Jean Marsh, who co-created the classic TV show
Upstairs, Downstairs and played parlourmaid Rose Buck on the show, died on April 13 at the age of 90 from complications from dementia.
Jean Marsh was born on July 1 1934 in London. As a child she had Bell's palsy. Her mother sent her to dance school in the hope that it would strengthen her. As a young girl Miss Marsh also spent much of her time reading books. She attended the Aida Foster Theatre School. She made her acting debut in
Pardon My Claws opposite Sonnie Hale.
/Jean Marsh made her film debut in a bit part in
The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby in 1947. In the Fifties she appeared in the movies
Will Any Gentleman...? (1953),
The Limping Man (1953), and
The Love Lottery (1954). She appeared in television shows on both sides of the Atlantic. She guest starred on the shows
ITV Television Playhouse,
Omnibus,
The Third Man, and
The Twilight Zone. She made her Broadway debut in 1959 in
Much Ado About Nothing.
In the Sixties she played Joanna in the
Doctor Who serial "The Crusade" and Sara Kingdom in the
Doctor Who serial "The Daleks' Master Plan" she was a regular on the British show
The Informer. She guest starred on the shows
Danger Man,
Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color,
ITV Play of the Week,
The Edgar Wallace Mystery Theatre,
The Saint,
ITV Sunday Night Drama,
Gideon's Way,
I Spy,
Adam Adamant Lives!,
Detective,
The Wednesday Play,
Thirty-Minute Theatre,
The Expert,
Department S,
The Root of All Evil?,
UFOm,
and ITV Saturday Night Theatre. She appeared in the films
Call Me Genius (1961),
The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (1961),
Cleopatra (1963),
Unearthly Stranger (1963),
Face of a Stranger (1964),
Charles Bubbles (1967),
The Limbo Line (1968), and
Jane Eyre (1970). She appeared on stage in
The Bird of Time at the Royal Court Theatre in Liverpool and the Savoy Theatre in Westminster, London.
Jean Marsh and her best friend, fellow actress Eileen Atkins, co-created
Upstairs, Downstairs. She appeared in all five series of the show as Rose Buck. She guest starred on the TV shows
ITV Saturday Night Theatre,
The Persuaders!,
Play for Today,
The Befrienders,
The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes,
Camera Three,
The Waltons,and
Hawaii Five-O. She appeared in the movies
Frenzy (1972),
Dark Places (1974),
The Eagle Has Landed (1976)), and
The Changeling (1980). She appeared on Broadway in
Habeas Corpus and
Whose Life is It Anyway?.
In the Eighties Jean Marsh was a regular on the sitcom
9 to 5, based on the movie of the same name. She guest starred on the shows
Trapper John, M.D.;
The Love Boat;
Tales from the Darkside; and
Doctor Who. She appeared in the mini-series
Goliath Awaits,
Master of the Game, and
Act of Will. She appeared in the movies
Return to Oz (1985) and
Willow (1988). She appeared on stage in
Let Us Go Then You and I at the Lyric Theatre in Westminster, London.
In the Nineties Jean Marsh co-created the TV series
The House of Elliott with Eileen Atkins. She was a semi-regular on
The All New Alexei Sayle Show and a regular on
The Ghost Hunter. She guest starred on the shows
Screen One;
Murder, She Wrote;
The Tomorrow People;
Dangerfield; and
Kavanagh QC. She appeared on stage in
The Chalk Garden at the King's Head Theatre in London.
In the Naughts Jean Marsh continue to appear on
The Ghost Hunter. She reprised her role as Rose Buck on the revival of
Upstairs, Downstairs. She appeared in the mini-series
Sensitive Skin and
Sense and Sensibility. She guest starred on the shows
Holby City,
Doctors,
Julian Fellowes Investigates: A Most Mysterious Murder, and
Crooked House. She appeared in the movie
The Heavy (2009). She appeared on stage in
The Old Country at various locations,
Boeing, Boeing in the Comedy Theatre in Westminster, London, and
The Portrait of a Lady at the Theatre Royal, Bath and the Rose Theatre Kingston.
In the Teens she continued to appear in the revival of
Upstairs, Downstairs. She guest starred on the show
Grantchester.
I am guessing Jean Marsh will always be best remembered as the prim, proper, pragmatic, and yet ultimately cheerful Rose Buck on
Upstairs, Downstairs, as well as one of the show's creators. The show itself would have a lasting influence, inspiring such shows as
The Duchess of Duke Street,;
m You Rang, M'Lord?;
Beacon Hill; and on down to
Downton Abbey. Of course, Jean Marsh also had close ties to
Doctor Who, appearing in three different serials. In "The Crusade" she played Princess Joanna, the sister of King Richard the Lionheart. In "The Daleks' Master Plan" she played Sara Kingdom, a Space Security Agent helping the Doctor in his fight against the Daleks. In "Battlefield" she played a role well removed form either Princess Joanna or Sara Kingdom, Morgaine, better known as Morgan le Fay.
Beyond
Upstairs, Downstairs and
Doctor Who she appeared in a number of shows on both sides of the Atlantic. She was an android created as a companion for a man exiled to an asteroid in the
Twilight Zone episode "The Lonely." On
The Waltons she played the Baldwin sisters' cousin who had married a German citizen and is now worried about the Nazi regime given her husband is Jewish. In movies she played everything from Octavia in the film
Cleopatra to
Queen Bavmorda in
Willow. As a television show creator Jean Marsh was brilliant and she was brilliant as an actress as well. She played a number of different roles throughout her career.
