Anne Kristen (7 March 1937 – 7 August 1996) was a Scottish

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

, best known for portraying Olive Rowe in '' Coronation Street''. Her longest-lasting role was as Miss Meiklejohn in ''

Hamish Macbeth Hamish Macbeth is the lackadaisical police constable of the fictional Scottish Highland town of Lochdubh, in a series of murder mystery novels created by M. C. Beaton (Marion Chesney). Considered by many to be a useless, lazy moocher, Macbeth ...

''. She also appeared in ''

Wings A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expre ...

'' as Molly Farmer, and in ''

Casualty Casualty may refer to: *Casualty (person), a person who is killed or rendered unfit for service in a war or natural disaster **Civilian casualty, a non-combatant killed or injured in warfare * The emergency department of a hospital, also known as ...

'' as receptionist Norma Sullivan.

Early life and education

Kristen was born in 1937 in Strathclyde, Glasgow, growing up in the suburb of Bearsden. Her father, Reginald Byles, was a senior journalist and lead writer for the Glasgow Herald. She acted in plays at the Laurel Bank school in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

. After leaving school, she went on to study at the Royal College of Music and Dramatic Art in Glasgow, where she won a Silver Medal for her work. Kristen then went on to further stage work in Scotland and London before embarking on a television career.

Career

Early television career

Kristen's first role was on ''

BBC Sunday-Night Play ''BBC Sunday-Night Play'' is the anthology drama series which replaced ''Sunday Night Theatre'' in 1960. It was broadcast on what was then BBC Television (now BBC One). The series often included versions of modern theatrical successes, but orig ...

'' in 1960, for one episode, as the character Nellie Watson. She then appeared in ''

Doctor Finlay's Casebook ''Dr. Finlay's Casebook'' is a television drama series that was produced and broadcast by the BBC from 1962 until 1971. Based on A. J. Cronin's 1935 novella ''Country Doctor'', the storylines centred on a general medical practice in the fiction ...

'' for two episodes in 1963 and 1966, and throughout the 1960s she made numerous one-episode appearances in various TV series. She was in '' The Expert'' for 3 episodes in 1969. The most famous act from Kristen's debut was her role in '' Coronation Street'', in 1971, as Olive Rowe.

Regular TV appearances

Between her debut and her death in 1996, Kristen continued making regular one-episode television appearances, such as in ''

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 ...

'' in 1973 and '' The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie'' in 1978. Other notable TV series in which she played a role were '' Play For Today'' (two episodes in 1976 and 1981), ''

Grange Hill ''Grange Hill'' is a British children's television drama series, originally produced by the BBC and portraying life in a typical comprehensive school. The show began its run on 8 February 1978 on BBC1, and was one of the longest-running progra ...

'' (two episodes in 1983) and ''

Minder A minder is the person assigned to guide or escort a visitor, or to provide protection to somebody, or to otherwise assist or take care of something, i.e. a person who " minds". Government-appointed persons to accompany foreign visitors are of ...

'' (two episodes in 1985). She also played Professor Maggie McLeish in ''

Taggart ''Taggart'' is a Scottish detective fiction television programme created by Glenn Chandler, who wrote many of the episodes, and made by STV Studios for the ITV network. It originally ran as the miniseries "Killer" from 6 until 20 Septembe ...

,'' a Scottish detective television program taking place in her birth town of Glasgow, for two episodes in 1986 and 1994.

Longest-lasting TV roles

* Kristen appeared in ''

'' as Molly Farmer, for one episode in 1976. She then came back for 15 episodes throughout 1977 and 1978. * She played in ''King's Royal'' as Mrs. Veitch for 14 episodes in 1982–1983. * Between 1991 and 1993, she was in multiple episodes of ''Casualty (TV series)'' as receptionist Norma Sullivan. * The longest-lasting role from Kristen in was as Miss Meiklejohn in '' Hamish Macbeth''. She played 17 episodes in 1995 and 1996.

Film

'' Silent Scream'' (1990) was the first and only film Kristen appeared in.

Personal life

Kristen was married to the actor

Iain Cuthbertson Iain Cuthbertson (4 January 1930 – 4 September 2009) was a Scottish character actor and theatre director. He was known for his tall imposing build and also his distinctive gravelly, heavily accented voice. He had lead roles in ''The Border ...

from January 1964 until their divorce in 1988.

Death

Kristen died of pancreatic cancer on 7 August 1996. Her ashes are buried in Ancrum Churchyard, beside her mother and father, in Roxburghshire.

External links

*
Obituary in ''The Independent''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kristen, Anne 1937 births 1996 deaths Scottish soap opera actresses Scottish television actresses 20th-century British actresses Deaths from cancer in Scotland Deaths from pancreatic cancer 20th-century British businesspeople