Kate O'Mara facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kate O'Mara
Portrait © Trevor Leighton / National Portrait Gallery, 1988
Born	Francesca Meredith Carroll (1939-08-10)10 August 1939 Leicester, Leicestershire, England, UK
Died	30 March 2014(2014-03-30) (aged 74) Sussex, England, UK
Occupation	Actress, writer
Years active	1963–2012
Spouse(s)	Jeremy Young ​ ​ (m. 1971; div. 1976)​ Richard Willis ​ ​ (m. 1993; div. 1996)​
Children	2
Relatives	Belinda Carroll (sister)

Kate O'Mara (born Francesca Meredith Carroll; 10 August 1939 – 30 March 2014) was a famous English actress and writer. She starred in many films, plays, and TV shows.

Kate O'Mara first acted on stage in 1963. She played important roles like Lady Macbeth and Cleopatra in famous plays. She also appeared as Marlene Dietrich in a play called Lunch with Marlene.

In movies, Kate O'Mara was in two horror films by Hammer Film Productions in 1970. On TV, she had regular roles in shows like The Brothers and Howards' Way. She is well-known for playing the villain the Rani in Doctor Who. She also appeared in the comedy show Absolutely Fabulous. In America, she played Caress Morell in the popular TV show Dynasty.

Kate O'Mara's Early Life and Acting Start

Kate O'Mara was born in Leicester, England. Her father was a flying instructor, and her mother was an actress. Kate's younger sister, Belinda Carroll, also became an actress. After finishing boarding school, Kate went to art school. Later, she decided to become a full-time actress.

Her first stage role was in a play called The Merchant of Venice in 1963. However, she had appeared in a film earlier, in 1956, called Home and Away.

Becoming a TV and Film Star

In the 1960s, Kate O'Mara appeared in many TV shows. These included Danger Man, The Saint, and The Avengers. In 1970, she acted in two horror films from Hammer Studio. These were The Vampire Lovers and The Horror of Frankenstein. Hammer Studio was so impressed that they offered her a special contract. But Kate turned it down because she didn't want to always play the same type of character.

Her first big TV role was in the show The Main Chance in 1969. She also had a regular part in The Brothers from 1975 to 1976. In the early 1980s, Kate starred in the BBC show Triangle.

Playing Famous Villains

Kate O'Mara played a well-known villain called the Rani in Doctor Who. She appeared in two stories, The Mark of the Rani (1985) and Time and the Rani (1987). She also returned as the Rani for a special Doctor Who event in 1993.

Between her Doctor Who roles, she got a part in the American TV show Dynasty. She played Caress Morell, the sister of a main character named Alexis Colby. Kate appeared in many episodes of Dynasty in 1986. After returning to the UK, she played another villain, Laura Wilde, in the BBC show Howards' Way.

Later Acting Work

O'Mara and Peter Davison at the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Celebration Weekend in 2013

Kate O'Mara continued to appear on TV in the 1990s. She played Jackie Stone in two episodes of the comedy show Absolutely Fabulous. In 2001, she had a role in the prison drama Bad Girls. She also appeared in the show Crossroads.

Kate kept performing on stage too. In 2008, she played the famous singer Marlene Dietrich in a play called Lunch with Marlene. She also acted in radio plays. In 2012, Kate O'Mara appeared in a play based on Agatha Christie's Death on the Nile.

Kate O'Mara's Personal Life

Kate O'Mara was married twice. Her first marriage was to Jeremy Young in 1971, and her second was to Richard Willis in 1993. She had two sons, Dickon Young and Christopher Linde.

Kate O'Mara also wrote four books. Two were novels, and two were about her own life. She once shared that listening to music by J.S. Bach and reading books by P.G. Wodehouse helped her through tough times.

Her Passing

Kate O'Mara passed away on 30 March 2014, at the age of 74. She died in Sussex, England, from ovarian cancer. She left some money to a charity that helps actors.

Filmography

Films Kate O'Mara Starred In

Television Shows Kate O'Mara Appeared In

See also

In Spanish: Kate O'Mara para niños

• English actresses
• Cinema of the United Kingdom