Gwyneth Powell

Gwyneth Leith (5 July 1946 – 8 September 2022), known professionally as Gwyneth Powell, was an English actress. She was best known for her portrayal of headmistress Bridget McClusky in the BBC television series Grange Hill for eleven series between 1981 and 1991.

Background Powell was born on 5 July 1946 She originally trained as a teacher at Goldsmiths, University of London, but instead chose to act in repertory theatre.

Career Powell's first major television role was in the 1971 LWT dystopian drama series, The Guardians.

Eventually, Powell decided to pursue other interests and gave the Grange Hill producers and writers a year to write McClusky out of the series. She played the role of a school teacher in a Victorian School Day in an episode of the BBC Schools TV series Watch. In 2009, using archive footage, coupled with some newly recorded lines, Powell reprised her Grange Hill role as Mrs McClusky for a cameo appearance in an episode of Ashes to Ashes, set in 1982. She also appeared in Arsenic and Old Lace at the Salisbury Playhouse. In 2010, Powell starred as Nana in The Gemma Factor. Subsequently, in 2011–2013, she became a support character in the teen programme House of Anubis, playing the role of Nina Martin's gran who ends up in hospital but is later released. She featured in seven episodes. In 2013 she took the role of Greg Davies' mother Polly Davies in the Channel 4 comedy Man Down.

Personal life Powell married actor Alan Leith in 1971.

She died in Brighton on 8 September 2022, aged 76. Her death was attributed to complications following surgery for a perforated colon.

Filmography