Millicent Martin
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Millicent Mary Lillian Martin (born 8 June 1934) is an English actress, singer, and comedian. She was the singer of topical songs on the weekly
BBC Television BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1 January 1927. It p ...
satirical Satire is a genre of the visual arts, visual, literature, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently Nonfiction, non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ...
show ''
That Was the Week That Was ''That Was the Week That Was'', informally ''TWTWTW'' or ''TW3'', is a satirical television comedy programme that aired on BBC Television in 1962 and 1963. It was devised, produced, and directed by Ned Sherrin and Jack (aka John) Duncan, and pr ...
'' (known as TW3; 1962–1963), and won a
BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...
TV Award in 1964. For her work on Broadway, she received
Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...
nominations for '' Side by Side by Sondheim'' (1977) and '' King of Hearts'' (1978), both for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. Other television roles include her recurring role as Gertrude Moon in the
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sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...
''
Frasier ''Frasier'' () is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for 11 seasons from September 16, 1993, to May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey (screenwriter), Peter Casey, and David Lee (scr ...
'' (2000–04) and Joan Margaret in '' Grace & Frankie'' (2017–2022).


Life and career

Martin was born in
Romford Romford is a large List of places in London, town in east London, east London, England, located northeast of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Havering, the town is one of the major Metropolitan centres of London, metropolitan centr ...
,
Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...
.


Theatre

Early clippings show Martin as one of the cast in the pantomime ''Dick Whittington'' starring Jimmy Hanley at the Granada Tooting in December 1949. The following year she was in ''Aladdin'' at the Pavilion Bournemouth in December 1950 and in May 1951 she appeared in ''The Happiest Days of Your Life'' at the Playhouse, Oxford playing an "enterprising" pupil. December 1951, saw her in the pantomime "Mother Goose" at the Theatre Royal, Birmingham. She attended the Italia Conti theatre school and not long after leaving the school, she made her Broadway debut alongside
Julie Andrews Dame Julie Andrews (born Julia Elizabeth Wells; 1 October 1935) is an English actress, singer, and author. She has garnered numerous accolades throughout her career spanning over eight decades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Fi ...
in '' The Boy Friend'' in September 1954. She remained in the show until November 1955. Her additional
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
theatre credits include taking over as Dorothy Brock in the original Broadway production of '' 42nd Street'' in the 1980s and performing the revue '' Side by Side by Sondheim'' with Julia McKenzie and David Kernan in 1977, for which she was nominated for the
Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical The Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical is an honor presented at the Tony Awards, a ceremony established in 1947 as the Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre, to actresses for quality featured roles in a ...
. She received a second Tony nomination for the musical '' King of Hearts'' (1978). In London, Martin starred with
Paul Scofield David Paul Scofield (21 January 1922 – 19 March 2008) was an English actor. During a six-decade career, Scofield achieved the Triple Crown of Acting, winning an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Tony Award for his work. Scofield ...
and James Kenney in '' Expresso Bongo'' at the Saville Theatre. In 1959, she had also appeared in '' The Crooked Mile''. Also in West End, she starred opposite Jim Dale in ''
The Card ''The Card'' is a comic novel written by Arnold Bennett in 1911 (entitled ''Denry the Audacious'' in the American edition). It was later made into a 1952 movie, starring Alec Guinness and Petula Clark. Like much of Bennett's best work, it is ...
'' in 1975. In 1988, Martin joined the London production of the Sondheim musical '' Follies'', starring with
Eartha Kitt Eartha Mae Kitt (née Keith; January 17, 1927 – December 25, 2008) was an American singer and actress. She was known for her highly distinctive singing style and her 1953 recordings of "C'est si bon" and the Christmas novelty song "Santa Baby" ...
. In 2008, she appeared at the Open Air Theatre,
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with Topol, Linda Thorson and Lisa O'Hare in the Lerner & Lowe musical, '' Gigi''.


