Jean Marsh, Upstairs Downstairs co-creator and star, dies aged 90

14 April 2025, 13:12

Jean Marsh also was known for her roles in 1963’s Doctor Who, Frenzy and The Twilight Zone.

Jean Marsh, the star and co-creator of ITV’s 70s show Upstairs, Downstairs, has died at the age of 90.

The Doctor Who and Willow star’s death from complications with dementia was confirmed to the Press Association by her close friend, director Sir Michael Lindsay-Hogg, on Sunday, April 13.

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“Jean died peacefully in bed looked after by one of her very loving carers,” Sir Michael said.

“You could say we were very close for 60 years,” he continued, remembering the Emmy-winning actress as: “As wise and funny as anyone I ever met, as well as being very pretty and kind, and talented as both an actress and writer.

“An instinctively empathetic person who was loved by everyone who met her. We spoke on the phone almost every day for the past 40 years,” he also shared.

Jean Marsh was best known for playing Rose in the period drama Upstairs, Downstairs, which aired on ITV from 1971 to 1975.

She won an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a limited series for her role as the head parlour maid.

The show – co-created and written by Jean – centred on class relations in the Edwardian era through its focus on the lives of a fictional aristocratic family, the Bellamys, and their staff.

The show was revived on BBC One in 2010 by Call the Midwife writer Heidi Thomas, and Jean reprised her role as Rose for its two series.

Born in London on July 1, 1934, Jean began performing at a young age after taking dance and mime classes as a child.

She made her West End debut in The Land of the Christmas Stockings aged just 12 years old, and continued to act in theatre, TV and films from then on.

Film credits for Jean include 1963’s Cleopatra, 1985’s unofficial Wizard of Oz sequel Return to Oz and 1988’s fantasy adventure film, Willow.

Jean was also known for playing three different roles in Doctor Who.

She first starred in the First Doctor serial The Crusade as Joan of England, then briefly played companion Sara Kingdom (also with the First Doctor) in the serial The Daleks’ Master Plan.

In 1989, she returned to the sci-fi show to play the villain Morgaine in the Seventh Doctor story Battlefield.

The actress was also briefly married to Doctor Who star Jon Pertwee from 1955 to 1960.

In addition to her screen and stage work, Jean was also the writer of several books including The House of Eliott, which was based on her TV series of the same name.