Frances Rowe (26 June 1913 – 31 August 1988) was an English stage, film and television actress.

Early years

Rowe was born in

Preston Preston is a place name, surname and given name that may refer to: Places England *Preston, Lancashire, an urban settlement **The City of Preston, Lancashire, a borough and non-metropolitan district which contains the settlement **County Boro ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

, the daughter of a

parson A parson is an ordained Christian person responsible for a small area, typically a parish. The term was formerly often used for some Anglican clergy and, more rarely, for ordained ministers in some other churches. It is no longer a formal term d ...

, and educated at

Channing School For Girls Channing School is an independent day school for girls at Highgate Hill in Highgate, North London. Channing School is a member of the Girls' Schools Association. The junior school is for pupils aged four to twelve and includes the Early Years ...

in Highgate and then went on to study at Newnham College,

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

Stage

Rowe's acting career started in the Marlowe Society,

. She then worked in

repertory theatre A repertory theatre is a theatre in which a resident company presents works from a specified repertoire, usually in alternation or rotation. United Kingdom Annie Horniman founded the first modern repertory theatre in Manchester after withdrawing ...

at Newcastle,

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...

Harrogate Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist destination and its visitor at ...

Worthing Worthing () is a seaside town in West Sussex, England, at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of Chichester. With a population of 111,400 and an area of , the borough is the second largest component of the Brighton and Hov ...

Dundee Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...

and Windsor. She appeared in many theatrical productions both in London's West End and also in the USA. Her American stage debut was in '' Man and Superman''. In 1951 she was awarded the Clarence Derwent Award (her real name Frances Rowe is listed). She played the part of Alex Cornwall in ''

Who Goes There! ''Who Goes There!'' is a 1952 British comedy film directed by Anthony Kimmins and starring Nigel Patrick, Valerie Hobson and George Cole. The film depicts the farcical activities of the various inhabitants of a grace and favour house near S ...

''. In 1955 she starred in the

J.B. Priestley John Boynton Priestley (; 13 September 1894 – 14 August 1984) was an English novelist, playwright, screenwriter, broadcaster and social commentator. His Yorkshire background is reflected in much of his fiction, notably in ''The Good Compa ...

play ''

Mr. Kettle and Mrs. Moon ''Mr. Kettle and Mrs. Moon'' is a comedy play by the British writer J.B. Priestley first staged in 1955 at the Duchess Theatre in London. The original cast featured Clive Morton and Fanny Rowe in the title roles and was directed by Tony Richardson ...

''.

Radio

Rowe made her American radio debut on '' Grand Central Station''.

Television

Rowe's television work included ''Love Story'', ''Rogues' Gallery'', '' Vanity Fair'', ''The Mill on the Floss'' (1965 TV adaptation of the book) and as Emily Forsyte in the 1967 TV series '' The Forsyte Saga''. In later years, her most famous roles were that of Nancy Penrose, the mother of Hester played by

Julia McKenzie Julia Kathleen Nancy McKenzie (born 17 February 1941) is an English actress, singer, presenter, and theatre director. She has premièred leading roles written by both Alan Ayckbourn and Stephen Sondheim. On television, she is known for her BAFT ...

in the ITV sitcom '' Fresh Fields'', (1984–86) and Vera Polling in ''

After Henry (TV series) ''After Henry'' is a British sitcom that aired on ITV from 1988 to 1992.Jeff Evans, ''The Penguin TV Companion'' (2001), p. 9. It was based on the radio series of the same name that was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 between 1985 and 1989. Like the ...

'' (1988). She was also in the '' Tales of the Unexpected'' episode '' What Have You Been up to Lately?''. (series 5-episode 13) She also starred in an episode of Upstairs Downstairs as the Duchess of Mitcham in the episode The Hero's Farewell.

Personal life

Rowe married actor Clive Morton when in her forties.

Filmography

Radio appearances

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rowe, Fanny 1913 births 1988 deaths English stage actresses English television actresses English film actresses Alumni of Newnham College, Cambridge 20th-century English actresses