Stephanie Bidmead

Stephanie Bidmead
Photo by Mark Gudgeon, 1967
Born(1929-01-29)29 January 1929
Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England
Died22 September 1974(1974-09-22) (aged 45)
Richmond-upon-Thames, Surrey, England
OccupationActress
Notable workMaaga in Doctor Who: Galaxy 4 (1965)
SpouseHenry Bardon
Children2 sons

Stephanie Bidmead (29 January 1929 – 22 September 1974) was a British stage and television actress.

Early life

She was born in Kidderminster. She attended Kidderminster High School for Girls, a girls' grammar school. In 1977 it became part of King Charles I School.[1]

Career

She was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company in the late 1950s, and played in Peter Brook's 1957 production of The Tempest, and in 1959 played opposite Charles Laughton in King Lear and A Midsummer Night's Dream.[2]

She began to work in television during the 1960s, with credits in Doctor Who, the final episode of Maigret and Adam Adamant Lives!.[3][4] In the Doctor Who serial Galaxy 4 she played the Drahvin leader Maaga.[5]

In 1972 she played the lead role of Queen Elizabeth I in Robert Bolt's play Vivat! Vivat Regina! in the Birmingham Rep production.[6]

Personal life

She had two sons with Moravian theatre designer Henry Bardon.[7][8] She was diagnosed with anterior horn cell myelitis and died on 22 September 1974 at the age of 45.[5]

Filmography

Film

Television

References

  1. ^ "Kidderminster High School for Girls Old Girls Association". www.khsoldgirls.org.uk.
  2. ^ "Search | RSC Performances | Shakespeare Birthplace Trust". collections.shakespeare.org.uk.
  3. ^ "Stephanie Bidmead". BFI. Archived from the original on 23 March 2019.
  4. ^ "Stephanie Bidmead". www.aveleyman.com.
  5. ^ a b Doctor Who Magazine - Issue 461 - June 2013 - Page 55
  6. ^ "The Rep 100", Birmingham Rep
  7. ^ "Stephanie has a date with Dr. Who! - the Doctor Who Cuttings Archive".
  8. ^ "Lichfield Mercury (image)". cuttingsarchive.org. 2 July 1965.