Mary Irene Colette Ellis (née 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.
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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.[2] She was also a leading cast member in the drama series The Standard[3] and The Spoils of War.
She played the role of Eleanor, Duchess of Gloucester, in the BBC television version of The Wars of the Roses.
In 1983 she appeared in Doctor Who in the role of Tanha in the serial Snakedance.[4]
She latterly appeared in Taggart, Lovejoy, Hamish Macbeth, Heartbeat, Peak Practice, Holby City, Monarch of the Glen and Bad Girls.[2]
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).[5]
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.[6][7]
Radio credits
Date | Title | Role | Director | Station |
---|---|---|---|---|
23 October 1976 | DS Vogel: Body on the Heath[8] | Laura Holland | Jane Morgan | BBC Radio 4 |
2 June 2004 | Visiting Time | Sarah | Lu Kemp | BBC Radio 4 Afternoon Play |
11 June 2004 | Soft Fall the Sounds of Eden | Janet | Gaynor Macfarlane | BBC Radio 4 Friday Play |
28 January 2005 | Folie à Trois | Colleen | Gaynor Macfarlane | BBC Radio 4 Friday Play |
14 July 2005 | The Best Snow for Skiing | Valda | Lu Kemp | BBC Radio 4 Afternoon Play |
1 June 2004 – 1 June 2004 | The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes[9] | Miss Wallace | Patrick Rayner | BBC Radio 4 |
11 August 2008 – 15 August 2008 | The Pillow Book[10] | Tozammi | Lu Kemp | BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour Drama |
26 November 2012 | McLevy: A Dangerous Remedy[11] | Hannah | Bruce Young | BBC Radio 4 Afternoon Drama |
3 December 2012 | McLevy: No Looking Back[12] | Hannah | Bruce Young | BBC Radio 4 Afternoon Drama |
28 October 2016 | Blood Sex and Money by Emile Zola: 3.7. Fate | Ancient Woman | Kirsty Williams | BBC Radio 4 Afternoon Play |