Jean Marsh played well over 100 roles as listed at her profile on the International Movie Database (IMDb). The Emmy Award winning British actress, however, was best known as the co-creator as well as one of the stars of the ITV series Upstairs Downstairs (1971-75).
Marsh died Sunday in London at the age of 90. She suffered from dementia in her last few years.
Her credits date way back to 1947 when she had a bit part in the British feature “The Life and Adventure of Nicholas Nickleby.” Early adult credits include an episode of The Twilight Zone (1959) as well as British series’ such as Danger Man (1961).
It was with Upstairs Downstairs, however, where she made her mark. Clearly an inspiration many years later for Downton Abbey, the Edwardian era drama took a penetrating look at the class system in The UK. Co-creator and actress Eileen Atkins told reporters in 2010 that she and Marsh used to watch the original aristocratic soap The Forsythe Saga on BBC in 1967 and think, “our poor parents would have been ironing those frocks and blacking those grates and washing all that stuff.” Their thinking was, “wouldn’t it be wonderful if there was a series about the downstairs people?”
Roles in Alfred Hitchcock’s “Frenzy” (1972), The Waltons and a one-season run in the series version of Nine to Five (1982-83) followed. Marsh also appeared in several seasons of the long-running British series Doctor Who as well as many years on the British stage.
Marsh was briefly married to actor John Pertwee before he became famous as the time lord in an early season of Doctor Who. Other relationships included actors Albert Finney and Kenneth Haigh as well as director Michael Lindsay-Hogg (“Let it Be”).
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Marsh and Atkins were both at the 2010 Television Critics Association press tour in Los Angeles promoting the 2010-12 BBC/PBS revival of Upstars Downstairs. Years earlier, Marsh attended another TCA press conference. She got one of the biggest laughs ever at the tour when she told reporters that she had recently been honoured in The UK where a rose had been named in her honour. (The name of her parlormaid character on Upstairs Downstairs was Rose Buck.)
She took it a little personally, however, when she read the care and feeding instructions that came with the flower.
“Doesn’t do well in a bed,” she reported. “Better up against a wall.”
Condolensces to her family and friends.
