Stephanie Bidmead (29 January 1929 – 22 September 1974) was a British stage and television actress.

Early life

She was born in

Kidderminster Kidderminster is a large market and historic minster town and civil parish in Worcestershire, England, south-west of Birmingham and north of Worcester. Located north of the River Stour and east of the River Severn, in the 2011 census, it h ...

. She attended Kidderminster High School for Girls, a girls'

grammar school A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school, ...

, now part of

King Charles I School King Charles I School is a coeducational secondary school and sixth form located in the town of Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England. Present day and Ofsted King Charles I School is a specialist science college, and renewed their specialist ...

since 1977.

Career

She was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company in the late 1950s, and played in

Peter Brook Peter Stephen Paul Brook (21 March 1925 – 2 July 2022) was an English theatre and film director. He worked first in England, from 1945 at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, from 1947 at the Royal Opera House, and from 1962 for the Royal Shak ...

's 1957 production of '' The Tempest'' and in 1959 played opposite

Charles Laughton Charles Laughton (1 July 1899 – 15 December 1962) was a British actor. He was trained in London at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and first appeared professionally on the stage in 1926. In 1927, he was cast in a play with his future ...

in ''

King Lear ''King Lear'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his power and land between two of his daughters. He becomes destitute and insane a ...

'' and ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict ...

''. She began to work in television during the 1960s, with credits in '' Doctor Who'', the final episode of

Maigret Jules Maigret (), or simply Maigret, is a fictional French police detective, a '' commissaire'' ("commissioner") of the Paris ''Brigade Criminelle'' ('' Direction Régionale de la Police Judiciaire de Paris:36, Quai des Orfèvres''), created by ...

and '' Adam Adamant Lives!''. In the ''Doctor Who'' serial ''

Galaxy 4 ''Galaxy 4'' is the first serial of the third season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. Written by William Emms and directed by Derek Martinus, the serial was broadcast on BBC1 in four weekly parts from 11 Se ...

'' she played the Drahvin leader Maaga.''

Doctor Who Magazine ''Doctor Who Magazine'' (abbreviated as ''DWM'') is a magazine devoted to the long-running British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who''. Launched in 1979 as ''Doctor Who Weekly'', the magazine became a monthly publication the follo ...

'' - Issue 461 - June 2013 - Page 55 In 1972 she played the lead role of

Queen Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". Eli ...

Robert Bolt Robert Oxton Bolt (15 August 1924 – 20 February 1995) was an English playwright and a two-time Oscar-winning screenwriter, known for writing the screenplays for ''Lawrence of Arabia'', '' Doctor Zhivago'', and '' A Man for All Seasons'' ...

's play ''

Vivat! Vivat Regina! ''Vivat! Vivat Regina!'' is a play written by Robert Bolt. It debuted at Chichester in 1970 and later at the Piccadilly Theatre London. Principal actors were Sarah Miles and Eileen Atkins. The play was directed by Peter Dews and designed by C ...

'' in the Birmingham Rep production.

Personal life

She had two sons with Moravian theatre designer Henry Bardon.http://cuttingsarchive.org/images/5/56/1965-07-02_Lichfield_Mercury.jpg She was diagnosed with anterior horn cell

myelitis Myelitis is inflammation of the spinal cord which can disrupt the normal responses from the brain to the rest of the body, and from the rest of the body to the brain. Inflammation in the spinal cord, can cause the myelin and axon to be damaged r ...

and died on 22 September 1974 at the age of 45.

Filmography

Film

*1965: ''

Invasion An invasion is a military offensive in which large numbers of combatants of one geopolitical entity aggressively enter territory owned by another such entity, generally with the objective of either: conquering; liberating or re-establishing co ...

'' - Elaine *1972: '' Running Scared'' - Mrs. Case

Television

*1960: '' An Age of Kings'' (Episode: "

Henry V Henry V may refer to: People * Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026) * Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125) * Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161) * Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (c. 1173–1227) * Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (12 ...

") - Queen of France *1963: ''

Jane Eyre ''Jane Eyre'' ( ; originally published as ''Jane Eyre: An Autobiography'') is a novel by the English writer Charlotte Brontë. It was published under her pen name "Currer Bell" on 19 October 1847 by Smith, Elder & Co. of London. The firs ...

'' - Leah *1963:

Maigret's Little Joke
Antoinette Videl *1964: '' R3'' (Episode: ""On the Spike") - Doris Haley *1964: ''

Crane Crane or cranes may refer to: Common meanings * Crane (bird), a large, long-necked bird * Crane (machine), industrial machinery for lifting ** Crane (rail), a crane suited for use on railroads People and fictional characters * Crane (surname) ...

'' (Episode: "Knife in the Dark") - Annette Brillon *1964: ''

Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by ITV Granada, Granada Television and shown on ITV (TV network), ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based ...

'' -

Lily Haddon ''Coronation Street'' is a British soap opera, initially produced by Granada Television. Created by writer Tony Warren, ''Coronation Street'' first broadcast on ITV on 9 December 1960. The following is a list of characters introduced in the sho ...

*1965: '' The Mask of Janus'' (Episode: "And the Fish Are Biting") - Sylvie *1965: '' Doctor Who'' (Episode: "

") - Maaga *1965: '' Sherlock Holmes'' (Episode: "Charles Augustus Milverton") - Lady Farmingham *1966: '' Adam Adamant Lives!'' (Episode: "Death Has a Thousand Faces") - Madame Delvario *1968: ''The Devil in the Fog'' - Lady Dexter *1971: '' Public Eye'' (Episode: "Ward of Court") - Ruth *1971: '' Doomwatch'' (Episode: "The Web of Fear") - Janine *1973: ''

The Onedin Line ''The Onedin Line'' is a BBC television drama series that ran from 1971 to 1980. The series was created by Cyril Abraham. The series is set in Liverpool from 1860 to 1886 and covers the rise of a fictional shipping company, the Onedin Line, n ...

'' (Episode: "Law of the Fist") - Mrs Darling *1973: ''

Bedtime Stories A bedtime story is a traditional form of storytelling, where a story is told to a child at bedtime to prepare the child for sleep. The bedtime story has long been considered "a definite institution in many families".Dickson, Marguerite Stockma ...

'' (Episode: "Jack and the Beanstalk") - Linda Weir (final appearance)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bidmead, Stephanie 1929 births 1974 deaths English stage actresses English television actresses 20th-century British actresses People from Kidderminster 20th-century English women 20th-century English people