Kate O'Mara (10 August 1939 – 30 March 2014) was an English film, stage and television actress. She was perhaps most widely known for her role as Caress Morell, the scheming sister of Alexis Colby in the 1980s American primetime soap opera Dynasty, though is also known for playing other villains such as the Rani in Doctor Who. She also worked alongside Colin Baker in The Brothers, and portrayed Laura Wilde in Howards' Way. She died at 74 after a short illness.

Personal life

The daughter of John F. Carroll, an RAF flying instructor and actress Hazel Bainbridge (b. 1909/1910 – d. 7 January 1998). Her younger sister is actress Belinda Carroll, making O'Mara the ex-sister-in-law to actor Simon Williams. After boarding school she attended art school before becoming a full-time actress.

She has been married and divorced three times and had two sons. One son, Dickon Young (b. 1964), was formerly a stage manager for the Royal Shakespeare Company before setting up his own company building tree-houses in the mid-1990s. He was found hanged, presumed suicide, at the family home in Long Marston, Warwickshire on 31 December 2012. Kate was hospitalised with pneumonia at the time of her son's death and his body was not discovered for three weeks.

She was a vegetarian and animal rights activist.

Career

O'Mara made her stage debut in a production of The Merchant of Venice in 1963. Her earliest television appearances included guest roles on Danger Man, Adam Adamant Lives!, The Saint, Z-Cars and The Avengers in the 1960s. In 1970, she appeared in two Hammer Studio horror films; The Vampire Lovers and The Horror of Frankenstein. In 1975, she had a regular role in the BBC drama series The Brothers as Jane Maxwell.

In the early 1980s, O'Mara starred in the BBC soap opera Triangle. In 1985, she played the Rani in the Doctor Who adventure "The Mark of the Rani". In 1986, she was cast as Caress Morrell in the American primetime soap opera Dynasty. Playing the sister of Alexis Colby (Joan Collins), O'Mara appeared in 17 episodes of the sixth season and 4 episodes of the seventh. After returning to the UK, she appeared in her second Doctor Who story, "Time and the Rani" in 1987. She was then later cast as another scheming villain, Laura Wilde, in the BBC soap Howards' Way in 1989.

O'Mara continued to make television appearances throughout the 1990s, including Cluedo and Absolutely Fabulous. In 2001, she had a recurring role in the ITV prison drama series Bad Girls before appearing in the short-lived revival of the soap opera Crossroads. She has continued to perform on stage and in March 2008 she played Marlene Dietrich in a stage play entitled Lunch with Marlene. From August to November 2008, she played Mrs Cheveley in Oscar Wilde's stage play 'An Ideal Husband' directed by Peter Hall and produced by Bill Kenwright.

O'Mara has also performed in radio and audio plays. In 2000 she reprised her role as the Rani in the BBV audio play The Rani Reaps the Whirlwind, and in 2006 she made a guest appearance in the radio comedy series Nebulous.

Writing

O'Mara has written four books, two fictional novels (When She Was Bad (ISBN 0261667157) and Good Time Girl (ISBN 0002242915)) 

Film and television credits

Film and television Year Title Role Notes

1964–1966 No Hiding Place Jacqueline 2 episodes

1965 Danger Man Annette Episode: A Room in the Basement

1965 Gaslight Theatre Patience Episode: The Drunkard or, the Sins of the Parents Shall Be Visited...

1966 Court Martial (TV series) Episode: Logistics of Survival

1966 Weavers Green Mick Armstrong   1967 Welcome to Japan, Mr. Bond Miss Moneypenny's assistant Uncredited

1967 Adam Adamant Lives! Sonia Fawzi Episode: The Basardi Affair

1967 The Troubleshooters Kim Hart Episode: Mr. Know-How

1967–1968 The Saint Annabelle/Nadine/Yvette Episodes: Double Take, Counterfeit Countess,Fast Women

