Freda Dowie

Freda Mary Dowie (22 July 1928 – 10 August 2019) was an English actress. Her television credits included: Dixon of Dock Green, Doomwatch, Edna, the Inebriate Woman, Upstairs, Downstairs, I, Claudius, The Old Curiosity Shop, The Pickwick Papers, Lillie, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, Our Friends in the North, Common As Muck, Lovejoy, Agatha Christie's Poirot, Crown Court and Heartbeat.

Dowie frequently portrayed long-suffering roles, most notably as the Mother in the 1988 film Distant Voices, Still Lives, for which she was nominated for a European Film Award. Her film career also includes roles in Subterfuge (1968), The Omen (1976), The Monk (1990), Butterfly Kiss (1995), Jude (1996), Cider with Rosie (1998), and Fragile (2005).

Early life Freda Mary Dowie was born in Carlisle, Cumbria on 22 July 1928 to John Dowie, a fried fish seller, and his wife Emily Davidson. She attended Barrow Girls Grammar School, where she excelled in Latin, English Literature and foreign languages including French and German. She later gained a place to study teaching at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, graduating in 1948.

Personal life and death Dowie was married three times. Her first marriage was to Lionel Butterworth in Barrow-in-Furness in 1952. She then married John Goodrich in Hampstead in 1961. Both marriages ended in divorce. Her third marriage in 1970 was to the artist and documentary filmmaker David Thompson; they remained together until his death in April 2019.

Dowie died in Suffolk on 10 August 2019, aged 91.

Filmography Year Title Role Notes 1959 The Eustace Diamonds Ellen Episode: "Episode #1.6" 1961 ITV Television Playhouse Waitress Episode: "I Having Dreamt Awake" Doctor Faustus Duchess of Vanholt Episode: "Episode #1.2" The Wakefield Shepherd's Play Mary Short film 1962 Antigone Antigone 2 episodes The Bacchae Chorus 2 episodes 1963 BBC Sunday-Night Play Lillian, Gimlet's conductress Episode: "Just You Wait" Armchair Theatre Elsie Episode: "The Monkey and the Mowhawk" Maupassant Mlle. Zoe Episode: "Wives and Lovers" 1963−1967 ITV Play of the Week Princess Marie / Bronwen Iorweth / Sarah 3 episodes 1964 Diary of a Young Man Chief Marcher Episode: "Relationships" 1965 It's Dark Outside Martha Singer Episode: "A Slight Case of a Matrimony" 1966 Sunday Night Xanthippe Episode: "The Death of Socrates" North and South Fanny Thornton 4 episodes Dixon of Dock Green Mrs. Newman Episode: "The Golden Year" Alice in Wonderland Nurse Television film 1967 Dr. Finlay's Casebook Beth Geddes Episode: "Call in Cameron" Six Bites of the Cherry Various roles 6 episodes The Newcomers Staff Nurse Murdoch 2 episodes 1968 Omnibus Maid Episode: "Whistle and I'll Come To You" ITV Playhouse Unknown Episode: "The Retreat" Subterfuge Waitress 1969 The Incredible Adventures of Professor Branestawm Mrs. Flittersnoop 7 episodes 1970 Thirty-Minute Theatre Mrs. Armstrong 2 episodes 1971 Doomwatch Hilda Episode: "No Room for Error" Play for Today Mother Superior Episode: "Edna, the Inebriate Woman" Cider with Rosie Crabby Television film 1972 Cranford Miss Brown Episode: "Part 1" 1972−1975 Crown Court Sadie Dickinson / Helen Lord 5 episodes 1973 Jack the Ripper Amelia Palmer Episode: "The First Two" Once Upon a Time Mother Episode: "Ishmael" The Brontes of Haworth Miss Branwell 2 episodes 1974 The Carnforth Practice Mrs. Pollock Episode: "Undue Influence" Miss Nightingale Sister Elizabeth Wheeler Television film Upstairs, Downstairs Maria Schoenfeld Episode: "The Beastly Hun" Father Brown Opal Banks Episode: "The Man with Two Beards" 1975 The Hanged Man Jean MacKinnon Episode: "Chariot of Earth" The Poisoning of Charles Bravo Mrs. Cox 3 episodes Within These Walls Elsie Storbridge Episode: "Prison Cat" The Puritan Experience: Making of a New World Goody Adams Short film 1976 The Omen Nun I, Claudius The Sybil / Caesonia 3 episodes 1978 Angels Mrs. Czechpinski Episode: "First Impressions" Lillie Mathilde Peat Episode: "Fifty Cents a Dance" 1979−1980 The Old Curiosity Shop Sally Brass 6 episodes 1983 Hallelujah! Mildred Cooper Episode: "Counselling" Zig Zag Edith 2 episodes 1985 The Pickwick Papers Rachel Wardle 3 episodes Cover Her Face Alice Liddell 2 episodes 1986 Alice in Wonderland Cook 2 episodes Lovejoy Mrs. Springer Episode: "Friends, Romans and Enemies" Eastenders Clerk Episode: "Episode #1.152" Call Me Mister Mrs. Oaks Episode: "Tour De Force" 1988 The Return of Sherlock Holmes Mrs. Porter Episode: "The Devil's Foot" Distant Voices, Still Lives Mother Sophia and Constance Maria Insull 5 episodes 1989 Poirot Eliza Dunn Episode: "The Adventure of the Clapham Cook" Goldeneye Harley Street doctor Television film 1990 Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit Mrs. Green 3 episodes The Monk Sister Ursula 1991 Kinsey Maureen Spencer Episode: "It's Going To Be a Close Call, Kinsey" Stay Lucky Neighbour Episode: "Shingle Beach" 1992 Thacker Edith Folland TV series Boon Eileen Wooley Episode: "Love or Money" 1992−2009 Heartbeat Edna / Phyllis / Muriel Gerard 3 episodes 1993 Crime Story Lady Peggy Hudson Episode: "The Ladies Man: Archibald Hall" 1994 Middlemarch Jane Waule 3 episodes Moving Story Mrs. Kimball Episode: "Last Stand at Laurel Way" 1994−1997 Common as Muck Dulcie Green 6 episodes 1995 Butterfly Kiss Elsie 1996 Our Friends in the North Florrie Hutchinson 7 episodes Jude Elderly landlady Beck Freda Doyle Episode: "Episode #1.2" Black Eyes Gran Short film 1997 Insiders Peggy Edwards Episode: "Good Behaviour" 1998 Cider with Rosie Granny Wallon Television film 1999 The Bill Anne Jefferson 2 episodes 2000 Jason and the Argonaut Hera as Old Peasant Woman 2 episodes Trick of the Light Beatrice Short film Maisie's Catch Maisie Short film Wildwood Wise woman Television film 2002 Outside the Edge Freda Marshall TV series How We Used to Live: A Giant in Ancient Egypt Old Sarah TV miniseries 2003 Death in Holy Orders Agatha Betterton 2 episodes 2005 Fragile Old Lady 1 2007 Midsomer Murders Amie Pearce Episode: "The Animal Within" The Royal Dora Rigby Episode: "Scabs"