Katherine Florence Dotrice (née Newman; 9 May 1929 – 2 August 2007), known professionally as Kay Newman and Kay Dotrice, was a British stage and screen actress, best known for her roles in the UK TV series '' Crossroads'', the movie '' Cheech & Chong's The Corsican Brothers'', and many repertory performances during the 1950s.

Career

Dotrice began her career performing in revue and repertory theatre, particularly in the north of England. She played many lead roles, and consistently received positive notices. Reviewing

J. Hartley Manners John Hartley Manners (10 August 1870 – 19 December 1928) was a London-born playwright of Irish extraction who wrote ''Peg o' My Heart'', which starred his wife, Laurette Taylor, on Broadway in one of her greatest stage triumphs. Biography ...

' ''Peg O' My Heart'', one critic wrote "the Chichester family .. members were vividly contrasted

ith The Ith () is a ridge in Germany's Central Uplands which is up to 439 m high. It lies about 40 km southwest of Hanover and, at 22 kilometres, is the longest line of crags in North Germany. Geography Location The Ith is immediatel ...

... Kay Newman, fresh from her success as Emmy in "They Walk Alone", as the resentful Ethel", while another said, "Kay Newman, as the slandered wife, gave an appealing performance". Reviews of

Mel Dinelli Amelio "Mel" Dinelli (6 October 1912, Albuquerque, New Mexico – 28 November 1991, Los Angeles, California) was an American writer for theatre, radio, film and magazines, usually in the suspense genre. He grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and ...

's ''The Man'' commented "Kay Newman in particular gave an impressive performance. As the frightened and tormented woman who unwittingly hires the services of a homicidal maniac as a house-help, she had a firm grasp on the part", and "Kay Newman reveals strong dramatic powers as in rapid succession she conveys nervous tension ranging from surprise to panic." In

John Van Druten John William Van Druten (1 June 190119 December 1957) was an English playwright and theatre director. He began his career in London, and later moved to America, becoming a U.S. citizen. He was known for his plays of witty and urbane observation ...

's ''Behold We Live'', she "gives a delightful character study as a down-to-earth London housekeeper." In performances on Guernsey of '' Johnny Belinda'', "the leading part of Belinda asa personal triumph for Kay Newman, who played it with charm and restraint."
In 1962, her six-year-old daughter

Karen Dotrice Karen Dotrice ( ; born 9 November 1955) is a British actress. She is known primarily for her role as Jane Banks in Walt Disney's '' Mary Poppins'', the feature film adaptation of the '' Mary Poppins'' book series. Dotrice was born in Guernsey i ...

was offered a five-year contract by

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...

, and Kay Dotrice spent all her time with her, supporting her and helping her learn her scripts. In 1977, she returned to performing under the name Kay Dotrice, playing the roles of Mrs Darling and Michael in a

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label * Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label * Decca Studios, a recording facility in W ...

recording of ''

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythi ...

''. The following year, she was cast as Mrs Crisp in the long-running ITV series Crossroads, and appeared in twenty-five episodes. In 1984, she appeared as the midwife in the film '' Cheech & Chong's The Corsican Brothers''.

Selected stage performances (as Kay Newman)

Family

Kay Dotrice was the wife of actor

Roy Dotrice Roy Dotrice (26 May 1923 – 16 October 2017) was a British actor famed for his portrayal of the antiquarian John Aubrey in the record-breaking solo play '' Brief Lives''. Abroad, he won a Tony Award for his performance in the 2000 Broadway r ...

. They lived for many years in

Shipston-on-Stour Shipston-on-Stour is a town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon District in Warwickshire, England. It is located on the banks of the River Stour, Warwickshire, River Stour, points of the compass, south-southeast of Stratford-upon-Avon, 10 ...

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Av ...

. Their daughters,

Karen Karen may refer to: * Karen (name), a given name and surname * Karen (slang), a term and meme for a demanding woman displaying certain behaviors People * Karen people, an ethnic group in Myanmar and Thailand ** Karen languages or Karenic l ...

Michele Michele (), is an Italian male given name, akin to the English male name Michael. Michele (pronounced ), is also an English female given name that is derived from the French Michèle. It is a variant spelling of the more common (and identically ...

, and Yvette, have also been actresses.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dotrice, Kay 1929 births 2007 deaths British film actresses British stage actresses British television actresses Shakespearean actresses 21st-century British actresses 20th-century British actresses