Latest news with #Downstairs
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Willow' star and ‘Upstairs, Downstairs' co-creator Jean Marsh dead at 90
English actress Jean Marsh, known for her roles in the fantasy film "Willow" and the ITV series "Upstairs, Downstairs," has died at age 90 due to complications from dementia. Her longtime agent, Lesley Duff, confirmed the news to Fox News Digital, saying it had been "my pleasure to represent Jean for many years and she will be greatly missed." Duff also provided a statement from Marsh's close friend, director Michael Lindsay-Hogg, who said, "Jean died peacefully in bed looked after by one of her very loving carers." "We were very close for 60 years," he added. "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." Val Kilmer, 'Top Gun' And 'Batman Forever' Star, Dead At 65 Marsh began her acting career in the 1950s, appearing on British and American television, including an episode of "The Twilight Zone" titled "The Lonely" in 1959. Read On The Fox News App She also appeared opposite Laurence Olivier in "Moon and Sixpence" and Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in "Cleopatra," among other film roles. Younger audiences may recognize her most from her roles as the evil Queen Bavmorda in 1988's "Willow," alongside the late Val Kilmer, and "Return to Oz" as the witch Mombi. Marsh's TV career also included co-creating the hit ITV series "Upstairs, Downstairs," following the wealthy Bellamy family and their servants, including her character, Rose Buck. Click Here To Sign Up For The Entertainment Newsletter The role earned Marsh four Emmy nominations and one win in 1975 for outstanding lead actress in a drama series. "Upstairs, Downstairs" ran from 1971 to 1975 and was later revived in 2010, with Marsh reprising her role. Marsh was appointed Office of the Order of the British Empire in 2012 for her services to drama. Other roles throughout her lengthy career include parts in films like Alfred Hitchcock's "Frenzy," "Dark Places" and "The Changeling" as well as television roles on "The Saint," "I Spy" and "Doctor Who." Like What You're Reading? Click Here For More Entertainment News She also had a career onstage in London's West End, and wrote five novels. Marsh's last credited onscreen role was in the Disney+ revival series of "Willow," reprising her role as Queen Bavmorda. Born on July 1, 1934, in Stoke Newington, London, Marsh was briefly married to "Doctor Who" star Jon Pertwee and later had relationships with Albert Finney, Kenneith Haigh and Michael Lindsay-Hogg. "I have had partners who I have thought about marrying and who have thought about marrying me," she told The Telegraph in 2010. "The problem was that we never thought it at the same time. I should have taken the advice of my mother, who told me 50 years ago that I should marry and settle down."Original article source: 'Willow' star and 'Upstairs, Downstairs' co-creator Jean Marsh dead at 90
The Guardian
15-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Jean Marsh obituary
Jean Marsh, who has died aged 90, created the classic 1970s television series Upstairs, Downstairs with her friend and fellow actor Dame Eileen Atkins. As well as co-writing the series, Marsh played the part of Rose Buck, a parlour maid, who became something of a sex symbol in the early 70s and returned as the housekeeper when the series was revived nearly four decades later. The period drama, 'the everyday story of Edwardian folk', as the Guardian described it at the time, followed the intertwined lives of the upper-class Bellamy family and their servants, at 165 Eaton Place in Belgravia, London. Set between 1903 and 1930, the series documented a period of immense social change. Marsh and Atkins had originally conceived of a story centred around two maids. Both from working-class families, the actors wanted to create a drama that depicted characters with backgrounds more like their own. They came up with the idea 'over a Sunday lunch'. The Forsyte Saga was then a popular television drama series. 'It was beautiful, of course,' Marsh recalled. 