Zena Walker
Zena Walker in The Marked One (1963)
Born
Zena Cecilia Walker

(1934-03-07)7 March 1934
Birmingham, England
Died24 August 2003(2003-08-24) (aged 69)
OccupationActress
Years active1950–2003
Spouses
(divorced)
    (m. 1971, divorced)
    • John French (?–2003)
    Children2

    Zena Cecilia Walker (7 March 1934 – 24 August 2003) was an English actress in film, theatre and television.

    Biography

    Walker was born in the Selly Oak district of Birmingham, the daughter of George Walker, a grocer, and his wife Elizabeth Louise (née Hammond). She attended St. Martin's School in Solihull, and then went on to train at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

    She appeared twice in the TV series The Adventures of Robin Hood, the second time in the 1958 episode "Women's War".

    In 1960, she starred in a TV adaptation of A. J. Cronin's novel The Citadel.

    Her most memorable performance is considered that of a mother in A Day in the Death of Joe Egg (1969), a black comedy by Peter Nichols, adapted from his stage play, about a disabled child. For her performance in A Day in the Death of Joe Egg on Broadway, Walker won the 1968 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play.

    She was a memorable Ophelia in Hamlet (opposite Paul Scofield in the title role), and appeared as Her Ladyship in the film version of Ronald Harwood's play The Dresser (1983). Between 1970 and 1972, she appeared in the television series Man at the Top as Susan Lampton. She had a small role in the first series of New Tricks, playing Mrs Dubrovsky.

    Walker married three times. Her first two husbands were actors: Robert Urquhart, with whom she had two children, and later Julian Holloway. Her third husband was John French, a theatrical agent, who survived her. She died in 2003 in Brockenhurst, Hampshire, aged 69, from undisclosed causes. Her last role was as the messenger in Oedipus.[1]

    Filmography

    Year Title Role Notes
    1960Danger TomorrowGinny
    1960SnowballMary Donovan
    1961The HellionsJulie Hargis
    1962EmergencyJoan Bell
    1962The TraitorsAnnette Lane
    1963Sammy Going SouthAunt Jane
    1963Girl in the HeadlinesMildred Birkett
    1963The Marked OneKay Mason
    1964Troubled WatersJanet Carswell
    1964Daylight Robbery
    1965Change PartnersAnna ArkwrightEdgar Wallace Mysteries
    1967The PrisonerJanet PortlandEpisode: "Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling"
    1969The Last Shot You HearEileen Forbes
    1970The ReckoningHilda Greening
    1970CallanLady LewisEpisode: "Suddenly-At Home"
    1970CromwellMrs. Cromwell
    1971One of Those ThingsMrs. Vinther
    1971The Chairman's WifeMargaret HoweShort
    1976The Likely LadsLaura Windsor
    1983The DresserHer Ladyship
    1993PoirotVanda ChevenixEpisode: "Dead Man's Mirror"

    References

    1. "Zena Walker" Obituary. For her performance in A Day in the Death of Joe Egg on Broadway, Zena won the 1968 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play. The Telegraph, 8 September 2003
    This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.