Vivienne Ann Martin (28 December 1930 – 22 January 2023) was a New Zealand-born character actress. She had a career in British television, radio, stage and film which spanned over 40 years. She was best known for her portrayal of Mrs Lillian Rudd in the

radio Radio is the technology of communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 3 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connec ...

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 ...

'' King Street Junior'', of which she starred for the entire series from 1985 to 1998. She also starred in the radio sitcom ''

It Sticks Out Half a Mile ''It Sticks Out Half a Mile'' is a British radio sitcom that was first broadcast on BBC Radio 2 from 1983 to 1984. Starring John Le Mesurier, Ian Lavender, Bill Pertwee and Vivienne Martin, the series served as a sequel to the television wa ...

'' as Miss Perkins, and in eleven episodes of ''

The Dick Emery Show ''The Dick Emery Show'' is a British sketch comedy show starring Dick Emery. It was broadcast on the BBC from 1963 to 1981. It was directed and produced by Harold Snoad. The show was broadcast over 18 series with 166 episodes. The show experien ...

'' from 1974 to 1980. From 1994 to 1995, she appeared in three episodes of the sitcom '' As Time Goes By'', in which she played secretary Gwen Flack.

Biography

Martin was born in

Kaitaia Kaitaia () is a town in the Far North District of New Zealand, at the base of the Aupōuri Peninsula, about 160 km northwest of Whangārei. It is the last major settlement on State Highway 1. Ahipara Bay, the southern end of Te Oneroa-a- ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

on 28 December 1930. In the early 1950s, after receiving a

bursary A bursary is a monetary award made by any educational institution or funding authority to individuals or groups. It is usually awarded to enable a student to attend school, university or college when they might not be able to, otherwise. Some awar ...

from the

New Zealand Government The New Zealand Government () is the central government through which political authority is exercised in New Zealand. As in most other parliamentary democracies, the term "Government" refers chiefly to the executive branch, and more specifica ...

, Martin moved to

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

in order to take up acting. In 1967, after starring in a number of unsuccessful

musical comedy Musical theatre is a form of theatre, theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, ...

stage productions, Martin decided to focus her acting career on television roles. Martin's first on-screen appearance was in the 1954 film '' The Belles of St Trinian's'', in which she played Arabella. She landed her first television role in 1957 with ''

The Benny Hill Show ''The Benny Hill Show'' is a British comedy television show starring Benny Hill that aired on the BBC and ITV between 15 January 1955 and 1 May 1989. The show consisted mainly of sketch comedy, sketches typified by slapstick, mime, parody, and ...

'', but her first regular role was in the 1958 television adaptation of ''

Pride and Prejudice ''Pride and Prejudice'' is the second published novel (but third to be written) by English author Jane Austen, written when she was age 20-21, and later published in 1813. A novel of manners, it follows the character development of Elizabe ...

'', in which she played Lydia Bennet. Martin appeared in many sitcoms throughout her career. Her first regular sitcom role was in the 1961 musical sitcom ''Moody In...'', followed by the 1971 six-episode television series '' Keep It in the Family''. She appeared in the second series of the ITV sitcom ''Up the Workers'' in 1976, and had a starring role as Miss Perkins in ''

'', the radio sequel to ''

Dad's Army ''Dad's Army'' is a British television British sitcom, sitcom about the United Kingdom's Home Guard (United Kingdom), Home Guard during the World War II, Second World War. It was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft (TV producer), David Crof ...

''. She again played the same character, now called Miss Baxter, in the television adaptations of the series: ''Walking the Planks'' in 1985 and '' High & Dry'' in 1987. Martin was best known in her role as Mrs Rudd in the radio sitcom '' King Street Junior''. She appeared throughout the sitcom's entire run, from 1985 to 1998. From 1994 to 1995, Martin appeared in three episodes of the British television sitcom '' As Time Goes By'', in which she played secretary Gwen Flack.

Personal life and death

In June 1976, Martin married British actor John Burgess; she was his third wife. Their marriage lasted just six weeks. Martin died on 22 January 2023, at the age of 92. Her death was announced by the performing arts trade union Equity in their Spring/Summer 2023 magazine.

Filmography

Film and television

Radio

Theatre

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Vivienne 1930 births 2023 deaths 20th-century English actresses New Zealand actresses English actresses English radio actresses English television actresses People from Kaitaia