'The clothes, the houses ... But we thought ... who is cooking the food and ironing the clothes? At the time, apart from Dickens there was nothing written about the working classes. And I was determined to be the maid and not the lady.' Their idea was developed by the television producers John Hawkesworth and John Whitney and taken up by London Weekend Television. Upstairs, Downstairs ran for five series on ITV between 1971 and 1975, winning two Baftas. For her role as the hard-working parlour maid, Marsh won an Emmy for outstanding actress in a drama series (1975) as well as two Golden Globe nominations. Audiences in the UK peaked at 18 million and the show was sold to 80 countries. The two repeated the success with The House of Eliott, about two sisters who set up a fashion house in the 20s, which ran for three BBC series (1991-94). However, when they proposed a re-make of Upstairs Downstairs for the 21st century – this time on the BBC – the series (2010-12) was overshadowed by ITV's Downton Abbey. Marsh, the only member of the original cast, reprised her role as Buck, and Atkins played an 'upstairs' character, Maud, Lady Holland. Despite critical acclaim, with Keeley Hawes and Ed Stoppard in the starring roles, the series could not capture the same audiences as Downton and was axed after nine episodes. Marsh's big screen credits included Alfred Hitchcock's Frenzy (1972), The Eagle Has Landed (1976) and the fantasy films Return to Oz (1985) and Willow (1988), but Rose Buck is the role for which she will be best remembered. Born in London, Jean grew up in Stoke Newington. Her father, Henry, was a printer's assistant, and her mother, Emmeline (nee Bexley), a parlour maid 'in a big pub hotel' who lived to the age of 102; Jean later described her as the prototype for her Upstairs, Downstairs character. (Atkins's father, meanwhile, had been a chauffeur and an under-butler in 'a grand household'.) The Marsh family of four lived in two rooms with no kitchen and no bathroom. Jean and her elder sister, Yvonne, shared a bed. She left school at 15 to train as a dancer. 'If you were very working class in those days you weren't going to think of a career in science,' she told the Guardian in 1972. 'You either did a tap dance or you worked in Woolworth's.' She quickly built a career in acting, working first in repertory theatre, in Huddersfield and Nottingham. In 1959 she went to the US to appear on Broadway with John Gielgud in his production of Much Ado About Nothing. One of her first television roles was alongside Laurence Olivier in the US television film The Moon and Sixpence (1959), playing his Tahitian mistress. 'People would say: 'If it turned out you were an earl's daughter we wouldn't be surprised ... I was, like: 'Excuse me, but I am actually a scrubber.'' She went on to appear in The Saint (1964-68), The Tomorrow People (1994) and, much later, the 2007 BBC adaptation of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility, playing Mrs Ferrars. She also had a long association with Doctor Who, appearing as Lady Joanna in the 1965 serial The Crusade, Morgaine in Battlefield in 1989, and the companion Sara Kingdom in the 12-part The Daleks' Master Plan in 1965-66, with William Hartnell as the first Doctor. She reprised the role in a series of Doctor Who audio plays between 2008 and 2016. Her friendship with Atkins was a long collaboration. They met in their 30s, Atkins just divorced from the actor Julian Glover and Marsh separated from the actor Kenneth Haigh after a 10-year relationship. 'We were exactly the same age, both sort-of working class and we were always laughing,' Marsh said. She was married for five years from 1955 (when she was 19) to the actor Jon Pertwee, who later played Doctor Who; as well as the relationship with Haigh, she had an affair with Albert Finney and a long-term partnership with the film director Michael Lindsay-Hogg. He said that they had spoken by phone 'almost every day for the last 40 years'. Marsh enjoyed her image as a sex symbol and was fond of speaking mischievously in interviews. At 78, she said: 'Men look at me. They might be very happily married but they just think: 'Nice'.' Marsh was appointed OBE in 2012. Her sister Yvonne died in 2017. Jean Lyndsey Torren Marsh, actor and writer, born 1 July 1934; died 13 April 2025
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Upstairs, Downstairs and The House Of Eliott actress and creator dies aged 90
Upstairs, Downstairs actress and co-creator Jean Marsh has died at the age of 90. The Emmy-award winning star also co-created historical drama series The House Of Eliott. 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.' READ MORE: Martin Clunes admits his childhood wasn't 'idyllic' ahead of new TV show READ MORE: BBC's Fiona Bruce fumes at Welsh politician 'stop talking' in fiery Question Time row 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.
