Sue Holderness

Susan Joan Holderness (born 28 May 1949) is an English actress. While predominantly active in theatre, she has made appearances in a number of films and television series such as Bless This House, The New Avengers (1977), Canned Laughter (1979), The Sandbaggers (1980), The Cleopatras and It Takes a Worried Man (1983), The Brief and Minder (1984), Doctors (2004, 2011, 2014), Still Open All Hours (2018–2019) EastEnders and The Madame Blanc Mysteries (2021). However, she is best known for her role as Marlene Boyce in Only Fools and Horses from 1985 to 2003, and its spin-off The Green Green Grass from 2005 to 2009.

Career Holderness was born on 28 May 1949, in Hampstead, London. After taking her A-levels, she trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama.

She began her acting career with the Manchester 69 Theatre Company in A Midsummer Night's Dream, and she was in the cast of the touring play Seven Deadly Sins Four Deadly Sinners. She has toured the country in numerous plays and worked in several repertory companies. Much of her career has been spent performing in Alan Ayckbourn plays, three of which (Relatively Speaking, Time and Time Again, and How the Other Half Loves) She played Celia in the 2012 tour (Jan – May) and went back to playing Annie in the Autumn 2012 tour (Sep – December). as Laura Doolan, a wife of serial bigamist "Confident" Clive Cosgrove in the Minder episode "A Number of Old Wives Tales" (1984); episodes of The New Avengers,

She played Rowan Atkinson's love interest, Lorraine, in Canned Laughter, and did numerous impersonations in two series of End of Part One. She played Maggie in Dear John, by John Sullivan, Joan Forrester (Oscar Blaketon's former wife) in Heartbeat for YTV, Joan Travis in Revelations, and Rachel's mother in Cold Feet,

Films include That'll Be the Day (1973) and It Could Happen to You ( Intimate Teenage Secrets) (1976). She also appeared in the low budget feature Meat Draw and Out of Sight for Granada. including All You Need for Christmas at Fareham, Hampshire in 2009.

In 2014, Holderness appeared in the BBC One medical drama Casualty as Alice Sweeney. In 2018-2019 she appeared as Mrs Rossi in series five and six of the sitcom Still Open All Hours.

From 2021 to 2025 she starred as Judith Lloyd-James in The Madame Blanc Mysteries.

Personal life Holderness is married to Mark Piper, former executive director of the Theatre Royal, Windsor. She has two children: Harriet, a yoga instructor; and Freddie, head of history at a school in West Sussex. She has three grandchildren (2024): Max, Leo and Zoë. Sue is a strong supporter and ambassador for Thames Hospice.

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes1973 That'll Be The Day Shirley 1976 It Could Happen to You Christine 1998 The Meat Draw Carmen

Television