Frances Carroll
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Kate O’Mara, born Frances Carroll in 1939, played the Rani in Doctor Who in 1985 and 1987 and Cassandra ‘Caress’ Morell on Dynasty in 1986. She founded the British Actor’s Theatre Company in 1987 and published two books. She died at age 74 from ovarian cancer in 2014.
Names, aliases, and relatives of Kate O'Mara — birth name, kin, and personal ties.
Kate O'Mara by the numbers — life, work, and family.
Kate O'Mara — early life, career, personal life, and legacy.
The daughter of actress Hazel Bainbridge and John Carroll, a Royal Air Force flying instructor, Kate O’Mara was born in Leicester in 1939. Raised mostly in boarding schools due to her parents’ long absences, she was prodded into performing as a child. Educated at the Aida Foster Theatre School, she began an early career as a speech therapist at a Sussex Girls’ School before switching to acting. She made her stage debut in The Merchant of Venice in 1963 at age 24.
Kate O’Mara attracted notice in Hammer Studio horror films as tawdry femmes in The Horror of Frankenstein 1970 and The Vampire Lovers 1970. She appeared in numerous British TV series, including The Avengers 1961 and The Saint 1962. In 1986, she played Cassandra Caress Morell, the villainous sister of Joan Collins’ character on Dynasty. She also gained a cult following as the Rani in Doctor Who, appearing opposite Colin Baker in 1985 and introducing Sylvester McCoy as the Seventh Doctor in 1987, winning best actress from Doctor Who magazine that year. In the 1980s, she founded the British Actor’s Theatre Company and toured in it. She published two books: When She Was Bad 1991 and Good Time Girl 1993.
Kate O’Mara married twice: first to actor Jeremy Young from January 1971 to May 1973 divorced 1976, and later to director Richard Willis, who was 18 years her junior. She had a son, Dickon Young born 1963, from a relationship she long kept private; Dickon became a set designer for her theatre company. She also gave birth to a son in 1965 from a liaison with actor David Orchard, whom she gave up for adoption. She spent her later years living alone in a 17th-century cottage in Somerset with her cat Perdita. She was a vegetarian and animal rights activist.
Kate O’Mara is most often recalled for playing the Rani in Doctor Who, a recurring antagonist that earned her a Best Actress award from Doctor Who magazine readers in 1987. Her portrayal of Cassandra Caress Morell on Dynasty made her known to American audiences. She amassed over 180 television appearances, 50 stage plays, and 14 films, typically playing villainous or shady characters. A memorial service was held for her at St. Paul’s Church, Covent Garden on September 19, 2014. Her stage career included three years with the Royal Shakespeare Company, and her television roles on Doctor Who and Dynasty remain her best-known work.
The complete filmography of Kate O'Mara — every film, TV show, and documentary credit, ranked by popularity.
A wall of memorable lines from Kate O'Mara — lyrics, interviews, and off-the-cuff remarks captured over a lifetime.
I Would Like to Be Where Diana Rigg or Judi Dench Is, but I Expect It Is as Good as It Is Going to Get.
On the Whole, I Have Quite a Low Opinion of Men. I Know I’ve Always Played Man-eater Parts but I’m Really Not a Sexual Animal and I’ve Never Had a Voracious Sexual Appetite.
Whenever I Get on Stage, I Feel Safe and in Control. Life Can Be so Uncertain, but on Stage I Always Know How a Drama or Crisis Is Going to End. Acting Is a Great Comfort Blanket, and Has Gotten Me Through Countless Personal Crisis. I Am a Firm Believer That the Show Must Go On.
I Have White Hair Now, but a Lot of It, and I’m Still Very Glamorous and so I Won’t Disappoint, I Hope! I’ll Still Be Wearing the Tight Leather Trousers and High-heel Boots, Regardless of What Age!
Little-known facts about Kate O'Mara — origins, oddities, and behind-the-scenes details from a public life.
She gave birth to a baby boy on May 12, 1965, from a brief liaison with David Orchard, whom she met on the set of No Hiding Place 1959. Being already a single mother at the time, she gave the baby up for adoption to a married couple, Derek and Joy Linde, and he was named Christopher Linde.
Lived alone in a 17th-century cottage in the Blackdown Hills in Somerset, England, with her cat Perdita.
Was a vegetarian and animal rights activist.
She died from ovarian cancer in a nursing home in Sussex, UK.
She was considered for a major role on The Colbys 1985 before being offered the role of Cassandra Caress Morell on Dynasty 1981.
She was one of several big-name guest stars brought to Doctor Who 1963 in the 1980s by producer John Nathan-Turner. After first appearing opposite the Sixth Doctor, Colin Baker, in The Mark of the Rani: Part One 1985, she returned to introduce the Seventh Doctor, Sylvester McCoy, in Time and the Rani: Part One 1987, for which she was voted best actress by Doctor Who magazine readers that year. She made her final appearance as a villain in the Children in Need spoof Doctor Who: Dimensions in Time 1993.
Married and divorced twice; her son Dickon came from an actor she repeatedly refused to name during their lifetimes. Dickon was a set designer for The British Actor’s Theatre Company, which Kate founded in 1987.
She was usually romantically involved with men much younger than her. Her second husband, actor Richard Willis, was 18 years her junior. A later partner, actor Mark Noble, was 20 years younger.
Up to late October 1986, she had made over 180 television appearances, 50 stage plays, and 14 films, and could only recall playing a good girl once.
Her father, John Carroll, was a Royal Air Force flying instructor; her mother, Hazel Bainbridge, was an actress. She lived mostly in boarding schools growing up due to her parents’ long absences. Her younger sister, Belinda Carroll, is also an actress.
She was best known to American audiences for her role as Cassandra Caress Morell, the younger sister of Alexis Carrington Colby on Dynasty 1981.
Her autobiography, Game Plan: A Modern Woman’s Survival Kit, was released in hardcover in 1990 by Sidgwick & Jackson.
As of October 1986, she had made over 180 television appearances, 50 stage plays, and 14 films, and could only recall playing a good girl once.
She preferred working in the theatre and only did television work to subsidise her theatre work, as television paid higher.
Not to be confused with contemporary American actress Kate Mara.
In show business since 1960.
Her son Dickon was the sixth generation of her family to act.
A memorial service was held for her at St. Paul’s Church, Covent Garden on September 19, 2014.
Married second husband director Jeremy Young in January 1971, separated May 1973, divorced 1976.
Son Dickon born in 1963.
Her mother is actress Hazel Bainbridge.
Her younger sister is actress Belinda Carroll.
Spent three years with the RSC.
Quick answers to the questions readers ask most about Kate O'Mara.
Celebrities similar to Kate O'Mara — same craft, ranked by reach.
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