirsten Schaffer and Chair of the Board of Directors Syrinthia Studer. Follow WIF on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube. View source version on Contacts APEX Public RelationsElyse Weissman / Lindsey Brownelyse@ / lindsey@ Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
