Jean Marsh obit

Jean Marsh dead aged 90: Actress who co-created hit show Upstairs, Downstairs dies at home after 'complications of dementia'

 She was not on the list.

Beloved British actress Jean Marsh, who co-created and starred in the iconic period drama Upstairs, Downstairs, has died at the age of 90.

The Emmy-winning star passed away peacefully at her home in London on Sunday, her close friend, filmmaker Michael Lindsay-Hogg, confirmed.

The cause of death was reported as complications from dementia.

Jean, known for her striking features and commanding presence, became a household name in the 1970s thanks to her unforgettable role as Rose Buck - the no-nonsense but warm-hearted head parlour maid - in the much-loved ITV series set in Edwardian England.

Upstairs, Downstairs was a groundbreaking show that captivated audiences on both sides of the Atlantic. It aired in the UK from 1971 to 1975 and in the US from 1974 to 1977, drawing millions of viewers.

Her compelling performance as Rose earned her a prestigious Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series - one of seven Emmys the show would ultimately collect, along with a coveted Peabody Award.

Born in Stoke Newington, north London, in 1934, Marsh began her career as a stage actress before making her name on television and film screens in the 1950s and '60s.

Her career spanned over six decades, with appearances in everything from sci-fi classics to Hollywood films.

Before becoming a household name, she featured in several early episodes of Doctor Who, including the iconic 1965 serial The Daleks' Master Plan, where she played space agent Sara Kingdom, one of the first truly empowered female characters in the series.

Her big-screen credits included roles in Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange, Alfred Hitchcock's Frenzy, and the 1967 James Bond spoof Casino Royale.

She also starred in fantasy favourites like Return to Oz (1985) and Willow (1988), where she portrayed the evil Queen Bavmorda in a memorably menacing performance.

On television, Marsh was a familiar face in countless dramas, including The Twilight Zone, The Love Boat, The House of Eliott, and 9 to 5.

She also appeared in several Shakespearean adaptations and held her own opposite the likes of Laurence Olivier and Judi Dench.

But it was Upstairs, Downstairs — which she co-created alongside friend and fellow actress Eileen Atkins — that cemented her place in television history.

Marsh played the no-nonsense yet warm-hearted parlour maid Rose Buck in the Edwardian-set ITV drama, which aired from 1971 to 1975 and explored the complex relationship between the aristocratic Bellamy family and their servants.

The show became an international sensation, winning seven Emmy Awards, a BAFTA and a Peabody, with Marsh taking home the 1975 Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series — a rare accolade for a British performer at the time.

She reprised the role of Rose in the BBC's 2010 revival of Upstairs, Downstairs, where she returned as the housekeeper, bridging the gap between old and new generations of fans.

Despite her fame, Marsh remained fiercely private. She had a brief marriage to actor Jon Pertwee, the Third Doctor in Doctor Who,  in the 1950s, but the pair later divorced and remained friends.

Known for her intelligence, wit and elegance, Marsh was not only a talented actress but also a passionate advocate for women's voices in the arts.

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

She was briefly married to Jon Pertwee, who played the Third Doctor in the series, from 1955 to 1960.

 

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    Doctor Who     Joanna            Serial: The Crusade

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    Doctor Who     Sara Kingdom            Serial: The Daleks' Master Plan

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

Doctor Who            Morgaine         Serial: Battlefield

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