Rosalie Crutchley

She also played many classical roles, including Juliet in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Hermione in The Winter's Tale and Goneril in King Lear.

• Name — Rosalie Crutchley • Born — 4 January 1920 • Birth Name — Rosalie Sylvia Crutchley • Birthplace — London, England • Died — 28 July 1997 • Place of death — Marylebone, London, England • Occupation — Actress • Years Active — 1947–1997 • Spouse — Peter Ashmore (1946–?; divorced) Dan Cunningham (1939–?; divorced) • Children — 2, including Jonathan Ashmore

Crutchley was born in London on 4 January 1920. She trained at the Royal Academy of Music. Her screen debut was as a violinist who is murdered in Take My Life (1947). She played Madame Defarge twice in adaptations of A Tale of Two Cities, in both the 1958 film and in the 1965 television serialisation of the same story. She played Catherine Parr in the 1970 TV series, The Six Wives of Henry VIII and played the same character in its sequel, Elizabeth R (1971). She had previously portrayed Henry's first wife Catherine of Aragon in the 1953 film The Sword and the Rose. Other roles included Mrs Sparsit in Hard Times (ITV, 1977) and Electra (1974). She also starred in the 1979 BBC TV production of Testament of Youth, playing the role of the Principal of Somerville College, Oxford. She was in the films Quo Vadis (1951), as Acte, the former mistress of the Emperor Nero (Peter Ustinov) and The Haunting (1963), as the sinister housekeeper Mrs Dudley. Crutchley also appeared in film adaptations of two A.J. Cronin novels, The Spanish Gardener (1956) and Beyond This Place (1959) and played the flinty maiden aunt in the TV adaptation of Brendon Chase (1980–81). She had two guest roles in Casualty, in 1992 and 1995. She also had a short, but memorable, appearance in the film Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994). She appeared in only one film musical, Man of La Mancha (1972), based on the successful stage production, as Don Quixote's housekeeper. In the role, her less-than-good singing voice was used for intentionally comic effect in the song "I'm Only Thinking of Him". Her final acting role was in the pilot episode of the TV detective series, Midsomer Murders, playing Lucy Bellringer. This was shown in 1997, shortly before her death.

She was married twice, firstly to actor Dan Cunningham in 1939 and secondly to actor Peter Ashmore in 1946. Both marriages ended in divorce. She had two children, one of whom is the physicist Jonathan Ashmore. Crutchley died at The Harley Street Hospital in London in 1997 at the age of 77.

