Judi Bowker (born 6 April 1954) is an English film and television actress.

Biography

Bowker was born in Shawford,

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, Hampshire ...

, England, the daughter of Alfred J. Bowker and Ann Fairweather, who had married in 1947. The family moved to the British colony of Northern Rhodesia when Bowker was two, and lived there for eight years. She had many interests, including painting and riding. However, she was most interested in acting, and began to pursue her acting career after the family returned to England. Bowker first came to international attention as the star of ''

The Adventures of Black Beauty ''The Adventures of Black Beauty'' is a British adventure family television series produced by London Weekend Television and shown by ITV in the United Kingdom between 1972 and 1974. It was distributed internationally by London Weekend Interna ...

'' (1972), a television series which was a continuation of the book. In an interview, Bowker stated that her experience in riding horses was probably the key to her being cast in the role. She also recalled how some of the ''Black Beauty'' episodes were set in springtime, but filmed in winter, so that sometimes she had to wear summer outfits in cold weather. Also in 1972 Bowker starred as

Saint Clare of Assisi Clare of Assisi (born Chiara Offreduccio and sometimes spelled Clara, Clair, Claire, Sinclair; 16 July 1194 – 11 August 1253) was an Italian saint and one of the first followers of Francis of Assisi. She founded the Order of Poor Ladies, ...

Franco Zeffirelli Gian Franco Corsi Zeffirelli (12 February 1923 – 15 June 2019), was an Italian stage and film director, producer, production designer and politician. He was one of the most significant opera and theatre directors of the post-World War II era, ...

's ''

Brother Sun, Sister Moon ''Brother Sun, Sister Moon'' ( it, Fratello Sole, Sorella Luna) is a 1972 film directed by Franco Zeffirelli and starring Graham Faulkner and Judi Bowker. The film is an examination of the life of Saint Francis of Assisi. Plot Francesco, the sp ...

''. The runner-up for the part was

Lynne Frederick Lynne Frederick (25 July 1954 – 27 April 1994) was an English actress, film producer, and fashion model. In a career spanning ten years, she made over thirty appearances in film and television productions. Known for her classic English rose b ...

. Her well-known film appearances are as

Mina Harker Wilhelmina "Mina" Harker (née Murray) is a fictional character and the main female character in Bram Stoker's 1897 Gothic horror novel ''Dracula''. In the novel She begins the story as Miss Mina Murray, a young schoolmistress who is engaged t ...

in the 1977 film ''

Count Dracula Count Dracula () is the title character of Bram Stoker's 1897 gothic horror novel ''Dracula''. He is considered to be both the prototypical and the archetypal vampire in subsequent works of fiction. Aspects of the character are believed by some ...

'', Andromeda in the

Ray Harryhausen Raymond Frederick Harryhausen (June 29, 1920 – May 7, 2013) was an American-British animator and special effects creator who created a form of stop motion model animation known as "Dynamation". His works include the animation for '' Mi ...

film, '' Clash of the Titans'' (1981), and as the unhappily married Lady Olivia Lilburn in the Alan Bridges adaptation of

Isabel Colegate Isabel Diana Colegate (10 September 1931 – 12 March 2023) was a British author and literary agent. Early life and education Born in Paddington in London, England, Colegate was the youngest of her parents' four daughters. Her father was Sir ...

's novel ''

The Shooting Party ''The Shooting Party'' is a 1984 British drama film directed by Alan Bridges and based on the book of the same name by Isabel Colegate. The film is set in 1913, less than a year before the beginning of the First World War, and shows the soon-t ...

'' (1985). She has appeared in numerous theatre productions including major roles in ''

Hedda Gabler ''Hedda Gabler'' () is a play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. The world premiere was staged on 31 January 1891 at the Residenztheater in Munich. Ibsen himself was in attendance, although he remained back-stage. The play has been ca ...

'', '' Macbeth'', '' Ivanov'', '' A Midsummer Night's Dream'', '' Three Sisters'', and in her husband Harry Meacher's adaptation of '' Sherlock Holmes''. She was also cast as a narrator for a BBC audiobook adaptation of the work of P.D. James in 2018.

Personal life

Bowker has been married to the actor

Harry Meacher Harry Meacher is a British actor, director and playwright. Biography Harry Meacher grew up in Hainault, near Chigwell, Essex. In his teens he worked with Joan Littlewood in Stratford and with James Cooper in Ilford. He won a scholarship to ...

since 1979. They live in

Highgate Highgate ( ) is a suburban area of north London at the northeastern corner of Hampstead Heath, north-northwest of Charing Cross. Highgate is one of the most expensive London suburbs in which to live. It has two active conservation organisat ...

Filmography

* ''

'' (1972) * ''

East of Elephant Rock ''East of Elephant Rock'' is a 1977 British independent drama film directed by Don Boyd and starring John Hurt, Jeremy Kemp and Judi Bowker. It was Boyd's second feature film following his little-noticed 1975 '' Intimate Reflections''. Like Willi ...

''(1977) * '' Clash of the Titans'' (1981) – Andromeda * ''

'' (1985) * ''10 Arenas of Marwood'' (2011) * ''Feast of Varanasi'' (2016)

Television

* ''

'' (1972) – TV series * '' Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'' (1973) * '' South Riding'' (1974) * ''

In This House of Brede ''In This House of Brede'' is a novel by Rumer Godden published in 1969 by Viking in the US and by Macmillan in the UK. Synopsis The novel is a portrait of religious life in England that centers on Philippa Talbot, a highly successful professio ...

'' (1975) * '' Play for Today'' (1975) – two episodes * ''

The Picture of Dorian Gray ''The Picture of Dorian Gray'' is a philosophical novel by Irish writer Oscar Wilde. A shorter novella-length version was published in the July 1890 issue of the American periodical '' Lippincott's Monthly Magazine''.''The Picture of Dorian G ...

'' (1976) * '' Hindle Wakes'' (1976) * ''

'' (1977) * '' Tales of the Unexpected'', "The Best of Everything" (1981) – one episode * ''Wilfred and Eileen'' (1981) * ''Little Miss Perkins'' (1982) * ''

Ellis Island Ellis Island is a federally owned island in New York Harbor, situated within the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey, that was the busiest immigrant inspection and processing station in the United States. From 1892 to 1954, nearly 12 mil ...

'' (1984) – TV miniseries * ''

Anna Karenina ''Anna Karenina'' ( rus, «Анна Каренина», p=ˈanːə kɐˈrʲenʲɪnə) is a novel by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy, first published in book form in 1878. Widely considered to be one of the greatest works of literature ever writt ...

'' (1985) * ''

Sins In a religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law. Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considered immoral, selfish, s ...

'' (1986) – TV miniseries * '' Worlds Beyond'', "The Haunted Garden" (1987) – one episode * ''Menace Unseen'' (1988) – TV miniseries * ''Kurtulus'' (1994) – TV miniseries

Theatre

* '' Macbeth'' (1978) - National Theatre, Olivier Theatre * ''

'' (1998) - Pentameters, Inner London * '' Hay Fever'' (2016) - Logos Theater * '' Copperfield'' (2021) - Lauderdale House

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bowker, Judi 1954 births English film actresses English television actresses Living people Actors from Winchester