Maureen O'Brien | |
|---|---|
 O'Brien in 2014 | |
| Born | Liverpool, Lancashire, England |
| Education | Central School of Speech and Drama |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1965–present |
| Known for | Doctor Who |
| Spouse | Michael Moulds (m. 1968) |
| Family | Eileen O'Brien (sister) |
Maureen O'Brien is an English actress and author best known for playing the role of Vicki in the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who , although she has appeared in many other television programmes.
O'Brien was born in Liverpool.[ citation needed ] She attended Notre Dame School in that city, as well as the Central School of Speech and Drama in London. [2]
After graduating in 1964, O'Brien returned to Liverpool to become a founder member of the Everyman Theatre. [3] As well as acting, she worked as an assistant floor manager for the company. [4]
She played the part of Vicki in 38 episodes of Doctor Who from 2 January to 6 November 1965, starring alongside the original Doctor, William Hartnell. She has reprised the role in several Big Finish Productions Doctor Who audio plays. In 2022, 57 years after playing the role on screen, she appeared as Vicki in a short webisode made to promote the release of her first season on Blu-ray. She reprised the role again in the series Tales of the TARDIS. [5]
After leaving Doctor Who O'Brien found it difficult to find acting work on television, and worked as a supply teacher. Her next role was in the theatre, where she appeared in an Oxford Playhouse production of Volpone with Leo McKern and Leonard Rossiter. [6]
In the early 1970s O'Brien lived and worked in Ontario, Canada. In 1971 she directed a production of Brecht's The Caucasian Chalk Circle at Carleton University. [7] She later returned to the UK.
She had a recurring role as Morgan in The Legend of King Arthur (1979) and as unit general manager Elizabeth Straker in the second season of Casualty (1987). She made guest appearances in The Duchess of Duke Street ("Trouble and Strife") (1976), Taggart ("Forbidden Fruit") (1994), Cracker ("The Big Crunch") (1994), A Touch of Frost ("Private Lives") (1999) and Heartbeat . In 1997 she appeared as Kirsten Holiday in "Jack in the Box", episode two of Jonathan Creek .
In 1974, she played Celia in "Panic", an episode of the BBC Radio series The World of Daphne du Maurier. The 1980s saw her teaching acting workshops in the USA. She also made a rare film appearance in the comedy She'll Be Wearing Pink Pyjamas in 1985, opposite Julie Walters. She received the Time Out Critic's Choice award for her production of Mike English's Getting In in 1986. [8]
O'Brien has also written seven detective novels: Close-Up on Death (1989), Deadly Reflection (1993), Mask of Betrayal (1998), Dead Innocent (1999), Revenge (2001), Unauthorised Departure (2003) and Every Step You Take (2004); all feature the character of Detective Inspector John Bright. [9]
Sophie Aldred is an English actress and television presenter. She has worked extensively in children's television as a presenter and voice artist. She played the Seventh Doctor's companion, Ace, in the television series Doctor Who during the late 1980s, becoming the final companion in the series' first run.
Pauline Collins is a British actress who first came to prominence portraying Sarah Moffat in Upstairs, Downstairs (1971–1973) and its spin-off Thomas & Sarah (1979). In 1992, she published her autobiography Letter to Louise.
William Russell Enoch is an English actor. He achieved prominence when he took the title role in the ITV television series The Adventures of Sir Lancelot (1956–1957). In 1963, he became part of the original lead cast of BBC1's Doctor Who, playing the role of schoolteacher Ian Chesterton opposite William Hartnell from the show's first episode until 1965.
Peter O'Brien is an Australian actor, best known for his role as an original cast member in 1985 of Australian soap opera Neighbours as Shane Ramsay. He has also acted in numerous British and American productions.
Elisabeth Clara Heath-Sladen was an English actress. She became best known as Sarah Jane Smith in the British television series Doctor Who, appearing as a regular cast member from 1973 to 1976, alongside both Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker, and reprising the role many times in subsequent decades, both on Doctor Who and its spin-offs, K-9 and Company (1981) and The Sarah Jane Adventures (2007–2011).
Nicola Jane Bryant is an English actress best known for her role as Peri Brown, a companion to both the Fifth and Sixth Doctors, in the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who, from 1984 to 1986.