1967–1969 Z-Cars Kate/Mae Astell 4 episodes

1968 Promenade Laura Short film

1968 The Limbo Line Irina Tovskia  

1968 Corruption Val Nolan  

1968 The Champions Jane Purcell Episode: To Catch a Rat

1968 Great Catherine Varinka Gordon Flemyng film

1969 The Avengers Lisa Episode: Stay Tuned

1969 The Desperados Adah (Jacob's girl) Henry Levin film

1969 The Main Chance Julia Main 4 episodes

1969 Department S Pietra Episode: Who Plays the Dummy

1970 Never a Cross Word Ellie Episode: When is a Spy...

1970 Man About a Dog Storm Riordan

1970 Codename Helen Lingard Episode: Opening Gambit

1970 Paul Temple Luciana Benedetti Episode: Re-take

1970 The Vampire Lovers The Governess (Mme. Perrodot) Roy Ward Baker film

1970 The Adventures of Don Quick Peleen Episode: People isn't Everything

1970 The Horror of Frankenstein Alys Jimmy Sangster film

1970 Cannon for Cordoba Whore

1972 A Man About a Dog Storm Riordan  

1972 ITV Sunday Night Theatre Storm Riordan  

1972 The Persuaders! Heidi Schulman Episode: Read and Destroy

1972 Jason King Delphi Episode: A Kiss for a Beautiful Killer

1972 Clouds of Witness Cynthia Tarrant Episode 1.3

1972 Pathfinders Section Officer Anne Denby Episode: Fog

1973 Spy Trap Sharon Lunghi 3 episodes

1974 Feelings Barbara Martin Gerry O'Hara film

1974 The Protectors Sarah Trent Episode: A Pocketful of Posies

1974 The Tamarind Seed Anna Skriabina Blake Edwards film

1975–1976 The Brothers Jane Maxwell 30 episodes

1976 Machinegunner Pat Livingston  

1976 Morecambe & Wise Kate O'Mata Hari Christmas Special

1976 The Two Ronnies The Gypsy Queen

1977 The Two Ronnies Lucy Lee Series 6 Episodes 3–6: Stop! You're Killing Me mini-serial

1978 Tuntematon ystävä (An Unknown Friend) Karen Lindén/Judith Russell/Berit Lindström Finnish crime/suspense film

1978 Return of the Saint Jeanette Episode: Assault Force

1978 The Nativity Salome TV film

1979 The Plank 'It's Paint' Woman  

1981–1982 Triangle Katherine Laker 27 episodes

1985 & 1987 Doctor Who The Rani 6 episodes

1986 Dempsey and Makepeace Joyce Hargreaves Episode: Guardian Angels

1987 Great Catherine Varinka 1986 Dynasty Cassandra 'Caress' Morrell 21 episodes 1989–
1990 Howards' Way Laura Wilde 26 episodes

