Freda Dowie

Freda Mary Dowie (22 July 1928 – 10 August 2019[1]) was an English actress.

Freda Mary Dowie
Born(1928-07-22)22 July 1928
Carlisle, Cumberland, England, UK
Died10 August 2019(2019-08-10) (aged 91)
Suffolk, England, UK
Alma materRoyal Central School of Speech and Drama
OccupationActress
Years active1958−2009
Spouses
Lionel Butterworth
​
​
(m. 1952, divorced)​
    John Goodrich
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1961, divorced)​
      David Thompson
      ​
      ​
      (m. 1970; died 2019)​

      Her television credits include: Dixon of Dock Green, Doomwatch, Edna, the Inebriate Woman, Upstairs, Downstairs, I, Claudius, The Old Curiosity Shop, The Pickwick Papers, Lillie, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, Our Friends in the North, Common As Muck, Lovejoy, Agatha Christie's Poirot, Crown Court and Heartbeat.

      Dowie frequently portrayed long-suffering roles,[2] most notably as the Mother in the 1988 film Distant Voices, Still Lives, for which she was nominated for a European Film Award. Her film career also includes roles in Subterfuge (1968), The Omen (1976), The Monk (1990), Butterfly Kiss (1995), Jude (1996), Cider with Rosie (1998), and Fragile (2005).

      Early life

      Freda Mary Dowie was born in Carlisle, Cumbria on 22 July 1928 to John Dowie, a fried fish seller, and his wife Emily Davidson. She attended Barrow Girls Grammar School, where she excelled in Latin, English Literature and foreign languages including French and German.[3] She later gained a place to study teaching at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, graduating in 1948.[4]

      Personal life

      Dowie was married three times. Her first marriage was to Lionel Butterworth in Barrow-in-Furness in 1952. She then married John Goodrich in Hampstead in 1961. Both marriages ended in divorce. Her third marriage in 1970 was to the artist and documentary filmmaker David Thompson; they remained together until his death in April 2019.[5][6]

