Michele Dotrice

Michele Dotrice (born 27 September 1948) is an English actress. She played Betty Spencer, the long-suffering wife of Frank Spencer, portrayed by Michael Crawford, in the BBC sitcom ''Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em'', which ran from 1973 to 1978, and returned in 2016 for a special.

Career

Her first significant role was in the 1962 13-part BBC TV adaptation of ''The Old Curiosity Shop'' in which she played Nell, and she appeared in '' The Witches'' for Hammer Films in 1966. In 1970, she had starring roles in the horror thrillers '' And Soon the Darkness'' and '' The Blood on Satan's Claw''. Her other film appearances include ''Jane Eyre'' (1970) with George C. Scott and the 1976 comedy '' Not Now, Comrade''.

It was her appearance in ''Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em'' that made her a household name, and she played the role for five years from 1973. In 2016, she reprised the role in a one-off special broadcast as part of the Sport Relief charity fundraiser event.

Her other 1970s roles include Felicity in the '' Jason King'' episode "Buried in the Cold Cold Ground", and Lady Percy in the BBC productions of ''Henry IV, Part 1'' and '' Part 2'' in 1979.

In 1981, she took the leading role in the short-lived sitcom ''Chintz'', which aired on ITV. In 1986, Dotrice played the role of a new mother whose child was snatched in an episode of '' The Equalizer'' along with her future husband Edward Woodward. In the mid-1990s, she appeared for several episodes in the period drama '' Bramwell''. She appeared in the film '' Captain Jack'' (1999) with Bob Hoskins. She has made numerous guest appearances in well-known British television series, including ''Midsomer Murders'' (1 episode, 1998), ''Holby City'' (1 episode, 2002), '' Murder in Suburbia'' (as Cindy in series 2, episode 6, 2005), and the BBC daytime soap opera '' Doctors'' (2 episodes, 2008 & 2009). In addition, she made a couple of appearances in a 2004 BBC comedy-drama entitled ''A Thing Called Love'', set in Nottingham, which starred Paul Nicholls and Roy Barraclough among others.

In 2012, she toured in '' The Ladykillers'', playing the role of Mrs. Wilberforce. In 2014, she played Pam Chandler, a suspected murderer, in the last episode of series three of '' Death in Paradise''. In 2015, she played Marion, mother to Christine in the ''Inside No. 9'' episode " The 12 Days of Christine". In 2016, she played Nancy, the faithful dresser and woman of all work to the main character, in the West End production of '' Nell Gwynn''. In 2017, she played Jessie in the stage musical '' The Girls'' at the Phoenix Theatre in the West End.

In 2018, she returned to television playing Edna Friendship in '' A Very English Scandal''.

ITV launched their new drama, '' McDonald & Dodds'', in 2020, in which she played Mary Costair in the second episode of series 1.

Personal life

Her parents were the actors Roy Dotrice and Kay Dotrice. She has two sisters, Karen Dotrice and Yvette Dotrice, who also followed their parents into acting.

Dotrice was married to actor Edward Woodward from January 1987 until his death in November 2009.Equalizer Star Dies

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Dotrice, Michele
1948 births
Living people
20th-century English actresses
21st-century English actresses
Actresses from Lincolnshire
Michele
English child actresses
English film actresses
English stage actresses
English television actresses
Royal Shakespeare Company members
Actors from Cleethorpes