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Doreen Mantle

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Doreen Mantle
Mantle in Crown Court (1977)
Born(1926-06-22)22 June 1926
Johannesburg, South Africa
Died9 August 2023(2023-08-09) (aged 97)
London, England
Alma materUniversity of the Witwatersrand
OccupationActress
Years active1964–2023
TelevisionCoronation Street (2010–2011)
One Foot in the Grave (1990–2000)
The Duchess of Duke Street (1976)
Spouse
Graham Smith
​
​
(m. 1953, divorced)​
Children2

Doreen June Mantle (22 June 1926 – 9 August 2023) was a South African-born British actress who played Jean Warboys in One Foot in the Grave (1990–2000).[1][2] She appeared in many British television series since the 1960s, including The Duchess of Duke Street, The Wild House, Sam Saturday, Chalk, Casualty, The Bill, Doctors, Holby City, Lovejoy, Coronation Street and Jonathan Creek. She played lollipop lady Queenie in Jam & Jerusalem (2006–2009).[3]

Early life

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Doreen June Mantle was born on 22 June 1926, in Johannesburg, South Africa, to English parents Bernard and Hilda (née Greenberg), who ran a hotel.[4][5][6][7] When she was six weeks old, her parents moved back to Britain, but they returned to South Africa four years later after the birth of Mantle's brother Alan in 1930.[7]

Mantle attended the University of the Witwatersrand. She acted with the university's dramatic society and appeared on the South African amateur stage and radio, before becoming a social worker. On a visit to London in 1949, she performed at the Gateway theatre. She married Graham Smith, an engine sales manager, in 1953.[8][9] She moved to the United Kingdom at the age of 23, out of opposition to apartheid, settling in London with her husband.[4]

Career

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Mantle acted at Colchester repertory theatre before taking a break from the stage after the birth of her first son. After her return, she had a small role as a wedding guest at the Aldwych theatre in a 1967 Royal Shakespeare Company production of Jules Feiffer’s play Little Murders.[10]

After a lean spell during which she worked as a London tourist guide, Mantle’s career was given a boost by William Trevor’s play Going Home at the King’s Head theatre club, Islington, in 1972. She continued to work extensively on the stage in such productions as My Fair Lady, Keep It in the Family, The Seagull and Hamlet. She also toured Britain in Billy Liar in the role of Florence Boothroyd and performed at the National Theatre in The Voysey Inheritance. In 1979, she was awarded the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance in Death of a Salesman.[11] She also undertook radio work for BBC Radio 3 and BBC World Service. Mantle played the long suffering wife of the rabbi in BBC Radio 4's comedy series The Attractive Young Rabbi.[12]

Mantle played Mrs Shaemen in Barbra Streisand's film version of Yentl (1983).[13]

In television many of Mantle's parts were one-offs, but she had a short run as Mrs Catchpole in the first series of The Duchess of Duke Street (1976) and played Karl Marx’s wife in the first two parts of the Eleanor Marx trilogy (1977) and Rita Sterne, mother of the detective (Ivan Kaye) in Sam Saturday (1992).[14]

Mantle would go on to find fame in her sixties, when in 1989 she was cast as the hapless and naive Jean Warboys, friend of Margaret (Annette Crosbie) and Victor Meldrew (Richard Wilson) in David Renwick's sitcom One Foot in the Grave.[14] She appeared in 18 episodes from 1990 until 2000. She would work with Renwick again, appearing in an episode of his comedy drama Love Soup in 2005.[15]

She was a regular in the first two series (2006–2008) of the sitcom Jam & Jerusalem, written by Jennifer Saunders, appearing in 12 episodes as Queenie, the school crossing attendant.[14][16]

From 2010-11, Mantle briefly appeared in Coronation Street as Joy Fishwick, the mother of Colin Fishwick (David Crellin), who was secretly killed and his identity was stolen by John Stape (Graeme Hawley). In a similar fashion to her son, Joy was killed; albeit accidentally, by John who was trying to compromise and muffle her screaming. [17]

In early-2023, aged 96, she appeared on the clip show One Foot in the Grave - 30 Years Of Laughs, when along with other cast and crew members she took a look back at the show for which she became well known.

