Isabelle Harriet Lucas (3 December 1927 – 24 February 1997) was a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

-born

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

actress and singer.

Life and career

Isabelle Lucas was born in

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, Canada, to a chef from

Barbados Barbados, officially the Republic of Barbados, is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and the easternmost island of the Caribbean region. It lies on the boundary of the South American ...

who worked on the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...

. Lucas acted in amateur productions as a teenager in Toronto. She moved to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

in 1954 after performing in amateur productions in Toronto. She made her first West End appearance in the show ''The Jazz Train'' in 1955. She also performed in ''Walk a Crooked Mile'' (1959) and '' Funny Girl''. She appeared in film and television roles during the 1950s and 1960s, including ''

Miracle in Soho ''Miracle in Soho'' is a 1957 British drama film directed by Julian Amyes and starring John Gregson, Belinda Lee and Cyril Cusack. It was written by Emeric Pressburger. The film depicts the lives of the inhabitants of a small street in Soho ...

'' (1957). Lucas's first major television role was in '' The Fosters'' (broadcast on ITV between 9 April 1976 and 9 July 1977), the first British sitcom to have an all-Black cast, in which she played the part of Pearl Foster, wife of

Norman Beaton Norman Lugard Beaton (31 October 1934 – 13 December 1994) was a Guyana, 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 wr ...

's lead character."The Fosters"
, The British Blacklist. Following this series she appeared in several minor British dramas and films. In 1985 she appeared in ''

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a British television soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the East End of London, the ...

''. At the end of the 1980s she joined the long-running

BBC Schools BBC Schools, also known as BBC for Schools and Colleges or BBC Education, was the educational programming strand set up by the BBC in 1957, broadcasting a range of educational programmes for children aged 5–16. From its launch until June 1983 ...

' show '' You and Me'', and remained with it as a presenter until it finished in 1992. Lucas made several guest appearances in ''

May to December ''May to December'' is a British sitcom which ran for 39 episodes, from 2 April 1989 to 27 May 1994 on BBC1. The series was created by Paul Mendelson and produced by Cinema Verity. Set in Pinner, Greater London, it revolved around the romanc ...

'' from 1989 to 1992. Also in 1989 she appeared as Gertrude in the

CBBC CBBC is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content for children aged 6 to 12. Its sister c ...

series ''

Bluebirds The bluebirds are a North American group of medium-sized, mostly insectivorous or omnivorous passerine birds in the genus ''Sialia'' of the thrush family (Turdidae). Bluebirds are one of the few thrush genera in the Americas. Bluebirds lay an ...

''. Her career ended in 1994 after an appearance in '' Mama Lou''. Lucas died in 1997 after a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lucas, Isabelle 1927 births 1997 deaths 20th-century Canadian actresses 20th-century English actresses 20th-century English singers Actresses from Toronto Black Canadian actresses Canadian emigrants to England Canadian expatriate actresses in the United Kingdom Canadian expatriates in England Canadian people of Barbadian descent English musical theatre actresses English people of Barbadian descent English television actresses Singers from Toronto 20th-century English women singers 20th-century Canadian women singers

Life and career

References

Further reading

External links