Judi Bowker

Last updated

Judi Bowker
Born (1954-04-06) 6 April 1954 (age 69)
Shawford, Hampshire, England
OccupationActress
Years active1972–present
Spouse Harry Meacher (1979–present) [1]

Judi Bowker (born 6 April 1954) is an English film and television actress.

Contents

Early life

Bowker was born in Shawford, Hampshire, England, the daughter of Alfred J. Bowker and Ann Fairweather, who had married in 1947. [2] The family moved to the British colony of Northern Rhodesia when Bowker was two, and lived there for eight years. She had many interests, including painting and riding. [3] However, she was most interested in acting, and began to pursue her acting career after the family returned to England.

Career

Bowker first came to international attention as the star of The Adventures of Black Beauty (1972), a television series which was a continuation of the book. In an interview, Bowker stated that her experience in riding horses was probably the key to being cast in the role. She also recalled how some of the Black Beauty episodes were set in springtime, but filmed in winter, so that sometimes she had to wear summer outfits in cold weather. [4]

Also in 1972 Bowker starred as Saint Clare of Assisi in Franco Zeffirelli's Brother Sun, Sister Moon . The runner-up for the part was Lynne Frederick. [5]

Her well-known film appearances are as Mina Harker in the 1977 film Count Dracula , Andromeda in the Ray Harryhausen film, Clash of the Titans (1981), and as the unhappily married Lady Olivia Lilburn in the Alan Bridges adaptation of Isabel Colegate's novel The Shooting Party (1985). [6]

She has appeared in numerous theatre productions including major roles in Hedda Gabler , Macbeth , Ivanov , A Midsummer Night's Dream , Three Sisters , and in her husband Harry Meacher's adaptation of Sherlock Holmes . [7]

She was cast as a narrator for a BBC audiobook adaptation of the work of P. D. James in 2018. [8]

Personal life

Bowker has been married to the actor Harry Meacher since 1979 and they live in Highgate. [9]

Filmography

Television

Theatre

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judi Dench</span> English actress (born 1934)

Dame Judith Olivia Dench is an English actress. Widely considered one of Britain's greatest actresses, she is noted for her versatile work in various films and television programmes encompassing several genres, as well as for her numerous roles on the stage. Dench has garnered various accolades throughout a career spanning over six decades, including an Academy Award, a Tony Award, two Golden Globe Awards, four British Academy Television Awards, six British Academy Film Awards and seven Olivier Awards.

Sir Trevor Robert Nunn is an English theatre director. He has been the artistic director for the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal National Theatre, and, currently, the Theatre Royal Haymarket. He has directed dramas for the stage, like Macbeth, as well as opera and musicals, such as Cats (1981) and Les Misérables (1985).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susan Hampshire</span> British actress, born 1937

Susan Hampshire, Lady Kulukundis, is an English actress known for her many television and film roles. She is a three-time Emmy Award winner, winning for The Forsyte Saga in 1970, The First Churchills in 1969, and for Vanity Fair in 1973. Her other television credits include The Pallisers (1974), The Grand (1997–98) and Monarch of the Glen (2000–2005).

Martin Jarvis OBE is an English actor. Described by the BBC as "one of Britain's most distinguished and versatile actors", he has had a varied career in theatre, film and television, and is particularly noted for radio acting and voicing audiobooks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alice Krige</span> South African actress and producer (born 1954)

Alice Maud Krige is a South African actress and producer. Her big break came in 1981, when she starred as the Gilbert and Sullivan singer Sybil Gordon in the British historical film Chariots of Fire, and as Eva Galli / Alma Mobley in the American supernatural horror film Ghost Story. She received a Laurence Olivier Award for her performance in the West End theatre production of Arms and the Man (1981) and later joined the Royal Shakespeare Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colleen Dewhurst</span> Canadian-American actress (1924–1991)

Colleen Rose Dewhurst was a Canadian-American actress mostly known for theatre roles. She was a renowned interpreter of the works of Eugene O'Neill on the stage, and her career also encompassed film, early dramas on live television, and performances in Joseph Papp's New York Shakespeare Festival. One of her last roles was playing Marilla Cuthbert in the Kevin Sullivan television adaptations of the Anne of Green Gables series and her reprisal of the role in the subsequent TV series Road to Avonlea. In the United States, Dewhurst won two Tony Awards and four Emmy Awards for her stage and television work. In addition to other Canadian honors over the years, Dewhurst won two Gemini Awards for her portrayal of Marilla Cuthbert; once in 1986 and again in 1988. It is arguably her best known role because of the Kevin Sullivan produced series’ continuing popularity and also the initial co-production by the CBC; allowing for rebroadcasts over the years on it, and also on PBS in the United States. The initial broadcast alone was seen by millions of viewers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lesley-Anne Down</span> British actress

