Colette O'Neil

Mary Irene Colette Ellis ( McCrossan, 18 November 1935 – 11 July 2021), better known by the stage name Colette O'Neil, was a Scottish actress, noted for her various roles on British television.

Life and career O'Neil was a semi-regular cast member of Coronation Street in the mid-1960s as Ruth Winter, and also made frequent guest appearances in series such as Z-Cars, Dixon of Dock Green, Adam Adamant Lives!, No Hiding Place and Softly, Softly. and The Spoils of War.

She played the role of Eleanor, Duchess of Gloucester, in the BBC television version [1965/1966] of The Wars of the Roses. In the 1974 BBC adaptation of David Copperfield O'Neil played Clara Copperfield, David's mother.

In 1983 she appeared in Doctor Who in the role of Tanha in the serial Snakedance.

She latterly appeared in Taggart, Lovejoy, Hamish Macbeth, Heartbeat, Peak Practice, Holby City, Monarch of the Glen and Bad Girls.

Her film appearances were few, but included roles in Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1969), The Smashing Bird I Used to Know (1969), Dreams Lost, Dreams Found (1987), Wild Flowers (1989), and Mortdecai (2015).

She also appeared as Hannah Sempel, the "keeper of the keys", in the BBC Radio drama "McLevy" alongside Scottish actors Brian Cox and Siobhan Redmond.

O'Neil married Michael Ellis and had two daughters and one son. She died in Glasgow in July 2021, at the age of 85.

Radio credits

Date Title Role Director Station DS Vogel: Body on the Heath Laura Holland Jane Morgan BBC Radio 4 Visiting Time Sarah Lu Kemp BBC Radio 4 Afternoon Play Soft Fall the Sounds of Eden Janet Gaynor Macfarlane BBC Radio 4 Friday Play Folie à Trois Colleen Gaynor Macfarlane BBC Radio 4 Friday Play The Best Snow for Skiing Valda Lu Kemp BBC Radio 4 Afternoon Play – The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Miss Wallace Patrick Rayner BBC Radio 4 – The Pillow Book Tozammi Lu Kemp BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour Drama McLevy: A Dangerous Remedy Hannah Bruce Young BBC Radio 4 Afternoon Drama McLevy: No Looking Back Hannah Bruce Young BBC Radio 4 Afternoon Drama Blood Sex and Money by Emile Zola: 3.7. Fate Ancient Woman Kirsty Williams BBC Radio 4 Afternoon Play