Alethea Charlton

Alethea Blow Charlton (9 August 1931 – 6 May 1976) was an English television and radio actress.

Early life and education Alethea was born in Middlesbrough, North Riding of Yorkshire, England. She attended Ripon High School and the Northern Theatre School which was based at the Bradford Playhouse.

Career

After working in repertory for a few years in Yorkshire, she moved to London in 1960 before touring American universities as a member of a group. She returned to the series two years later, playing the character Edith in the serial The Time Meddler in 1965.

In 1970 Charlton played the title role in the one-off TV play Marie Stopes: Sexual Revolutionary. Her other TV credits include: Follyfoot, The Borderers, Doomwatch, Out of the Unknown, Upstairs, Downstairs. Her best known role was the character of Ethel Barraclough in the Granada Television drama Sam, across the shows three series broadcast from 1973 to 1975.

Between 1968 and 1975 Charlton made several appearances on BBC Radio 4's Afternoon Theatre. She also acted in The Dales, and in radio adaptations of Richard Gordon's Doctor novels.

Charlton died at the Royal Marsden Hospital, Chelsea, from skin cancer in May 1976, aged 44. Her death came less than two months after her Sam co-star, Michael Goodliffe. Her final acting role was in the soap opera The Cedar Tree, which was aired posthumously in October 1976.

Filmography