      Filmography
      Year Title Role Notes
      1959 The Eustace Diamonds Ellen Episode: "Episode #1.6"
      1961 ITV Television Playhouse Waitress Episode: "I Having Dreamt Awake"
      Doctor Faustus Duchess of Vanholt Episode: "Episode #1.2"
      The Wakefield Shepherd's Play Mary Short film
      1962 Antigone Antigone 2 episodes
      The Bacchae Chorus 2 episodes
      1963 BBC Sunday-Night Play Lillian, Gimlet's conductress Episode: "Just You Wait"
      Armchair Theatre Elsie Episode: "The Monkey and the Mowhawk"
      Maupassant Mlle. Zoe Episode: "Wives and Lovers"
      1963−1967 ITV Play of the Week Princess Marie / Bronwen Iorweth / Sarah 3 episodes
      1964 Diary of a Young Man Chief Marcher Episode: "Relationships"
      1965 It's Dark Outside Martha Singer Episode: "A Slight Case of a Matrimony"
      1966 Sunday Night Xanthippe Episode: "The Death of Socrates"
      North and South Fanny Thornton 4 episodes
      Dixon of Dock Green Mrs. Newman Episode: "The Golden Year"
      Alice in Wonderland Nurse Television film
      1967 Dr. Finlay's Casebook Beth Geddes Episode: "Call in Cameron"
      Six Bites of the Cherry Various roles 6 episodes
      The Newcomers Staff Nurse Murdoch 2 episodes
      1968 Omnibus Maid Episode: "Whistle and I'll Come To You"
      ITV Playhouse Unknown Episode: "The Retreat"
      Subterfuge Waitress
      1969 The Incredible Adventures of Professor Branestawm Mrs. Flittersnoop 7 episodes
      1970 Thirty-Minute Theatre Mrs. Armstrong 2 episodes
      1971 Doomwatch Hilda Episode: "No Room for Error"
      Play for Today Mother Superior Episode: "Edna, the Inebriate Woman"
      Cider with Rosie Crabby Television film
      1972 Cranford Miss Brown Episode: "Part 1"
      1972−1975 Crown Court Sadie Dickinson / Helen Lord 5 episodes
      1973 Jack the Ripper Amelia Palmer Episode: "The First Two"
      Once Upon a Time Mother Episode: "Ishmael"
      The Brontes of Haworth Miss Branwell 2 episodes
      1974 The Carnforth Practice Mrs. Pollock Episode: "Undue Influence"
      Miss Nightingale Sister Elizabeth Wheeler Television film
      Upstairs, Downstairs Maria Schoenfeld Episode: "The Beastly Hun"
      Father Brown Opal Banks Episode: "The Man with Two Beards"
      1975 The Hanged Man Jean MacKinnon Episode: "Chariot of Earth"
      The Poisoning of Charles Bravo Mrs. Cox 3 episodes
      Within These Walls Elsie Storbridge Episode: "Prison Cat"
      The Puritan Experience: Making of a New World Goody Adams Short film
      1976 The Omen Nun
      I, Claudius The Sybil / Caesonia 3 episodes
      1978 Angels Mrs. Czechpinski Episode: "First Impressions"
      Lillie Mathilde Peat Episode: "Fifty Cents a Dance"
      1979−1980 The Old Curiosity Shop Sally Brass 6 episodes
      1983 Hallelujah! Mildred Cooper Episode: "Counselling"
      Zig Zag Edith 2 episodes
      1985 The Pickwick Papers Rachel Wardle 3 episodes
      Cover Her Face Alice Liddell 2 episodes
      1986 Alice in Wonderland Cook 2 episodes
      Lovejoy Mrs. Springer Episode: "Friends, Romans and Enemies"
      Eastenders Clerk Episode: "Episode #1.152"
      Call Me Mister Mrs. Oaks Episode: "Tour De Force"
      1988 The Return of Sherlock Holmes Mrs. Porter Episode: "The Devil's Foot"
      Distant Voices, Still Lives Mother
      Sophia and Constance Maria Insull 5 episodes
      1989 Poirot Eliza Dunn Episode: "The Adventure of the Clapham Cook"
      Goldeneye Harley Street doctor Television film
      1990 Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit Mrs. Green 3 episodes
      The Monk Sister Ursula
      1991 Kinsey Maureen Spencer Episode: "It's Going To Be a Close Call, Kinsey"
      Stay Lucky Neighbour Episode: "Shingle Beach"
      1992 Thacker Edith Folland TV series
      Boon Eileen Wooley Episode: "Love or Money"
      1992−2009 Heartbeat Edna / Phyllis / Muriel Gerard 3 episodes
      1993 Crime Story Lady Peggy Hudson Episode: "The Ladies Man: Archibald Hall"
      1994 Middlemarch Jane Waule 3 episodes
      Moving Story Mrs. Kimball Episode: "Last Stand at Laurel Way"
      1994−1997 Common as Muck Dulcie Green 6 episodes
      1995 Butterfly Kiss Elsie
      1996 Our Friends in the North Florrie Hutchinson 7 episodes
      Jude Elderly landlady
      Beck Freda Doyle Episode: "Episode #1.2"
      Black Eyes Gran Short film
      1997 Insiders Peggy Edwards Episode: "Good Behaviour"
      1998 Cider with Rosie Granny Wallon Television film
      1999 The Bill Anne Jefferson 2 episodes
      2000 Jason and the Argonaut Hera as Old Peasant Woman 2 episodes
      Trick of the Light Beatrice Short film
      Maisie's Catch Maisie Short film
      Wildwood Wise woman Television film
      2002 Outside the Edge Freda Marshall TV series
      How We Used to Live: A Giant in Ancient Egypt Old Sarah TV miniseries
      2003 Death in Holy Orders Agatha Betterton 2 episodes
      2005 Fragile Old Lady 1
      2007 Midsomer Murders Amie Pearce Episode: "The Animal Within"
      The Royal Dora Rigby Episode: "Scabs"

      References
      1. Hayward, Anthony (23 August 2019). "Freda Dowie obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
      2. Obituaries, Telegraph (22 August 2019). "Freda Dowie, actress who excelled as the long-suffering abused mother in Terence Davies's 'Distant Voices, Still Lives' – obituary". The Telegraph. Retrieved 9 September 2019 – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
      3. Hayward, Anthony (23 August 2019). "Freda Dowie obituary". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
      4. "Lost list (version 2) - Central School of Speech & Drama". yumpu.com. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
      5. "Suffolk Artists - THOMPSON, David". suffolkartists.co.uk. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
      6. "FREDA MARY THOMPSON (née DOWIE)". East Anglian Daily Times. Archived from the original on 18 August 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2019.


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