Lesley-Anne Down is a British actress, singer and former model. She made her big screen debut in the 1969 drama film The Smashing Bird I Used to Know and later appeared in films Assault (1971), Countess Dracula (1971) and Pope Joan (1972). She achieved fame as Georgina Worsley in the ITV period drama series, Upstairs, Downstairs (1973–75).

<i>Clash of the Titans</i> (1981 film) Film by Desmond Davis

Clash of the Titans is a 1981 fantasy adventure film directed by Desmond Davis and written by Beverley Cross, loosely based on the Greek myth of Perseus. Starring Harry Hamlin, Judi Bowker, Burgess Meredith, Maggie Smith and Laurence Olivier, the film features the final work of stop-motion visual effects artist Ray Harryhausen.

Sir Richard Charles Hastings Eyre is an English film, theatre, television and opera director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicholas Clay</span> English actor

Nicholas Anthony Phillip Clay was an English actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony Zerbe</span> American actor

Anthony Jared Zerbe is an American actor. His notable film roles include the post-apocalyptic cult leader Matthias in The Omega Man, a 1971 film adaptation of Richard Matheson's 1954 novel, I Am Legend; as an Irish Catholic coal miner and one of the Molly Maguires in the 1970 film The Molly Maguires; as a corrupt gambler in Farewell, My Lovely; as the leper colony chief Toussaint in the 1973 historical drama prison film Papillon; as Abner Devereaux in Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park; as villain Milton Krest in the James Bond film Licence to Kill; Rosie in The Turning Point; Roger Stuart in The Dead Zone; Admiral Dougherty in Star Trek: Insurrection; and Councillor Hamann in The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sonia Dresdel</span> British actress (1909-1976)

Sonia Dresdel was an English actress, whose career ran between the 1940s and 1970s.

John Woodvine is an English actor who has appeared in more than 70 theatre productions, as well as a similar number of television and film roles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colin Friels</span> Australian actor

Colin Friels is a Scottish-Australian actor. A leading performer of stage, film and television, he has received numerous accolades for his work, including two AACTA Awards, two Logie Awards, and a Helpmann Award.

Harry Meacher is a British actor, director and playwright.

Avril Elgar Williams was an English stage, radio and television actress.

Ken Bones is an English actor. He is a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Rosalie Helga Lina Zech, known as Rosel Zech, was a German theater and film actress, she is most well known for her works associated with the "Autorenkino" movement, which began in the 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elisabeth Trissenaar</span> Austrian actress (1944–2024)

Elisabeth Trissenaar was an Austrian actress.

References

  1. ↑ "Rotten Tomatoes: Movies | TV Shows | Movie Trailers | Reviews – Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes.
  2. ↑ "Judith A Bowker" in England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916-2007, ; "Alfred J Bowker" in England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005; ancestry.co.uk, accessed 4 September 2021 (subscription required)
  3. ↑ "Judi Bowker", TCM Database
  4. ↑ Anita Singh, "Family viewing has disappeared, says Black Beauty star", The Daily Telegraph , 2014
  5. ↑ Laura Cremonini, Hammer Vampire Women, Part Two (2020), p. 235
  6. ↑ "The Shooting Party", New York , 10 Jun 1985, p. 76
  7. 1 2 "Programme for Copperfield!" (PDF). Lauderdalehouse.org.uk. 20 September 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  8. ↑ "Audiobooks narrated by Judi Bowker". Audible.com.
  9. ↑ Julie Tomlin, "Julie Tomlin’s theatre news: Harry Meacher tries his hand at Chekhov", Camden New Journal , 19 May 2017, accessed 4 September 2021
  10. ↑ "Hedda Gabler (Play) archive [PLAY]". Uktw.co.uk.
  11. ↑ "Logos Theatre Co: Endgame by Samuel Beckett". Logostheatre.london. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  12. ↑ "Pay tribute to actors Judi Bowker and Harry Meacher". Camden New Journal . Retrieved 24 January 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.