Television

During the early 1960s, Martin was the resident singer of topical songs on the British weekly
satire Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of exposin ...
show ''
That Was The Week That Was ''That Was the Week That Was'', informally ''TWTWTW'' or ''TW3'', is a satirical television comedy programme that aired on BBC Television in 1962 and 1963. It was devised, produced, and directed by Ned Sherrin and Jack (aka John) Duncan, and pr ...
'' (1962–1963). The day after the assassination of President Kennedy, Martin sang the tribute song '' In the Summer of His Years'' on the show, which was composed by Herbert Kretzmer and David Lee just hours after the assassination. Her tribute was released as a single and ' bubbled under' the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart at No 104 in 1963 (but was outcharted by a cover version by
Connie Francis Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero ( ; born December 12, 1937), known as Connie Francis, is a retired American Pop music, pop singer, actress, and top-charting female vocalist of the late 1950s and early 1960s. She is estimated to have sold more th ...
, which reached No 46). Martin won a BAFTA TV Award for Light Entertainment Personality in 1964. She has also released recordings in Swedish, such as the 7" single "Om du nånsin skulle ändra dej". Martin had her own
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
television series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...
between 1964 and 1966, titled ''Mainly Millicent'' for the first two series, and shortened to ''Millicent'' for the third and final series. For her work in this series she won the TV Society Award. In one episode, Martin and guest star
Roger Moore Sir Roger George Moore (14 October 192723 May 2017) was an English actor. He was the actor to portray Ian Fleming's fictional secret agent James Bond (literary character), James Bond in the Eon Productions/MGM Studios film series, playing the ...
performed a comedy skit in which Moore played secret agent
James Bond The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...
some years before he was cast in the role. In the mid-1960s she guested, alongside Pete Murray and
Kenneth Williams Kenneth Charles Williams (22 February 1926 – 15 April 1988) was a British actor and comedian. He was best known for his comedy roles and in later life as a raconteur and diarist. He was one of the main ensemble in 26 of the 31 ''Carry ...
, in an edition of ''
Juke Box Jury ''Juke Box Jury'' was a music panel show which ran on BBC Television between 1 June 1959 and 27 December 1967. The programme was based on the American show '' Jukebox Jury'', itself an offshoot of a long-running radio series. The American ser ...
''. She appeared with Morecambe and Wise in their series "Two of a Kind" in the 1960s. In 1969, Sir Lew Grade wanted to make a comedy film series, starring Martin, that would appeal to both American and British audiences. He sent six comedy sketches of Martin to producer Sheldon Leonard, who came up with the premise of '' From a Bird's Eye View''. The series was not a success and was cancelled after 16 episodes had been filmed. In 1977, on Jubilee Day, she appeared in a gala edition of BBC TV's '' The Good Old Days'' to celebrate the Queen's Silver Jubilee, performing in a double act with Julia McKenzie. Martin appeared on $100,000 Pyramid in 1987 during the second week of the show's longest lasting tournament. Martin appeared as Gladys Moon in 13 episodes of '' Moon and Son'', a 1992 BBC detective series created by
Robert Banks Stewart Robert Banks Stewart (16 July 1931 – 14 January 2016) was a Scottish screenwriter, television producer and former journalist. He was sometimes credited as Robert Stewart early in his career. Banks Stewart contributed extensively to drama for th ...
, and co-starring
John Michie John Michie (born 25 October 1956) is a Scottish television and film actor, known for his roles as DI Robbie Ross in the STV detective drama series ''Taggart'', as Karl Munro in ''Coronation Street'' from 2011 to 2013 and his role as CEO Guy ...
. In 2005, she had a small part in the film, '' Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont'' which starred
Joan Plowright Joan Ann Olivier, Baroness Olivier (; 28 October 1929 – 16 January 2025), commonly known as Dame Joan Plowright, was an English actress whose career spanned over six decades. She received several accolades including two Golden Globe Awards, an ...
. Her later television roles include Gertrude Moon, Daphne Moon's Mancunian mother, in the American
sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...
''
Frasier ''Frasier'' () is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for 11 seasons from September 16, 1993, to May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey (screenwriter), Peter Casey, and David Lee (scr ...
''. She has worked for the
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, starring in the shows ''
