Kathleen "Lally" Bowers (21 January 1914 – 18 July 1984) was an English actress. Bowers was born in

Oldham Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, amid the Pennines and between the rivers Irk and Medlock, southeast of Rochdale and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham ...

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 Lancash ...

, where she was educated at

Hulme Grammar School Oldham Hulme Grammar School, formerly Hulme Grammar School, is a private grammar school in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. History Oldham Grammar School was founded in 1611 by several charitable individuals including Laurence Chadeton, b ...

. She worked as a secretary before walking-on and understudying at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon. As a professional actress Bowers appeared in hundreds of stage productions, films and television programmes and rep at

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire a ...

Southport Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England. Southport lies on the Iris ...

, Guildford,

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...

and the

Bristol Old Vic Bristol Old Vic is a British theatre company based at the Theatre Royal, Bristol. The present company was established in 1946 as an offshoot of the Old Vic in London. It is associated with the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, which became a f ...

. Her

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

debut came in 1944 and her many West End successes included ''Dinner With the Family'' for which she won a Clarence Derwent award in 1957, ''Difference of Opinion'', ''

The Killing of Sister George ''The Killing of Sister George'' is a 1964 play by Frank Marcus that was later adapted into a 1968 film directed by Robert Aldrich. Stage version Sister George is a beloved character in the popular radio series ''Applehurst'', a district nurse ...

'' (also on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

), ''

Dear Octopus ''Dear Octopus'' is a comedy by the playwright and novelist Dodie Smith. It opened at the Queen's Theatre, London on 14 September 1938. On the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939 the run was halted after 373 performances; after ...

'' and ''The Beastly Beatitudes of Balthazar B''. She appeared in the sitcoms '' You're Only Young Twice'', ''

Going Straight ''Going Straight'' is a BBC sitcom created and written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, and starring Ronnie Barker and Richard Beckinsale. The programme was a direct spin-off to the sitcom '' Porridge'', which all four were involved in, wit ...

'', '' Hi-De-Hi'', '' My Name Is Harry Worth'' and '' A Fine Romance'', and her film career included roles in '' We Joined the Navy'' (1962), '' Tamahine'' (1963), ''

The Chalk Garden ''The Chalk Garden'' is a play by Enid Bagnold that premiered in the US in 1955 and was produced in Britain the following year. It tells the story of the imperious Mrs St Maugham and her granddaughter Laurel, a disturbed child under the care of ...

'' (1964), '' I Start Counting'' (1970), '' All the Way Up'' (1970), ''

Up Pompeii ''Up Pompeii!'' is a British television comedy series broadcast between 1969 and 1970, starring Frankie Howerd. The first series was written by Talbot Rothwell, a scriptwriter for the ''Carry On'' films, and the second series by Rothwell and S ...

'' (1971), ''

Our Miss Fred ''Our Miss Fred'' is a 1972 British comedy film starring Danny La Rue, set during World War II. The film was also known by its video release titles ''Beyond the Call of Duty'' (Canada) and ''Operation: Fred'' (US). In the 1960s, La Rue was one ...

'' (1972), '' Dracula A.D. 1972'' (1972), ''

The Slipper and the Rose ''The Slipper and the Rose: The Story of Cinderella'' is a 1976 British musical film retelling the classic fairy tale of Cinderella. The film was chosen as the Royal Command Performance motion picture selection for 1976. Directed by Bryan Forb ...

'' (1976) and ''Screamtime'' (1983). She also appeared in the 1982 adaptation of Agatha Christie's '' The Case of The Discontented Soldier'' in the role of Mrs.

Ariadne Oliver Ariadne Oliver is a fictional character in the novels of Agatha Christie. She is a mystery novelist and a friend of Hercule Poirot. Profile Mrs Oliver often assists Poirot in his cases through her knowledge of the criminal mind. She often cla ...

, in the television series

The Agatha Christie Hour ''The Listerdale Mystery'' is a short story collection written by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK by William Collins and Sons in June 1934.Chris Peers, Ralph Spurrier and Jamie Sturgeon. ''Collins Crime Club – A checklist of Firs ...

. Was the vicar sister in episode 4 of Rumpole of the Bailey on the radio.

Death

Bowers died on 18 July 1984 in London, aged 70.

Partial filmography

*'' We Joined the Navy'' (1962) – Mrs. Cynthia Dewberry *'' Tamahine'' (1963) – Mrs. Cartwright *''

'' (1964) – Anna *'' Undermined – Broadcast -12/6/1965- Effie, ( Paddington Hotel Proprietress ). Episode 6 : ' Intent to Kill '. *'' I Start Counting'' (1970) – Aunt Rene *'' All the Way Up'' (1970) – Mrs. Hadfield *''

'' (1971) – Procuria *''

Up the Chastity Belt ''Up the Chastity Belt'' (also released as ''Naughty Knights'' in the United States) is a 1971 British comedy film directed by Bob Kellett and starring Frankie Howerd. It was a spin-off from the TV series '' Up Pompeii!'' Plot Eleanor of Aquit ...

'' (1972) – (voice) *'' Dracula A.D. 1972'' (1972) – Matron *''

'' (1972) – Miss Flodden *''

'' (1976) – Queen *''Screamtime'' (1983) – Mrs. Kingsley

References

External links

Performances in the Theatre Archive, University of Bristol
* * 1914 births 1984 deaths English stage actresses English television actresses Actresses from Oldham People educated at Oldham Hulme Grammar School 20th-century British actresses 20th-century English women 20th-century English people {{england-actor-stub