Lady Marcia Mary Josephine Fitzalan Howard (born 10 March 1953), known as Marsha Fitzalan, is an English actress.

Personal life

Born in 1953, Marcia Fitzalan-Howard was the third daughter of Major-General

Miles Fitzalan-Howard, 17th Duke of Norfolk Major General Miles Francis Stapleton Fitzalan-Howard, 17th Duke of Norfolk (21 July 1915 – 24 June 2002), known between 1971 and 1972 as the Lord Beaumont and until 1975 as the Lord Beaumont and Howard of Glossop, was a British Army general ...

, and his wife Anne Constable-Maxwell. She was named after her mother's great-grandmother Marcia Vavasour and educated at the Convent of the Sacred Heart, Woldingham,

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

. In 1975, her father became

Duke of Norfolk Duke of Norfolk is a title in the peerage of England. The premier non-royal peer, the Duke of Norfolk is additionally the premier duke and earl in the English peerage. The seat of the Duke of Norfolk is Arundel Castle in Sussex, although the t ...

, due to the death of a second cousin whose children were all daughters, and she became Lady Marcia. Fitzalan has been married twice. Her first marriage was to English actor

Patrick Ryecart Patrick Geoffrey Ryecart (born 9 May 1952) is an English actor. Early life and career Ryecart was born in Warwick, Warwickshire. His first West End appearance was in Bernard Shaw's '' Candida'' at the Albery Theatre, playing the young poet M ...

on 4 July 1977. The couple met at drama school, The Webber Douglas Academy, and had three children: Mariella Celia (born 1982), Jemima Carrie (born 1984), and Frederick William Hamlet (born 1987). The two elder children are both married. Fitzalan and Ryecart divorced in 1995. In June 2007, Fitzalan married her second husband, Nicholas George. She was a sister-in-law of

Sir David Frost Sir David Paradine Frost (7 April 1939 – 31 August 2013) was an English television host, journalist, comedian and writer. He rose to prominence during the satire boom in the United Kingdom when he was chosen to host the satirical programme ...

, his widow being her elder sister, Lady Carina Fitzalan-Howard. Her brother is the current Duke of Norfolk and Premier Peer of England; another sister, Lady Tessa, married the 5th Earl of Balfour and is the mother of Lady Kinvara Balfour, an English playwright.

Career

She trained at the Webber Douglas Academy.Hayward 1996, p. 89 Fitzalan had a varied career in television and film, her outstanding performance being Sarah B'Stard in the television comedy satire ''

The New Statesman ''The New Statesman'' (known from 1931 to 1964 as the ''New Statesman and Nation'') is a British political and cultural news magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first c ...

''. Other television roles included appearances in '' Upstairs, Downstairs'', '' Shelley'', ''

Nancy Astor Nancy Witcher Astor, Viscountess Astor (19 May 1879 – 2 May 1964) was an American-born British politician who was the first woman seated as a Member of Parliament (MP), serving from 1919 to 1945. Astor was born in Danville, Virginia and rai ...

'', '' The Professionals'', ''

Brush Strokes ''Brush Strokes'' is a British television sitcom broadcast on BBC1 from 1986 to 1991. Written by Esmonde and Larbey and set in South London, it depicted the (mostly) amorous adventures of a wisecracking house painter, Jacko (Karl Howman). Ther ...

'', '' Goldeneye: The Secret Life of Ian Fleming'', '' Spymaker: The Secret Life of Ian Fleming'', ''

Murder Most Horrid ''Murder Most Horrid'' is a British black comedy anthology series starring Dawn French. It was broadcast on BBC Two for four series runs, in 1991, 1994, 1996 and 1999. Created by Paul Smith, who also co-created ''Colin's Sandwich'' (with Terry ...

'', ''

Midsomer Murders ''Midsomer Murders'' is a British Mystery fiction, mystery television series, adapted by Anthony Horowitz and Douglas Watkinson from the novels in the ''Chief Inspector Barnaby'' book series created by Caroline Graham (writer), Caroline Graham. ...

'', ''

Under the Hammer ''Under the Hammer'' is a British comedy drama television series which originally aired on ITV from 10 January to 21 February 1994. Written by John Mortimer, it is set at a London auction house. Episodes #"The Fatal Attribution" (10 January 1994 ...

'' and '' Poirot: Evil Under the Sun. The Booze Cruise with Martin Clunes, Winter Solstice.'' Films include ''

Being Julia ''Being Julia'' is a 2004 comedy-drama film directed by István Szabó and starring Annette Bening and Jeremy Irons. The screenplay by Ronald Harwood is based on the novel ''Theatre'' (1937) by W. Somerset Maugham. The original film score was ...

'' with

Annette Bening Annette Carol Bening (born May 29, 1958) is an American actress. With a career spanning over four decades, she is known for List of Annette Bening performances, her versatile work across screen and stage. Bening has received List of awards an ...

, ''

Importance of Being Earnest ''The Importance of Being Earnest, a Trivial Comedy for Serious People'' is a play by Oscar Wilde, the last of his four drawing-room plays, following ''Lady Windermere's Fan'' (1892), ''A Woman of No Importance'' (1893) and ''An Ideal Husban ...

'' and ''

An Ideal Husband ''An Ideal Husband'' is a four-act play by Oscar Wilde that revolves around blackmail and political corruption, and touches on the themes of public and private honour. It was first produced at the Haymarket Theatre, London in 1895 and ran for ...

'' with

Rupert Everett Rupert James Hector Everett (; born 29 May 1959) is an English actor. He first came to public attention in 1981 when he was cast in Julian Mitchell's play and subsequent film '' Another Country'' (1984) as a gay pupil at an English public scho ...

. She has stood in for Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

during rehearsals of the

State Opening of Parliament The State Opening of Parliament is a ceremonial event which formally marks the beginning of each Legislative session, session of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. At its core is His or Her Majesty's "Speech from the throne, gracious speech ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fitzalan, Marsha 1953 births Living people Daughters of British dukes English film actresses English television actresses

Marsha Fitzalan Lady Marcia Mary Josephine Fitzalan Howard (born 10 March 1953), known as Marsha Fitzalan, is an English actress. Personal life Born in 1953, Marcia Fitzalan-Howard was the third daughter of Major-General Miles Fitzalan-Howard, 17th Duke of No ...

People educated at Woldingham School Actresses from Bonn Alumni of the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art 20th-century English actresses 21st-century English actresses