Caroline Blakiston

Last updated

Caroline Blakiston
Born
Caroline Georgiana Blakiston

(1933-02-13) 13 February 1933 (age 91)
Chelsea, London, England
OccupationActress
Years active1961–present
Spouse
(m. 1970,divorced)
Children2

Caroline Georgiana Blakiston [1] (born 13 February 1933) is an English actress. She is best known for her role in the British television comedy series Brass and to international audiences as Mon Mothma in the Star Wars film Return of the Jedi , and Aunt Agatha in Poldark .

Contents

Early life

Blakiston was born in London, the archivist and author Hugh Noel Blakiston (1905–1984), and (Rachel) Georgiana (1903–1995), daughter of barrister Harold John Hastings Russell (a descendant of the 6th Duke of Bedford) and Lady Victoria Alberta Leveson-Gower, whose father was the statesman Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville. The Blakiston family originated in County Durham, and were related to the Blakiston baronets. [2] [3]

Blakiston attended RADA, graduating in 1957. [4]

Career

In the 1960s, Blakiston appeared in three episodes of The Avengers as well a number of ITC productions such as The Saint , Department S and the 1969 Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) episode "Never Trust a Ghost". She appeared to great acclaim as Marjorie Ferrar in the BBC Television adaptation of Galsworthy's The Forsyte Saga in 1967. In 1977 she appeared in Raffles as Lady Paulton, and also in Murder Most English as Helen Carobleat. In 1980–1981, she starred in the BBC/Australian TV World War II comedy series Private Schulz as The Countess.

In 1983, Blakiston played the wayward character of Lady Patience Hardacre in the satirical Granada television series Brass , which ran for three series. She portrayed Mon Mothma, the primary political leader of the Rebel Alliance in the 1983 Star Wars film, Return of the Jedi . The 1980s saw Blakiston in a lead role as head of a special unit within British intelligence, opposite Alec McCowen in Mr. Palfrey of Westminster .

In 1986, Blakiston played the villain Bess Sedgwick opposite Joan Hickson's Miss Marple, in the episode "At Bertram's Hotel" of the BBC's Miss Marple series. She also appeared as Lionel Hardcastle's ex-wife in an episode of As Time Goes By . She and Geoffrey Palmer (Lionel) had previously played estranged spouses a decade earlier in Carla Lane's series The Last Song . From 2015 to 2018, Blakiston played Aunt Agatha in the BBC adaptation Poldark .

Personal life

In 1970, Blakiston married the actor Russell Hunter after they had played together in A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park. They had a son and a daughter together, but later divorced. [5]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1966 The Idol Second Woman at Party
The Trygon Factor White Nun
1969 The Magic Christian Honourable Esther Grand
1971 Sunday Bloody Sunday Rowing Wife
1978Saturday Sunday MondayElenaTV film
Les Misérables Madame ThenardierTV film
1979 Yanks Golfing Friend
1983 Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi Mon Mothma
1987Miss Marple: At Bertram's Hotel Bess SedgwickTV film
The Fourth Protocol Angela Berenson
1998 The Children of the New Forest Aunt JudithTV film
2003The War of the StarfightersOperativeVoice role
2006Coup!Margaret ThatcherTV film
Scoop Mrs. Quincy
2008 The Commander: Abduction Mary HensonTV film
2011For ElsieMama KilovShort
2013Round and Round the GardenWomanShort
2018 Mary Anning Molly AnningShort
2019The Leaving PartyJoyShort

