Carolyn Phyllis Jones (18 April 1941 – 25 July 2018) was a British actress, best known for playing the "amorous motel garage secretary" Sharon Metcalfe in the ITV soap ''

Crossroads Crossroads is a junction where four roads meet. Crossroads, crossroad, cross road(s) or similar may also refer to: Film and television Films * ''Crossroads'' (1928 film), a 1928 Japanese film by Teinosuke Kinugasa * ''Cross Roads'' (film), a ...

''.

Early life

Jones was born in

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, Canada, to Reg Jones, a journalist, and Jean Jones (nee Staniforth), a secretary, and educated at Vancouver High School and

LAMDA The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) is a drama school located in Hammersmith, London. Founded in 1861, it is the oldest specialist drama school in the British Isles and a founding member of the Federation of Drama Schools. In ...

Career

Having appeared in a semi-regular role as Lily Hever in ITV prison drama ''

Within These Walls ''Within These Walls'' is a British television drama programme made by London Weekend Television for ITV and shown between 1974 and 1978. It portrayed life in HMP Stone Park, a fictional women's prison. Unlike later women-in-prison TV series ...

'', in 1975, Jones appeared in the second episode of the first series of ''

The Sweeney ''The Sweeney'' is a British police drama television series focusing on two members of the Flying Squad, a branch of the Metropolitan Police specialising in tackling armed robbery and violent crime in London. It stars John Thaw as Detective ...

'', playing the role of Irene Biggleswade. In the very early 1980s, she played

Portia Portia may refer to: Biology * ''Portia'' (spider), a genus of jumping spiders *Portia tree, a plant native to Polynesia *''Anaea troglodyta'' or Portia, a brush-footed butterfly Other uses *Portia (given name), the history and usage of the give ...

in a production of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's "

The Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan taken out on behalf of his dear friend, Bassanio, and provided by a ...

" at the New Theatre,

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

. In 2005, she played Vera Flannigan in Channel 5's soap opera ''

Family Affairs ''Family Affairs'' is a British soap opera that aired on Channel 5. It debuted on 30 March 1997, the day of the launch of said channel and was the first programme broadcast on the channel. It was screened as five thirty-minute episodes per w ...

'' In 2012, she appeared in two episodes of ''

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a British television soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the East End of London, the ...

'' as Joy. From 2016 to 2018, Jones played Ursula Titchener on

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

's long-running soap ''

The Archers ''The Archers'' is a British radio soap opera currently broadcast on BBC Radio 4, the corporation's main spoken-word Radio broadcasting, channel. Broadcast since 1951, it was famously billed as "an everyday story of country folk" and is now pr ...

''.

Personal life

In 1969, she married Jeremy Mason, son of scriptwriter Edward J. Mason, and they divorced in 1981, but appeared together in ''Crossroads'' throughout 1982 and into 1983.

Selected television

*'' The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes, Anonymous Letters, episode'' (1973) *

as Lily Hever (1974–75) *''

'' as Irene Biggleswade (1975) *''

'' as Sharon Metcalfe (1977–84) *''

'' as Vera Flannigan (2005) *''

'' as Joy (2012) * *

Selected radio

*''

'' as Ursula Titchener (2016–18)

References

External links

* 1941 births 2018 deaths British soap opera actresses British television actresses British radio actresses Actresses from Vancouver Alumni of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art 20th-century British businesspeople {{UK-screen-actor-stub