Alex Marshall (born 1945) is an English actress and director, who was most active from the 1960s to the 1980s. She has acted and directed mostly on television, but has worked on stage in both careers.

Work

Beginning her career as an actress, Marshall had many roles in theatre and television productions. In 1966 she appeared on stage as Audrey Johnson in ''Countercrime'', a play directed by Hugh Goldie, a production later recorded for television. From 1969 to 1974 she was a storyteller for BBC Television’s '' Jackanory''.'' Radio Times'', Volume 202 (Newnes, 1974), pp. 36, 40 In 1970, she appeared on stage again, in ''Keep Out, Love in Progress'' by Walter Hall, taking the lead, opposite

Robert Gillespie Robert James Gillespie (born 9 November 1933 in Lille, France) is a British actor, director and writer. Notable acting credits include '' Keep It in the Family'' (1980), '' At the Earth's Core'' (1976) and '' Force 10 from Navarone'' (1978). La ...

. In the BBC serial of ''

Jude the Obscure ''Jude the Obscure'' is a novel by Thomas Hardy, which began as a magazine serial in December 1894 and was first published in book form in 1895 (though the title page says 1896). It is Hardy's last completed novel. The protagonist, Jude Fawley ...

'' (1971), Marshall took the leading role of Arabella Donn, a pig-keeper’s daughter who seduces and marries Jude. Reviewing the production in ''

Life Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for Cell growth, growth, reaction to Stimu ...

'', John Leonard found that “Alex Marshall as Arabella steals the series”. Marshall abandoned her acting career in 1974, having made more than three hundred appearances on television over the previous ten years, to become a television director. She commented to

Des Wilson Des Wilson (born 5 March 1941) is a New Zealand-born British campaigner, political activist, businessman, sports administrator, author and poker player. He was one of the founders of the British homelessness charity Shelter and was for a while an ...

, for an article in ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the ...

'', that her income had arrived at £5,000 a year, but she was disillusioned.

, ''Six girls heading for stardom'' in ''

'' Magazine, 1974 volume, p. 524: “‘Actresses are passive objects waiting to be picked up by the profession and used’, says Alex Marshall, who made more than 300 television appearances over 10 years, and reached £5,000 a year, but finally abandoned her career as an actress to become a television director.” She explained: In 1976, Marshall was researcher and script editor for Granada Television’s '' Crown Court'' and later went on to direct episodes of the show. In 1978 she directed ''

Empire Road An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

'', a BBC Two weekly serial,Akua Rugg, ''Brickbats & bouquets: black woman's critique'' (Race Today Publications, 1984), p. 43 and other directing work included episodes of ''

Jackanory Playhouse ''Jackanory'' is a BBC children's television series which was originally broadcast between 1965 and 1996. It was designed to stimulate an interest in reading. The show was first transmitted on 13 December 1965, and the first story was the fairy-t ...

'',Jackanory Playhouse: Princess Griselda’s Birthday Gift'' (1978)
at sms.cz, accessed 9 January 2019 ''

ITV Playhouse ''Playhouse'' is a British television anthology series that ran from 1967 to 1983, which featured contributions from playwrights such as Dennis Potter, Rhys Adrian and Alan Sharp. The series began in black and white, but was later shot in colour ...

'', ''BBC2 Play of the Week'',''Radio Times'' for 15 February 1978: ''BBC2 Play of the Week: The Turkey Who Lives on the Hill'' (15 Feb 1978) dir. Alex Marshall and '' Play for Today''.Episode guide 1982
at britishtelevisiondrama.org.uk, accessed 9 January 2019 In his memoirs, the actor

Norman Beaton Norman Lugard Beaton (31 October 1934 – 13 December 1994) was a Guyanese actor long resident in the United Kingdom. He became best known for his role as Desmond Ambrose in the Channel Four television comedy series ''Desmond's''. The writer S ...

recalled Marshall from their time together on ''Empire Road'': “An attractive blonde, she had a disarming smile which concealed a will of iron.” In 1989, Marshall directed a London stage production of Peter King's ''The Health Farm''.

Television appearances

*''

Z-Cars ''Z-Cars'' or ''Z Cars'' (pronounced "zed cars") is a British television police procedural series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby, near Liverpool. Produced by the BBC, it debut ...

: The Whizzers'' (1963) as StenographerAlex Marshall
at aveleyman.com, accessed 4 February 2019 *''

Crossroads Crossroads, crossroad, cross road or similar may refer to: * Crossroads (junction), where four roads meet Film and television Films * ''Crossroads'' (1928 film), a 1928 Japanese film by Teinosuke Kinugasa * ''Cross Roads'' (film), a 1930 Brit ...

'' (1965) as Christine Fuller *''

Dixon of Dock Green ''Dixon of Dock Green'' was a BBC police procedural television series about daily life at a fictional London police station, with the emphasis on petty crime, successfully controlled through common sense and human understanding. It ran from 19 ...

: The Hunt for June Fletcher'' (1966) as Girl in club *''

: Countercrime'' (1968) as Audrey Johnson *''

ITV Sunday Night Theatre ''ITV Sunday Night Theatre'', originally titled ''ITV Saturday Night Theatre'' and often shortened to simply ''Sunday Night Theatre'' or ''Saturday Night Theatre'', is a British television anthology series screened on ITV, and produced by London ...

: Better Dead'' (1969) as Mollie *'' Jackanory'' (1969–1974) as Storyteller *''

Morning Story ''Morning Story'' is a British film made by BBC Television in 1969 and first broadcast in January 1970, directed by Gareth Davies and starring Lee Montague. Outline A door-to-door salesman finds a young girl playing in the street, which leads h ...

'' (1970) as Mrs Allan *''Whom God Hath Joined'' (1970) as Renee Souchon *''

'' (1971) as Arabella Donn *'' Budgie: Brief Encounter'' (1971) as Fiona *'' Coronation Street'' (Yvonne Chappell, 11 episodes, 1971) *''

On the Buses ''On the Buses'' is a British television sitcom that was broadcast on ITV from 1969 to 1973. It was created by Ronald Chesney and Ronald Wolfe, who wrote most of the episodes. It spawned three spin-off feature films and a stage version. Desp ...

'' (1971) as Beryl *'' Play for Today The House on Highbury Hill'' (1972) as Marigold *''

New Scotland Yard Scotland Yard (officially New Scotland Yard) is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, the territorial police force responsible for policing Greater London's 32 boroughs, but not the City of London, the square mile that forms London' ...

'' (1972) as Denise Wright *''

Thirty-Minute Theatre ''Thirty-Minute Theatre'' was a British anthology drama series of short plays shown on BBC Television between 1965 and 1973, which was used in part at least as a training ground for new writers, on account of its short running length, and which t ...

Attocity'' (1973) as Miss MilesAtrocity (BBC-2 1973 with Anthony Douse and Alex Marshall)
at memorabletv.com, accessed 1 January 2019 *''Then and Now: Tigers Are Better Looking'' (1973) as Heather

Television as director

*''

: Princess Griselda’s Birthday Gift'' (1978) *'' Crown Court'' (1978–1979) *''

'', weekly serial, 1978 *''BBC2 Play of the Week: The Turkey Who Lives on the Hill'' (1978) *''

'' (1980) *'' Play for Today'' (1982)

Notes

External links

Alex Marshall
at

IMDb IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

as actress
Alex Marshall
at IMDb as director
Alex Marshall
at aveleyman.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Marshall, Alex 1945 births English stage actresses English television actresses English television directors English soap opera actresses Living people British women television directors