1990 Cluedo Mrs. Peacock Episode: Christmas Past, Christmas Present

1992 Aladdin Madam Roly Poly (voice) Ron Clements and John Musker film

1993 Comic Relief: The Invasion of the Comic Tomatoes Female Patient  

1993 Doctor Who: Dimensions in Time The Rani 2 mini episodes

1995–2003 Absolutely Fabulous Jackie Stone 2 episodes

1997 The New Adventures of Robin Hood Lady Isabelle Episode: Marion to the Rescue

1999 The Road to Ithaca Despina  

2001 Bad Girls Virginia O'Kane 4 episodes

2003 Crossroads Lady Alice Fox Soap opera

2005 Family Affairs Jackie Lawrence Soap opera

2008 Doctors Rosetta Froom Episode: Fears, Feats & the Frooms

2012 Benidorm Barbara Simmonds 1 episode

Theatre

• 1964, Jessica, The Merchant of Venice at Lady Macduff Shakespeare for Schools Co.
• 1966, Lydia Languish, The Rivals at The Welsh Theatre Co.
• 1967, Elsa, The Italian Girl at the Wyndham's Theatre
• 1970, Fleda Vetch, The Spoils of Poynton at the Mayfair Theatre
• 1971, Gerda Von Metz, The Avengers[disambiguation needed] at the Prince of Wales Theatre
• 1971-2, Sheila Wallis, Suddenly at Home at the Fortune Theatre
• 1974, Elvira, Blithe Spirit at the Bristol Old Vic
• 1974, Liza Moriarty, Sherlock's Last Case at the Open Space Theatre Fortune Theatre
• 1977, Sybil Merton, Lord Arthur Saville's Crime at the Sadlers Wells Theatre
• 1977, Louka, Arms and the Man at the Hong Kong Festival
• 1978, Rosaline, Loves Labour's Lost at the Thorndike Theatre
• 1978, Katherina, The Taming of the Shrew at the Ludlow Festival
• 1978, Cyrenne, Rattle of a Simple Man
• 1979, Monica Claverton- Ferry, The Elder Statesman
• 1979, Lina, Misalliance at The Birmingham Rep
• 1979, Irene St Clair, The Crucifer of Blood at the Haymarket Theatre
• 1980, Ruth, Night and Day, at post-London tour
• 1981, Stephanie Abrahams, Duet for One Yugoslavia and tour
• 1981, Beatrice, Much Ado About Nothing at the New Shakespeare Co
• 1982, Kathrina, The Taming of the Shrew at the Nottingham Playhouse\New Shakespeare Co
• 1982, Titania\Hippolta, A Midsummer Night's Dream at the New Shakespeare Co
• 1982, Lady Macbeth, Macbeth at the Mercury Theatre
• 1982, Cleopatra, Antony and Cleopatra at the Nottingham Playhouse
• 1982, Millamant, The Way of the World at the Nottingham Playhouse
• 1983, Hortense, The Rehearsal
• 1984, Mistress Ford, The Merry Wives of Windsor at the New Shakespeare Co
• 1985 – 1987, Frances Black, Light Up the Sky at the Old Vic & Globe Theatres
• 1987, Goneril, King Lear at the Compass Theatre
• 1988, Berinthia, The Relapse at the Mermaid Theatre
• 1990, Torfreida, The Last Englishman at The Orange Tree Theatre
• 1990, Martha, Whose Afraid of Virginia Woolf at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre
• 1991, Lilli Vanessi, Kiss Me Kate, RSC tour
• 1992, Lady Fanciful, The Provok'd Wife at the National Theatre Studio
• 1992, Rosabel, Venus Observed at the Chichester Festival
• 1992, Eve, Cain at the Chichester Festival
• 1992, Jackie, King Lear in New York at the Chichester Festival
• 1994, Maria Wislack, On Approval
• 1995, Pola, The Simpleton of the Unexpected Isles at The Orange Tree Theatre
• 1995, Rachel, My Cousin Rachel, English Theatre, Vienna and tour 1995
• 1996, Olivia, Twelfth Night at the Haymarket Theatre, Basingstoke
• 1996-7, Mrs. Cheveley, An Ideal Husband at the Haymarket, Albury and Gielgud theatres
• 2000, Mrs. Malaprop\Lucy, The Rivals
• 2000, Madame Alexandre, Colombe at the Salisbury Playhouse
• 2003, Gertrude Lawrence, Noel and Gertie
• 2004, Mrs Arbuthnot, A Woman of No Importance
• 2005, Eloise, The Marquise at the Mercury Theatre
• 2005, Helen, We Happy Few at the Gielgud Theatre
• 2010, Lady Windemere, Lord Arthur Saville's Crime at the Mercury Theatre
• 2010, Marlene Dietrich, Lunch with Marlene at The New End Theatre
• Angelica, Love for Love, Watford
• Rosalind in As You Like It, British Actor's Theatre Co tour
• Mary Queen of Scots, Shadow in the Sun, Hedda Gabler at Harrogate
• Curley's Wife in "Of Mice and Men, Bromley tours of "Double Edge"
• Shock[disambiguation needed]
• Bell, Book and Candle
• The Holow
• Murder on the Nile
• The Titfield Thunderbolt, Passport to Pimlico