Judy Matheson

Judy Matheson is a British actress notable for her appearances in several horror films in the 1970s. She also appeared in many other films and television series.

Career Raised in Essex and trained at the New College of Speech and Drama, Matheson began her career in 1967 with the Bristol Old Vic Theatre Company with which she toured the United States, including a season on Broadway, and Canada, followed by Europe and Israel, in three of Shakespeare's plays, the highlight of which was Sir Tyrone Guthrie's production of Measure for Measure.

In 1967, Matheson signed with talent agency Hazel Malone Management. Her debut film The Chairman (The Most Dangerous Man in the World), starred Gregory Peck. She was chosen to star in the Spanish film The Exquisite Cadaver (Las Crueles) with Capucine, directed by Vicente Aranda, in 1969, which was showcased as the Spanish entry at the San Sebastian Film Festival. In 1970, she was invited to play Helen Mirren's friend in John Goldschmidt's documentary Doing Her Own Thing about Mirren's early years at the Royal Shakespeare Company.

In 1971 she starred opposite Freddie Jones in Charles Wood's experimental drama The Emergence of Anthony Purdy, Esq. directed by Patrick Dromgoole for Harlech Television. It was chosen that year as ITV's entry in the Monte Carlo TV Festival. In the 1970s, she appeared in the Hammer Horror films Lust for a Vampire and Twins of Evil. Her other films include The Flesh and Blood Show, The House That Vanished (also known as Scream and Die), Crucible of Terror, Confessions of a Window Cleaner and Percy's Progress.

Matheson's television work includes City '68, Spindoe, Coronation Street, Z-Cars (twice, leading female), Crossroads, (Hugh Mortimer's secretary and Sandy's girlfriend), Harriet's Back in Town, The Adventurer, Dead of Night, The Professionals, The Sweeney, Shelley (BBC film of the poet, opposite Robert Powell and directed by Alan Bridges), Blake's 7 and Citizen Smith.

Matheson's theatre work includes two national tours of Marc Camoletti's Boeing-Boeing. She also starred in Funny Peculiar at the Gateway Theatre, Chester.

In February 1979, she starred in a production of Alan Ayckbourn’ s Bedroom Farce at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre. (10).

In 2016 she presented the Architecture series Encounter for Resonance Radio together with John Escolme.

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She also undertook the narration for "Mary Millington on Location", part of the special features for the Mary Millington box set released by Screenbound Entertainment in 2020.

In 2021, Matheson played Sir Tony Robinson's wife in a short film Joe's Journey, written by Tony Husband, to raise awareness of dementia, which both Robinson's and Husband's fathers had suffered from.

In 2025 Matheson guest starred in the Independent film Whatever Happened The Witches of The Sands, playing the main character’s mother.

Selected credits Film

Television