Euronews
14-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Euronews
Beloved British actress Jean Marsh, star of show 'Upstairs, Downstairs', dies aged 90
ADVERTISEMENT British actress Jean Marsh, best known for her role as Rose Buck in the series Upstairs, Downstairs, has died aged 90. Marsh's friend, director Sir Michael Lindsay-Hogg, said in a statement to the PA news agency that the actress "died peacefully in bed looked after by one of her very loving carers". "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,' he added. "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." Marsh as Rose Buck ITV - Getty Images Marsh won an Emmy for outstanding lead actress in a limited series in 1976 for Upstairs, Downstairs (1971 – 1975) – a series which depicted the life of the servants ("downstairs") and their masters, the family ("upstairs") between the years 1903 and 1930, showing the slow decline of the British aristocracy during the Edwardian period, the First World War and the Roaring Twenties. Marsh co-created the series with Dame Eileen Atkins, a show which is said to have partly inspired the hugely popular Downton Abbey series. Upstairs, Downstairs was later revived and reimagined in 2010, and Marsh became the only original cast member to return. Robert Blake and Jean Marsh hold up their Emmys for best actor and best actress in a drama series at the Emmy Awards - 19 May 1975 AP Photo Born on 1 July 1934 in Stoke Newington, north London, Marsh took dance and mime classes as therapy for an illness at a young age. She made her West End debut in The Land Of The Christmas Stockings at The Duke of York's Theatre when she was just 12 years old. Marsh starred in films like Alfred Hitchcock's Frenzy (1972), the famous British war film The Eagle Has Landed (1976), the Val Kilmer -starring adventure film Willow (1988). She appeared in iconic shows such as The Twilight Zone , Danger Man, Hawaii Five-O and Murder, She Wrote, and is known to many sci-fi fans as Sara Kingdom, a companion of the First Doctor in Doctor Who . She was briefly married to actor Jon Pertwee, the third incarnation of the Doctor. In 2012, she was made an Officer of the British Empire (OBE) for services to drama.
Los Angeles Times
14-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Jean Marsh, British actress and co-creator of ‘Upstairs, Downstairs,' dies at 90
Jean Marsh, the British actress who co-created the enduring serialized hit TV series 'Upstairs, Downstairs,' died Sunday at the age of 90. The Sunday Times of London said Marsh died at her London home due to complications from dementia. Marsh gave television one of the best loved programs in history when she teamed with actress Eileen Atkins to create 'Upstairs, Downstairs,' set in a London estate during the Edwardian era. The series depicted the lives of the staff toiling downstairs at 165 Eaton Place and the wealthy Bellamy family living above. Marsh played Rose Buck, the head parlormaid in the Bellamy home. The drama made its debut on London Weekend Television in 1971 and became a major prime time series hit for PBS in 1974 when it was imported for U.S. audiences. The series depicting class distinctions in British society ran for five seasons and was revived for the BBC in 2011 with Marsh recreating her role. Marsh told NPR in 2011 that she and Atkins came up with the idea while watching a period drama on TV. 'We'd been watching something full of rich people, rich food, beautiful clothes and we had chips on our shoulders, I suppose. And we thought, 'Who did all this work? Who cooked? Who washed up?' ' she said. 'All those things we put together and thought, 'Let's write something about the downstairs people, the servants, the people who serve.' ' During its run, 'Upstairs, Downstairs' earned seven prime-time Emmy Awards, including a 1975 lead actress in a drama series win for Marsh. Jean Lyndsey Torren Marsh was born July 1, 1934 in Stoke Newington, a northwest section of London. Her father was a printer's assistant and her mother worked as a housemaid, giving her the insights she needed to write 'Upstairs, Downstairs.' (Atkins' parents also worked as household servants.) Marsh began her performing career as a teenager, appearing as a dancer in the Michael Powell-Emeric Pressburger film, 'The Tales of Hoffmann.' She made her Broadway stage debut in 1959, starring opposite John Gielgud in 'Much Ado About Nothing.' That same year she played opposite Laurence Olivier in David Susskind's TV production of 'The Moon and Sixpence' for NBC. Marsh split her time between the U.S. and London during the 1960s, with roles in the film 'Cleopatra,' and TV shows such as 'I Spy,' 'The Twilight Zone,' 'Doctor Who' and 'The Informer.' After 'Upstairs, Downstairs' became a hit, Marsh worked steadily in the U.S. and Great Britain for the next five decades. Her film roles include Alfred Hitchcock's 1972 film 'Frenzy,' and the spy drama 'The Eagle Has Landed.' She played Queen Bavmorda in Ron Howard's 1988 hit 'Willow.' Marsh also had numerous guest roles on U.S. TV series including 'Murder, She Wrote' and 'The Love Boat' and as a regular on the ABC sitcom 'Nine to Five.' In 1996, she wrote a successful romance novel, 'Fiennders Keepers,' which dealt with social change in a rural community. She played Mrs. Ferrars in a well-received 2008 TV mini-series version of 'Sense and Sensibility.' Marsh was married the late actor Jon Pertwee, who was 15 years her senior, in 1955 when she was just 20. They divorced five years later. She later lived with actors Kenneth Haigh and Albert Finney before beginning a 10-year relationship with the director Michael Lindsay-Hogg.
