Born in Leicester on August 10, 1939, Frances M Carroll would go on to become a screen idol under her chosen stage name of Kate O'Mara.

Ian Fraser



The daughter of actress Hazel Bainbridge and RAF flying instructor John F Carroll, O'Mara followed a stint at boarding school with enrolment at art school, before achieving her goal of becoming a full-time actress.

Making her stage debut in a production of Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice in 1963, O'Mara soon moved into the popular world of television. Throughout the '60s, she appeared in such iconic series as Danger Man, The Champions, The Saint, The Avengers and Z-Cars.

Moving into the 1970s, O'Mara also found success on the big screen – starring in two Hammer Horror outings, The Vampire Lovers and The Horror of Frankenstein – but it was a return to television for BBC drama The Brothers that made her a household name.

Playing the leading role of tough businesswoman Jane Maxwell, O'Mara made for a formidable screen presence. It was the type of strong and uncompromising character type that would go on to define her later career as an actress.



The Brothers also saw her appear on-screen opposite Colin Baker – her co-star again on Doctor Who almost a decade later.

The 1980s saw O'Mara take on a part in BBC soap opera Triangle – a show now best remembered for a scene in which the actress sunbathed topless on the clearly freezing deck of a North Sea ferry – but she soon landed another iconic role in an altogether more glamourous soap.

Playing the recurring role of Caress Morrell, sister of Joan Collins' Alexis Colby, in the American primetime series Dynasty from 1986 onwards saw O'Mara achieve international success, but in the meantime, she had taken on another defining role back in the UK.

The Rani first appeared on Doctor Who in 1985 and though O'Mara played the Time Lord villainess just twice more on television, the character has gone on to become one of the long-running sci-fi show's best-loved and most-discussed characters, featuring in countless spinoffs in non-TV media.

Speaking to Digital Spy late last year, O'Mara explained that her two Who co-stars, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy, were "both quirky but both quite different".

"Sylvester of course is as mad as a hatter but he's wonderful," she said. "Colin is far more straightforward.

"But you know, wonderful, wonderful scripts we had in those days, and I enjoyed my time on Doctor Who with him as well. It was lovely."

UKTV



Later screen roles for O'Mara included stints on Howard's Way, Absolutely Fabulous, Bad Girls and Crossroads. She also continued to win acclaim for her stage work and branched out into writing, penning two novels and two autobiographical works.

She never retired – appearing in an episode of ITV sitcom Benidorm as recently as 2012 and enthusiastically telling DS in October 2013 of her desire to return to Doctor Who once again.

"I'll still be wearing the tight leather trousers and high-heel boots, regardless of what age!" she said. "I have white hair now, but a lot of it, and I'm still very glamorous, so I won't disappoint!"

Kate O'Mara passed away on March 30, 2014 – aged 74 – following a short illness. She is survived by her sister and fellow actress Belinda Carroll.

"A shining star has gone out," said her agent Phil Belfield. "Kate will be dearly missed by all who knew and have worked with her."

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