The Rescue is the third serial of the second season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Written by outgoing story editor David Whitaker and directed by Christopher Barry, the serial was broadcast on BBC1 in two weekly parts on 2 January and 9 January 1965. In the serial, the time travellers the First Doctor, Ian Chesterton, and Barbara Wright befriend Vicki, an orphan girl marooned on the planet Dido who is being threatened by an apparent native of Dido called Koquillion while awaiting rescue.
Catherine Ann "Katy" Manning is a British actress. Although she has made many appearances on both screen and stage, Manning is best known for her part as the companion Jo Grant in the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who. Manning initially played the role regularly from 1971 to 1973 but also reprised the role in the Doctor Who spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures in 2010. She is also well known for voicing Iris Wildthyme in the audio series Iris Wildthyme for Big Finish Productions since 2005.
The Myth Makers is the third serial of the third season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Written by Donald Cotton and directed by Michael Leeston-Smith, the serial was broadcast on BBC1 in four weekly parts from 16 October to 6 November 1965. In the serial, based on Homer's Iliad, the First Doctor and his travelling companions Vicki and Steven land in Troy during the Trojan War. The Doctor is captured by the Greeks and forced to formulate a plan for taking the city, while Steven and Vicki are captured by the Trojans and forced to devise a means of banishing the Greeks; the latter duo meet Katarina, who becomes a companion by the serial's end.
Adrienne Hill was an English actress. In 1965, she had brief recurring roles in soap opera 199 Park Lane and as Katarina in science fiction television show Doctor Who, which ended when 199 Park Lane was cancelled after 18 episodes and her character in Doctor Who was killed off after just five episodes.
Vicki Michelle is an English actress, radio presenter, businesswoman, film producer and former model. She is best known for her role as Yvette Carte-Blanche in the BBC television comedy series 'Allo 'Allo! and as recurring character Patricia Foster in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale. In 2014, she appeared on the fourteenth series of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here.
Alison Steadman is an English actress. She received the 1991 National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress for the Mike Leigh film Life Is Sweet and the 1993 Olivier Award for Best Actress for her role as Mari in the original production of The Rise and Fall of Little Voice. In a 2007 Channel 4 poll, the ‘50 Greatest Actors’ voted for by other actors, she was ranked 42.
Sharon Delores Clarke is an English actress and singer. She is a three-time Olivier Award winner, and is best known to television audiences for her role as Lola Griffin in the medical drama Holby City, and as Grace O'Brien in Doctor Who. Clarke has also played lead roles in many West End musicals, and originated the roles of the Killer Queen in We Will Rock You and Oda Mae Brown in Ghost the Musical.
Nicola Jane Walker is an English actress, known for her starring roles in various British television programmes from the 1990s onwards, including that of Ruth Evershed in the spy drama Spooks and DCI Cassie Stuart in Unforgotten (2015–2021). She has also worked in theatre, radio and film. She won the 2013 Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress for the play The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and was twice nominated for the BAFTA TV Award for Best Supporting Actress for the BBC drama Last Tango in Halifax.
Hermione Norris is an English actress. She attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in the 1980s, before taking small roles in theatre and on television. In 1996, she was cast in her breakout role of Karen Marsden in the comedy drama television series Cold Feet. She appeared in every episode of the series from 1998 to 2003 and was nominated for a British Comedy Award.
Samantha Spiro is an English actress and singer. She is best known for portraying Barbara Windsor in the stage play Cleo, Camping, Emmanuelle and Dick and the television films Cor, Blimey! and Babs, DI Vivien Friend in M.I.T.: Murder Investigation Team, Melessa Tarly in the HBO series Game of Thrones and Maureen Groff in Sex Education. She has won two Laurence Olivier Awards.
Karen Henthorn is a British character actress who portrayed the role of Teresa Bryant in the long-running British soap opera Coronation Street. She appeared in the role briefly in 2007 and became a regular character in 2008. Her character was involved in major story lines. In late 2008, she left the show but returned on 13 April 2009. She then departed the show in 2010.
Vicki Pepperdine is an English comedy actress and writer. She was nominated for two BAFTA TV Awards for co-writing the BBC sitcom Getting On (2009–12), and was also nominated for a British Comedy Award for her portrayal of Pippa Moore in the series.
Vicki is a fictional character played by Maureen O'Brien in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. An orphan from the 25th century, she was a companion of the First Doctor and a regular in the programme in Seasons 2 and 3 in 1965. Her last name was never revealed during the series. Vicki appeared in 9 stories.
Doctor Who: The Early Adventures is a series of audio dramas based on the British television series Doctor Who and produced by Big Finish Productions.
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