Helen Fraser (born Helen Margaret Stronach; born 15 June 1942) is an English actress, who has appeared in many television series since the early 1960s. For international audiences, she may be best known for her roles in ''

Billy Liar ''Billy Liar'' is a 1959 novel by Keith Waterhouse that was later adapted into a play, a film, a musical and a TV series. The work has inspired and been featured in a number of popular songs. The semi-comical story is about William Fisher, ...

'' (1963) and '' Repulsion'' (1965). She is also well known in

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

for portraying the role of miserable warder

Sylvia Hollamby Sylvia Violet Hollamby (previously Nicholson; also known as Body Bag) is one of the longest-running characters in the award-winning prison drama series '' Bad Girls''. Portrayed by Helen Fraser from the first episode in 1999 until the last in 20 ...

in the prison drama series '' Bad Girls''. She appeared in the series from the first episode in 1999 until the last in 2006.

Career

She trained at the

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA; ) is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the Senat ...

alongside

Tom Courtenay Sir Thomas Daniel Courtenay (; born 25 February 1937) is an English actor. After studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Courtenay achieved prominence in the 1960s with a series of acclaimed film roles, including ''The Loneliness of t ...

and

John Thaw John Edward Thaw, (3 January 1942 – 21 February 2002) was an English actor who appeared in a range of television, stage, and cinema roles. He starred in the television series '' Inspector Morse'' as title character Detective Chief Inspector ...

, among others. She gained her breakthrough role alongside Courtenay in ''Billy Liar'' (1963). They later played the parents of character Dave Best in the Christmas special of '' The Royle Family'' (2008). She is best known to television viewers for her long-running role in the ITV women's prison drama '' Bad Girls'' as unpleasant prison officer

from the first episode in 1999 to the last in 2006. She reprised the role in the West End production of '' Bad Girls: The Musical'' in 2007. She made her TV debut in the early 1960s and her credits include ''

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 deb ...

'', '' Dixon of Dock Green'', '' The Likely Lads'', '' Doctor in the House'', '' The Dustbinmen'', ''

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 ...

'', '' Rising Damp'', '' Tales of the Unexpected'', ''

Duty Free A duty-free shop (or store) is a retail outlet whose goods are exempt from the payment of certain local or national taxes and duties, on the requirement that the goods sold will be sold to travelers who will take them out of the country, wh ...

'', '' One Foot in the Grave'' and '' Casualty''. She also worked on TV with comedians like Dick Emery and

the Two Ronnies ''The Two Ronnies'' is a British television comedy sketch show starring Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett. It was created by Bill Cotton and aired on BBC1 from April 1971 to December 1987. The usual format included sketches, solo sections, ser ...

in the 1970s. She has also appeared on stage, including with the

Royal National Theatre The Royal National Theatre in London, commonly known as the National Theatre (NT), is one of the United Kingdom's three most prominent publicly funded performing arts venues, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Opera House. I ...

, in the West End and in regional theatres across the country. In 2009 and 2010, she toured the UK as Mrs Fisher in a stage version of ''

''. In 2011, she joined the tour of ''

Calendar Girls ''Calendar Girls'' is a 2003 British comedy film directed by Nigel Cole. Produced by Touchstone Pictures, it features a screenplay by Tim Firth and Juliette Towhidi, based on a true story of a group of middle-aged Yorkshire women who produ ...

''. Fraser has appeared in the ITV soap ''

Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford. Orig ...

'' twice – in 1998 as Magenta Savannah and again in 2013 as Doris Babbage. In 2015, she appeared in an episode of the BBC daytime soap '' Doctors''.

Personal life

In 1964, she married the recording engineer Peter Handford, the couple had met on the set of ''Billy Liar''. Handford died in 2007. Fraser lives in Eye, Suffolk.

Filmography

References

External links

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Image & voice sample
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fraser, Helen 1942 births Living people Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art English stage actresses English film actresses English television actresses Actresses from Oldham People from Eye, Suffolk Actresses from Suffolk 20th-century English actresses 21st-century English actresses English soap opera actresses