Personal life and death

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Mantle married Graham Smith in 1953; they had two sons together, but later divorced.[4] From the mid-1990s she was a resident of Highgate, London.[18]

Mantle died at home in London on 9 August 2023, at the age of 97.[7][19][20]

Filmography

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Source, unless specified:[21]

Films

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Year Title Role Note
1967 Privilege Miss Crawford
1972 Frenzy Woman in Crowd[4] Uncredited
1975 All Creatures Great and Small Mrs Seaton TV movie
1979 Black Jack Mrs Carter
1979 Secret Orchards Aunt Bunny TV movie
1981 The French Lieutenant's Woman Lady on Train
1983 Yentl Mrs Shaemen
1983 St. Ursula's in Danger Miss Cowley
1984 Home Video
1985 Star Quality: Bon Voyage Mrs Teitelbaum TV movie
1990 Mountains of the Moon Mrs Speke
1992 The Turn of the Screw Doreen[citation needed]
1994 A Man You Don't Meet Every Day Mrs Norton
1996 In Love and War Emilia
1997 So This Is Romance? Clairvoyant[citation needed]
2004 Suzie Gold Nana's Friend
2005 Antonio's Breakfast Lady with Rubbish Short
2006 Scoop Joe's Co-Passenger
2010 Two Ladies & a Hill Hillary[citation needed] Short
2011 Late Bloomers Nora
2012 The Owner Felicity
2012 Over the Hill? Mrs Parker[citation needed]
2013 Fire Horse Ada[citation needed] Short
2017 55 Steps Eleanor's Mother
2018 Knock at the Door Mrs. Harris Short
2018 Jean Jean[citation needed] Short
2019 Blind Mrs Wood[citation needed] Short

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1964–1965 Emergency Ward 10 Mrs Cox[citation needed]
1965 A Passage to India (Play of the Month) Mrs Fletcher
1966–1973 Love Story Mrs Driver / Madge / Mrs Bryant[citation needed]
1967 Uncle Charles American Wife[citation needed]
1969 Strange Report Mrs Ogilive
1969 The Letter Madame Joyce
1969–1973 Special Branch Miss Mitchell / Mrs Harris[citation needed]
1972 Kate Harriet Bates[citation needed]
1972 Six Days of Justice Probation Officer[citation needed]
1972–1977 Crown Court Vera Tilley / Mrs Verity Holt-Matthews
1973 Armchair 30 Miss Fanshaw
1973 Public Eye Miss Barnwell
1973 Vienna 1900 Frau Arbesbacher
1973 The Song of Songs Frau Czepanek
1974 Intimate Strangers Dorothy
1974 Marked Personal Mrs Hastings
1974–1979 Play for Today Mary Hunter / Julia Branston / Mother
1976 The Duchess of Duke Street Mrs Catchpole
1976 Billy Brand Edna James
1977 Esther Waters Mrs Randal
1977 Headmaster Chairwoman[citation needed]
1977 Eleanor Marx Frau Marx[citation needed]
1978 Secret Army Mme. Desmarts[citation needed]
1979 Mystery!: Malice Aforethought Hilda[citation needed]
1979 Thomas & Sarah Mrs Ryder[citation needed]
1980 The Gentle Touch Beryl King[citation needed]
1980 Ladykillers Mrs Wheeler[citation needed]
1980 Pride and Prejudice Mrs Reynolds
1980–1981 BBC2 Playhouse Mrs Orpen / Margaret
1983 The Home Front Medora[citation needed]
1984 Charlie Maggie
1985 Summer Season Matron[citation needed]
1985 Connie Miss Greer[citation needed]
1987 Sunday Premiere Mrs Venables
1987 Screenplay Mother Monica[citation needed]
1990 Screen Two Landlady
1990–2000 One Foot in the Grave Mrs Warboys 18 episodes
1990–2002 Casualty Renee Wainwright / Mrs Duffin[citation needed]
1991 Stanley and the Women Lady Bailey
1992 Nice Town Jean Thompson
1992 The Secret Agent Mrs Waller
1992 Sam Saturday Rita Sterne
1992 Mr Wakefield's Crusade Chrissie
1992 Lovejoy Vera
1994 Class Act Hilda Skoric
1994 Peak Practice Mary Eastman
1996 Testament: The Bible in Animation Naomi
1996 Our Friends in the North Mrs Wilson
1996 The Vet Edie Davenport
1997 Chalk Dr. Eleanor Gillespie
1997–1999 The Wild House Granny
2000 Where the Heart Is Miriam Stone
2001–2019 Doctors Mrs Merriam / Winnie Carpenter / Doris Forsyth / Rose Recurring roles
2003 The Bill Anne Culshaw
2004 Doc Martin Marianne Walker
2004 Shadow Play Queen Victoria
2004–2009 Holby City Simone Mannstein / Sylvia Wheeler
2005 Love Soup Mavis Bledsoe
2005 Twenty Thousand Streets Under the Sky Marion Chingford
2005 Hustle Anne Foster
2006 Brief Encounters Frances
2006–2008 Jam & Jerusalem Queenie
2007 The Sarah Jane Adventures Mrs Randall
2007 Holby Blue Maureen Jessie
2008 Bonekickers Mary Cunley
2009 The Queen The Queen Mother
2010 Dirk Gently Ruth Jordan
2010 Jonathan Creek Mrs Gantry[citation needed]
2010–2011 Coronation Street Joy Fishwick[citation needed] 10 episodes
2011 My Family Lillian[citation needed]
2013–2014 The Mimic Martin's Grandma / Martin's Nan
2015 Lewis Joan
2018 Father Brown Miss Tibby[citation needed]
2023 One Foot in the Grave - 30 Years Of Laughs Herself/Mrs Warboys

