Myra Frances (13 April 1942 – 30 March 2021) was a British actress known for her role in the drama series '' Survivors'' and in ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...

''.

Career

In the 1974 ''

Second City Firsts ''Second City Firsts'' is a British drama anthology series of single plays, broadcast by the BBC, all lasting thirty minutes. Recorded at BBC Pebble Mill in Birmingham, or sometimes filmed on location, the series was broadcast between 1973 and 197 ...

'' episode "Girl", Frances and

Alison Steadman Alison Steadman (born 26 August 1946) is an English actress. She received the 1991 National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress for the Mike Leigh film '' Life Is Sweet'' and the 1993 Olivier Award for Best Actress for her role as Ma ...

performed the first lesbian kiss on British television. Frances is best known for her recurring role as Anne Tranter in the 1970s television drama series '' Survivors'' and for her appearance in the 1979 ''

'' serial ''

The Creature from the Pit ''The Creature from the Pit'' is the third serial of the 17th season of the British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four weekly parts on BBC1 from 27 October to 17 November 1979. It was the first se ...

'', in which she played the villainous Lady Adrasta. She appeared in several comedy films of the 1970s, including ''

Don't Just Lie There, Say Something! ''Don't Just Lie There, Say Something!'' is a 1974 British political themed-comedy film based on the popular "Whitehall farce" written by Michael Pertwee, who also wrote the screenplay. In the film, a government minister and his best friend co-s ...

'' (1974), as Jean Fenton, having taken over from

Deborah Grant Deborah Grant (born Deborah Jane Snelling; 22 February 1947) is an English actress. Between 1981 and 1991, she played Deborah Bergerac in the BBC television detective series '' Bergerac''. Since 2007, she has appeared in the sitcom ''Not Going ...

in the stage production at the

Garrick Theatre The Garrick Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Charing Cross Road, in the City of Westminster, named after the stage actor David Garrick. It opened in 1889 with ''The Profligate'', a play by Arthur Wing Pinero, and another Pinero play ...

in 1972. She played a schoolteacher at a party in the film '' Remembrance'' (1982), about a group of Devonport-based Royal Navy ratings, due to sail to America for a six-month NATO exercise, who go out on the town on their last night in port, hitting Plymouth's notorious Union Street district, with violent results. Frances was James Hadleigh's love interest, Stella Clisby, in the fourth series of '' Hadleigh'', and in 1976 played a barrister, Valerie Scott, in several episodes of ''

Crown Court The Crown Court is the court of first instance of England and Wales responsible for hearing all Indictable offence, indictable offences, some Hybrid offence, either way offences and appeals lied to it by the Magistrates' court, magistrates' court ...

''. Frances left acting, though in the period 1991 to 1993, she directed several plays at the Mill theatre in Sonning, Berkshire.

Personal life and death

Frances was first married to the actor Robert Taylor; the couple had one child, actress

Rebecca Egan Rebecca Egan is a British actress known mostly for the role of Marilyn Tanner in the ''Second Sight'' series, and has been seen in the guest role of Kendra Hills-Smythe in the soap opera '' EastEnders''. The daughter of Myra Frances (1943–2 ...

, but divorced. Frances met her second husband

Peter Egan Peter Joseph Egan (born 28 September 1946) is a British actor and animal rights activist. He is known for his television roles, including Hogarth in ''Big Breadwinner Hog'', the future George IV of the United Kingdom in ''Prince Regent'' (1979 ...

in 1972 while working on the show The Organisation; they married on 13 February 1972. Frances died on 30 March 2021, after suffering from cancer over a long period. Along with her husband, Frances was an animal rights campaigner, including as an ambassador for Saving Suffering Strays and active supporter of Animals Asia Foundation.

References

External links

* 1943 births 2021 deaths British television actresses Deaths from cancer in England {{UK-tv-actor-1940s-stub