Bernadette Mary O'Farrell (30 January 1924 – 26 September 1999) was an Irish actress in film and television, best known for playing

Maid Marian Maid Marian is the heroine of the Robin Hood legend in English folklore, often taken to be his lover. She is not mentioned in the early, medieval versions of the legend, but was the subject of at least two plays by 1600. Her history and circums ...

in the 1950s.

Early years

O'Farrell was born in Birr,

County Offaly County Offaly (; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. It is named after the Ancient Ireland, ancient Kingdom of Uí ...

Irish Free State The Irish Free State (6 December 192229 December 1937), also known by its Irish-language, Irish name ( , ), was a State (polity), state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty ended the three-ye ...

. Her mother was an amateur actress, and her father managed a bank. She attended a convent school, and worked as a secretary as a young woman.

Career

O'Farrell broke into film work in her twenties, after being introduced to English director

Carol Reed Sir Carol Reed (30 December 1906 – 25 April 1976) was an English film director and producer, best known for '' Odd Man Out'' (1947), '' The Fallen Idol'' (1948), '' The Third Man'' (1949), and '' Oliver!'' (1968), for which he was awarded th ...

. She is best known for playing Maid Marian in the 1950s British television adaptation of ''

The Adventures of Robin Hood ''The Adventures of Robin Hood'' is a 1938 American Epic film, epic swashbuckler film from Warner Bros. Pictures. It was produced by Hal B. Wallis and Henry Blanke, directed by Michael Curtiz and William Keighley, and written by Norman Reilly Ra ...

'', co-starring

Donald Pleasence Donald Henry Pleasence (; 5 October 1919 – 2 February 1995) was an English actor. He was known for his "bald head and intense, staring eyes," and played more than 250 stage, film, and television roles across a nearly sixty-year career. Pleas ...

Paul Eddington Paul Clark Eddington (18 June 1927 – 4 November 1995) was an English actor who played Jerry Leadbetter in the television sitcom '' The Good Life'' (1975–1978) and politician Jim Hacker in the sitcom '' Yes Minister'' (1980–1984) and its ...

Richard O'Sullivan Richard O'Sullivan (born 7 May 1944) is an English comedy actor. He is known for his role as Robin Tripp in the TV sitcoms ''Man About the House'' (1973–1976) and '' Robin's Nest'' (1977–1981) and as the title character in the period adven ...

, and Richard Greene. It was one of the first British television productions to find an audience in North America, and O'Farrell and Greene made a publicity tour in the United States in 1956, to support the show. She left the show in 1957, after 78 episodes, to avoid type-casting, and was replaced by Patricia Driscoll. She played an English school mistress, Miss Harper, in '' The Happiest Days of Your Life'' (1949), Jessie Bond in '' The Story of Gilbert and Sullivan'' (1953) and Peg Curtis in the boxing film '' The Square Ring'' (1953). She retired from acting in 1959 to live on a farm in

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (, abbreviated ''Bucks'') is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east, Hertfordshir ...

, England. Later, O'Farrell and Launder moved to

Monaco Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a Sovereign state, sovereign city-state and European microstates, microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, ...

. Her last film appearance was in '' The Wildcats of St. Trinian's'' (1980).

Personal life

O'Farrell was married to the film writer, director and producer

Frank Launder Frank Launder (28 January 1906 – 23 February 1997) was a British writer, film director and producer, who made more than 40 films, many of them in collaboration with Sidney Gilliat. Early life and career He was born in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, ...

from 1950 until his death in 1997. They had two daughters together, Georgina and Aisling. O'Farrell died in 1999, at the age of 75, in Monaco.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ofarrell, Bernadette 1924 births 1999 deaths 20th-century Irish actresses Irish expatriates in Monaco Irish film actresses Actors from County Offaly People from Birr, County Offaly