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1961 The Avengers Elaine BatemanEpisode: "Dance with Death"
1962City Beneath the SeaDr. Ann BoydSeries regular
1963 No Hiding Place Annette RosserEpisode: "Tell Them Upstairs"
ITV Play of the Week NurseEpisode: "For King and Country #1: Out There"
No Cloak – No Dagger Pat PenmoreSeries regular
Emergency Ward 10 Susan Chambers3 episodes
1964-1965Lena HydeSeries regular
1965Story ParadeW.P.C. Anne CunninghamEpisode: "The Make-Believe Man"
Love Story BrendaEpisode: "After Hours"
The Avengers Miss ThirlwellEpisode: "The Gravediggers"
Public Eye Eva GarstonEpisode: "Nobody Kills Santa Claus"
1966 The Saint Eleanor BastionEpisode: "The Convenient Monster"
Out of the Unknown Dr. Odile KepplerEpisode: "Second Childhood"
The Baron Felicia TalbotEpisode: "So Dark the Night"
1967 The Forsyte Saga Marjorie FerrarRecurring role
Love Story ZoeEpisode: "The Swordfighter"
The Avengers Cynthia Wentworth-HoweEpisode: "The Positive Negative Man"
Meeting PointMandy PrideEpisode: "The House by the Stable"
1968 The Wednesday Play Matilda BoffEpisode: "Coincidence"
Public Eye GeorgeEpisode: "Mercury in an Off-White Mac"
Armchair Theatre JessaEpisode: "Unscheduled Stop"
The Queen Street GangAuntie Cuthbert4 episodes
The Champions Marion GrantEpisode: "The Experiment"
The Caesars AgrippinaMini-series
1969 The Power Game Margot FellowshipEpisode: "The Goose Chase"
Fraud SquadKay PilgrimEpisode: "Run for Your Money"
Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) Karen HowarthEpisode: "Never Trust a Ghost"
Department S Kate MortimerEpisode: "The Shift That Never Was"
Strange Report LouiseEpisode: "Report 2493: Kidnap – Whose Pretty Girl Are You?"
1970 Paul Temple Judy SaireEpisode: "Right Villain"
Play for Today EstherEpisode: "The Lie"
1971 Man at the Top Maureen BinseyEpisode: "Too Good for This World"
Shadows of Fear MaureenEpisode: "Return of Favours"
Wives and Daughters Lady HarrietMini-series
1972His and HersFelicity FarrellEpisode: "Diet"
Villains ReneEpisode: "Chas"
1973Then and NowEricaEpisode: "In Memoriam"
1976MurderElizabethEpisode: "A Variety of Passion"
Well AnywayCornelia de VanceEpisode: "There Again"
1977 Raffles Lady PaultonEpisode: "An Old Flame"
The Sunday DramaDeborahEpisode: "The Late Wife"
Murder Most English: A Flaxborough Chronicle Mrs. Helen Carobleat2 episodes
The Children of the New Forest Judith Villiers1 episode
1977-1982 Crown Court Kathleen Fenton QCSeries regular
1978 Wilde Alliance ElenaEpisode: "Well Enough Alone"
The Lively Arts NarratorEpisode: "A Haunted Man"
ITV Sunday Night Drama EmilyEpisode: "The Last Romantic"
The Many Wives of PatrickPrincess PoliakoffEpisode: "One of the Smart Set in a Smart Setting"
The Sweeney HildegardeEpisode: "Hearts and Minds"
1979KidsFay WilkinsEpisode: "Diana"
Prince Regent Lady Frances JerseyMini-series
The Dick Francis Thriller: The Racing Game Sylvia GuiccoliEpisode: "Gambling Lady"
1979-1980 The Mallens Anna BrigmoreSeries regular
1980 Shoestring MonicaEpisode: "Looking for Mr Wright"
1981 Nanny Adela Quinn2 episodes
Private Schulz Countess1 episode
1981-1983 The Last Song Alice BannisterSeries regular
1982 Play for Today JosieEpisode: "Life After Death"
1983All for LoveNarratorEpisode: "Miss A and Miss M"
1983-1990 Brass Lady Patience HardacreSeries regular
1984-1985 Mr. Palfrey of Westminster Co-OrdinatorSeries regular
1985 Charters and Caldicott Margaret MottramSeries regular
1987The RefugeHelen Crichton-Crick
1987Agatha Christie's Miss MarpleBess Sedgwick

Episode: "At Bertram's Hotel"

1989Till We Meet AgainMadame CourdetMini-series
1990 Chancer Mary Douglas3 episodes
1991ShrinksLady Dyer1 episode
Lovejoy Miss HemmingwayEpisode: "Sugar & Spice"
Murder Most Horrid Dr. Rachel VineEpisode: "A Determined Woman"
1992-1993 Mulberry Adele Farnaby2 episodes
Rides ScarlettSeries regular
1993 Harry Natasha Lee1 episode
1994 The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes Dowager DuchessEpisode: "The Three Gables"
1996 As Time Goes By MargaretEpisode: "Lionel's Ex-Wife"
1998 The Grand Isobel Crawford1 episode
1999 Sunburn Mrs. Armitage1 episode
2005 Heartbeat Hildy DresslerEpisode: "Picture This"
Midsomer Murders Angela HartleyEpisode: "Bantling Boy"
2006 The Line of Beauty Lady PartridgeMini-series
2008Small Dark PlacesLady WellingTV short
2009 Midsomer Murders Hilary ComptonEpisode: "Small Mercies"
2011 Doctors Geraldine CrofteEpisode: "The Good Daughter"
2012 Holby City Kathleen PenningtonEpisode: "Through the Darkness"
2013 Agatha Christie's Poirot Julia CarstairsEpisode: "Elephants Can Remember"
2014 Father Brown Lady Lavinia PrydeEpisode: "The Pride of the Prydes"
2015 Casualty Frances BarrettEpisode: "The Long Haul"
2015-2018 Poldark Aunt AgathaSeries regular
2016 Midsomer Murders Sylvia LennardEpisode: "The Village That Rose from the Dead"

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References

  1. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage 107th edition, vol. 1, ed. Charles Mosley, Burke's Peerage Ltd, 2003, p. 320
  2. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage 107th edition, vol. 1, ed. Charles Mosley, Burke's Peerage Ltd, 2003, p. 320
  3. "The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography" . Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2004. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/60978.(Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  4. "Student & graduate profiles: Caroline Blakiston". Rada.ac.uk. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
  5. "Russell Hunter : Obituaries". The Independent . 28 February 2004. Retrieved 24 December 2015.