References

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  1. ^ Webber, Richard (2006). The Complete One Foot in the Grave. London: Orion. p. 48; ISBN 0-7528-7357-1.
  2. ^ Dickson, Andrew (25 August 2015). "How we made One Foot in the Grave". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  3. ^ "The Kembleford Dragon, Series 6, Father Brown – BBC One". BBC. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  4. ^ a b c d "Doreen Mantle, Olivier-winning actress who found fame as Mrs Warboys in One Foot in the Grave – obituary". The Telegraph. 11 August 2023. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  5. ^ "Remarkable Highgate Women" (PDF). p.13. Highgate Literary and Scientific Institution. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  6. ^ Wyllie, Rosalind (2019). "A Woman of Purpose: The inspirational Doreen Mantle on life in her 90's". Age Matters, p. 6-7. Age UK. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  7. ^ a b c Hayward, Anthony (11 August 2023). "Doreen Mantle obituary". The Guardian.
  8. ^ "Obituary: Doreen Mantle". The Stage. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  9. ^ Hayward, Anthony (11 August 2023). "Doreen Mantle obituary". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  10. ^ Hayward, Anthony (11 August 2023). "Doreen Mantle obituary". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  11. ^ "The Laurence Olivier Awards: Full List of Winners, 1976–2008" (PDF). The Society of London Theatre. 2008. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  12. ^ Arnold, Steve. "The Attractive Young Rabbi". Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  13. ^ Monaco, James (1992). The Movie Guide. Perigee Books. ISBN 9780399517808. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  14. ^ a b c Hayward, Anthony (11 August 2023). "Doreen Mantle obituary". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  15. ^ "This page no longer exists". Archived from the original on 14 August 2017.
  16. ^ "This page no longer exists". Archived from the original on 14 August 2017.
  17. ^ Kilkelly, Daniel (27 October 2010). "'One Foot in the Grave' star joins Corrie". Digital Spy. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  18. ^ https://hlsi.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Remarkable-Highgate-Women.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  19. ^ Lynch, Niamh (9 August 2023). "Doreen Mantle: One Foot In The Grave actress dies aged 97". Sky News. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  20. ^ "Doreen Mantle obituary". The Times. 11 August 2023. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  21. ^ "Doreen Mantle". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 14 August 2017.
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