The Suite Life of Zack & Cody ''The Suite Life of Zack & Cody'' is an American teen sitcom created by Danny Kallis and Jim Geoghan. The series aired on Disney Channel from March 18, 2005, to September 1, 2008. The series was nominated twice for the Primetime Emmy Award for ...
'', '' Jonas'' and in the film ''
Return to Halloweentown ''Return to Halloweentown'' (also known as ''Halloweentown 4'') is a 2006 American fantasy comedy film released as a Disney Channel Original Movie that premiered on October 20, 2006, and is the fourth and final film in the '' Halloweentown'' se ...
''. Other performances include guest roles in ''
The Drew Carey Show ''The Drew Carey Show'' is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from September 13, 1995, to September 8, 2004. Set in Cleveland, Ohio, the series revolved around the retail office and home life of "everyman" Drew Carey, a fictionaliz ...
'', ''
Will & Grace ''Will & Grace'' is an American television sitcom created by Max Mutchnick and David Kohan. Set in New York City, the show focuses on the friendship between best friends Will Truman (Eric McCormack), a Gay men, gay lawyer, and Grace Adler (Debra ...
'', ''
Newhart ''Newhart'' is an American television sitcom that aired on CBS from October 25, 1982, to May 21, 1990, with a total of 184 half-hour episodes spanning eight seasons. The series stars Bob Newhart and Mary Frann as an author and his wife, respe ...
'' and ''
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''. She also had a small role on an episode of ''
Gilmore Girls ''Gilmore Girls'' is an American comedy drama television series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, starring Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel. The show debuted October 5, 2000, on The WB and became a flagship series for the network. The show ran fo ...
'' and a key role in an episode of ''
Modern Family ''Modern Family'' is an American television sitcom, created by Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd, that aired on ABC for 11 seasons from September 23, 2009, to April 8, 2020. The series follows the lives of three diverse but interrelated fa ...
''. In 2011, she guest-starred opposite her former ''
Frasier ''Frasier'' () is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for 11 seasons from September 16, 1993, to May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey (screenwriter), Peter Casey, and David Lee (scr ...
'' daughter, Jane Leeves, in the
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series ''
Hot in Cleveland ''Hot in Cleveland'' is an American television sitcom aired on TV Land and starring Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves, Wendie Malick, and Betty White. The series, which was TV Land's first original series, premiered on June 16, 2010, and was ...
''. She has also had an appearance in the fourth season of ''
Chuck Chuck () is a masculine given name or a nickname for Charles or Charlie. It may refer to: People Arts and entertainment * Chuck Alaimo, American saxophonist, leader of the Chuck Alaimo Quartet * Chuck Barris (1929–2017), American TV produce ...
'' as the mother of Hartley Winterbottom, who was given the first Intersect prototype and became Alexei Volkoff; she also guest-starred on an episode of the fourth season of ''
Castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...
'' as a theatre critic who wrote a harsh review of a performance given by Castle's mother. From 2017 to 2022, she appeared in '' Grace and Frankie'' as Joan-Margaret.


Film

In the mid-1960s, Martin appeared in the British feature films '' Nothing But the Best'' (1964), '' Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines'' (1965), '' Stop the World – I Want to Get Off'' (1966), and '' Alfie'' (1966).


Personal life

She was married to the pop singer Ronnie Carroll from 1958 to 1965, and subsequently to actor
Norman Eshley Norman Eshley (born 30 May 1945) is an English actor best known for his television roles. Biography Eshley attended Bristol Grammar School and worked in a bank, before training as an actor at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. He played many ...
; both marriages ended in divorce. She has been married to American Marc Alexander since 1978, and became a permanent resident of the United States.


Filmography and stage work


Film


Stage


Television


References


External links

* *
Mainly Millicent at BBC Comedy Guide
{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Millicent 1934 births English expatriate actresses in the United States English women singers English film actresses English soap opera actresses English stage actresses English television actresses Living people Parlophone artists Actors from the London Borough of Havering Best Entertainment Performance BAFTA Award (television) winners English women comedians Alumni of the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts Actresses from Essex People from Romford Comedians from the London Borough of Havering Singers from the London Borough of Havering