Jill Gascoine: Pioneering British actress dies at 83

Jill Gascoine: Pioneering British actress dies at 83

Postby dutchman » Wed Apr 29, 2020 3:53 pm

British actress Jill Gascoine, known for her roles in such TV dramas as The Gentle Touch and The Onedin Line, has died at the age of 83

Image

In the 1980s she played Detective Inspector Maggie Forbes in ITV's The Gentle Touch, the first British police drama with a woman in the main role.

She continued playing the character in spin-off C.A.T.S. Eyes, and was Letty Onedin in The Onedin Line in the 1970s.

She died after a long illness, her family told BBC News.

Her second husband was fellow actor Alfred Molina, who in 2016 confirmed his wife was "in a very advanced stage" of Alzheimer's disease.

Born in London in 1937, Gascoine started out in theatre before landing roles in such TV series as Z Cars, Dixon of Dock Green and Rooms.

She also appeared in saucy comedy Confessions of a Pop Performer opposite Robin Askwith, who remembered her on Twitter as being "terrific in every way".

She spent four years on The Onedin Line before spending the next five on The Gentle Touch.

After moving to Los Angeles with Molina in the 1990s, she went on to become a novelist.

In 2009, it was announced that Gascoine would be returning to the UK to join the cast of EastEnders, playing the role of Glenda Mitchell.

But she withdrew from the BBC soap on her first day of filming, leading to her role being given to Glynis Barber.

"Having spent the last 15 years working in America... I felt on arrival I lacked the right experience to film such a big continuing drama," she said at the time.

"I have tremendous respect for EastEnders and the cast so I don't want to let the show or my fellow cast members down."

:bbc_news:
User avatar
dutchman
Site Admin
 
Posts: 50296
Joined: Fri Oct 23, 2009 1:24 am
Location: Spon End

Re: Jill Gascoine: Pioneering British actress dies at 83

Postby rebbonk » Thu Apr 30, 2020 1:11 pm

Always fancied her :oops:

R.I.P.
Of course it'll fit; you just need a bigger hammer.
User avatar
rebbonk
 
Posts: 65580
Joined: Thu Nov 12, 2009 7:01 am

Re: Jill Gascoine: Pioneering British actress dies at 83

Postby Melisandre » Fri May 01, 2020 12:52 pm

R.I.P
User avatar
Melisandre
 
Posts: 14096
Joined: Fri Oct 16, 2015 8:52 am


Return to Other TV

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 4 guests

  • Ads