Helen Ryan

Last updated

Helen Ryan
Born (1938-06-16) 16 June 1938 (age 86)
OccupationActress
Spouse
Guy Slater
(divorced)
Children2

Helen Ryan (born 16 June 1938, in Liverpool, Lancashire) is a British actress, who is notable for playing several royal roles. She is mostly known for playing the role of Queen Alexandra in the show, Edward the Seventh (1975).

Contents

Career

The Liverpool native played Princess and then Queen Alexandra in the British television series Edward the Seventh , for which she received a BAFTA nomination in 1975. [1] She also played Princess Alexandra in the 1980 movie The Elephant Man and the Sherlock Holmes story "The Mazarin Stone". She played another royal, Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, in the 2002 television drama Bertie and Elizabeth . Her other credits include Madame Balzac in the TV series Prometheus: The Life of Balzac (1975), Mrs. McFarlane in the Sherlock Holmes story "The Norwood Builder", and films such as Clash of Loyalties (1983), Misunderstood (1984) and The Hawk (1993). More recently, Ryan has appeared as Peggy Roath, a personal aide to Queen Elizabeth II, in the fifth season of The Crown in 2022. In 2023, she appeared in the BBC soap opera Doctors as Thelma Scott. [2]

Personal life

She was formerly married to the theatre director Guy Slater, with whom she had a daughter, Rebecca, and a son, Daniel.

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References

  1. "Awards Database: Actress 1975". BAFTA. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
  2. Timblick, Simon. "Doctors spoilers: Ruhma Carter gets some SURPRISE news..." What to Watch . Retrieved 19 December 2023.