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1947 — The — Juliet Capulet — TV film • 1947 — The — The Sphinx — TV film • 1948 — The — Goneril — TV film • 1949 — Crime Passionel — Olga — TV film • 1949 — Ladies in Waiting — Janet Garner — TV film • 1955 — The — Mary — TV film • 1955 — Madeleine — Madeleine — TV film • 1955 — London Playhouse — Tina Bordereau — Episode: "A Garden in the Sea" • 1956 — Colonel March of Scotland Yard — Annette — Episode: "Death in Inner Space" • 1956 — Romney — Margaret Vaughn — TV film • 1956 — The — Polina Alexandrovna — TV film • 1956 — Nom-de-Plume — Elisa — Episode: "The Ten Strangers" • 1956 — Assignment Foreign Legion — Lucette — Episode: "The Outcast" • 1956, 1964 — Armchair Theatre — Mary Charrington, Miriam — Episodes: "Black Limelight", "Cradle Song" • 1957 — Eye Witness — Ruth — TV film • 1958 — Television World Theatre — Andromache — Episode: "Women of Troy" • 1959 — The — Mary Magdalene — TV film • 1959 — The Flying Doctors — Jean Dawson — Episode: "The Shock" • 1959 — Play of the Week — Elsa — Episode: "The Last Hours" • 1960 — The — Rachel — TV film • 1961 — BBC Sunday-Night Play — Donna Lucia D'Alvadorez — Episode: "Charley's Aunt" • 1961 — The — Mary Rhodes — TV film • 1961 — The — Vi Webber — Episode: "The George Webber Story" • 1962 — The — Hermione — TV film • 1962 — The Franchise Affair — Marion Sharpe — 6 • 1962 — Maigret — Aimee Malik — Episode: "The Dirty House" • 1963 — Suspense — Anna Blake — Episode: "Thunder on Sycamore Street" • 1963 — The — Naomi Leigh Brooke — Episode: "A Woman with Scars" • 1963 — Sergeant Cork — Victoria Melrose — Episode: "The Case of the Sleeping Coachman" • 1964 — The — Lady MacBeth — Episode: "Tragedy" • 1964 — Festival — Mrs Sarti — Episode: "The Life of Galileo" • 1964 — The — Hermine Danglars — Regular role • 1965 — Hit and Run — Georgina Prestley — Episodes: "Accident", "Enquiry", "Arrest", "Trial" • 1965 — A Tale of Two Cities — Madame Defarge — TV series • 1965 — Armchair Mystery Theatre — Anna — Episode: "The Madam" • 1965 — The — Madame Navachine — Episode: "Rendezvous" • 1965–1966 — The — Mrs Liddel, Pauline Tenterden, Caridad Mercader — Episodes: "Alice", "The Connoisseur", "The Executioner" • 1967 — The — Inga Swynnerton — Episodes: "1.1", "1.2", "1.4", "1.6" • 1967 — Sanctuary — Sister Euphrasia — Episode: "The Face of Hunger" • 1967 — The — Queen — Episode: "Checkmate" • 1967–1968 — Theatre 625 — Maria, Madame Calas — Episodes: "The Single Passion", "The Fanatics" • 1968 — City '68 — Enid Somerset — Episode: "The Visitors" • 1968 — Cold Comfort Farm — Judith Starkadder — TV miniseries • 1969 — The — Varvara Stavrogin — TV miniseries • 1969 — ITV Sunday Night Theatre — Hannah Pritchard — Episode: "The Wicked Stage" • 1969 — Parkin's Patch — Miss Craig — Episode: "The Deserter" • 1970 — Manhunt — Hortense — Episode: "What Did You Do in the War, Daddy?" • 1970 — The — Catherine Parr — Episode: "Catherine Parr" • 1970 — Crime of Passion — Helene Jeygu — Episode: "Helene" • 1970–1971 — Jackanory — Storyteller — TV series • 1971 — Elizabeth R — Catherine Parr — Episode: "The Lion's Cub" • 1973 — Country Matters — Mrs Sadgrove — Episode: "The Higgler" • 1973 — Hadleigh — Kate — Episode: "The Goddaughter" • 1973 — The — Mrs Park — TV series • 1974 — Carrie's War — Hepzibah Green — Main role • 1974 — Fall of Eagles — Miehen — Episode: "Tell the King the Sky Is Falling" • 1974, 1976 — Play of the Month — Clytaemnestra, Mrs Bagot — Episodes: "Electra", "Trilby" • 1975 — Churchill's People — Hildis — Episode: "The Conquerors" • 1975 — Affairs of the Heart — Mrs Costello — Episode: "Daisy" • 1975 — North & South — Mrs Thornton — TV miniseries • 1976 — Bill Brand — Mrs Martin — Episode: "Tranquility of the Realm" • 1977 — Drama — Jocasta — Episode: "Oedipus Tyrannus by Sophocles" • 1977 — The — Aunt Sarah — TV series • 1977 — Hard Times — Mrs Sparsit — TV miniseries • 1978, 1984 — Play for Today — Mrs Howard, Laura — Episodes: "Destiny", "Moving on the Edge" • 1979 — Horse in the House — Gwen Davis — Episodes: "Right of Way: Parts 1 & 2" • 1979 — Testament of Youth — Miss Penrose — TV miniseries • 1980, 1982 — BBC2 Playhouse — Miss Snell, Beth — Episodes: "Gentle Folk", "Passing Through" • 1980–1981 — Brendon Chase — Aunt Ellen — TV series • 1981 — Cribb — Mrs Innocent — Episode: "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle" • 1982 — The — Simone — TV film • 1982 — Smiley's People — Mother Felicity — Episodes: "1.5", "1.6" • 1982 — The Agatha Christie Hour — Mrs Thompson — Episode: "The Red Signal" • 1983 — Chessgame — Mary Jenkins — Episodes: "Enter Hassan", "The Alamut Ambush" • 1983–1985 — By the Sword Divided — Margaret — Main role • 1983–1984 — Crown Court — Eloise Hunter — Episodes: "Mother's Boy: Part 1", "The Son of His Father: Part 1" • 1984 — The — Mary — TV film • 1985 — Sherlock Holmes — Mrs Lexington — Episode: "The Norwood Builder" • 1986 — The — Eurydice — Episode: "Theban Plays: Antigone" • 1986 — Agatha Christie's Miss Marple: The Murder at the Vicarage — Mrs Price-Ridley — TV film • 1986 — The — Mary Jenkins — TV film • 1987 — Worlds Beyond — Mrs Pringle — Episode: "The Black Tomb" • 1987 — Great Performers — Teresa — Episode: "Monsignor Quixote" • 1987 — Dramarama — Miss Brady — Episode: "Badger on the Barge" • 1988 — Beryl Markham: A Shadow on the Sun — Mrs Markham — TV film • 1988 — The Franchise Affair — Mrs Sharpe — TV series • 1989 — Campion — Lisa — Episodes: "Death of a Ghost: Parts 1 & 2" • 1989 — Screen One — Gladys — Episode: "She's Been Away" • 1990 — God on the Rocks — Rosalie Frayling — TV film • 1991 — Dark Season — Mrs Polzinski — Episodes: "1.1", "1.2", "1.3" • 1992 — Anglo Saxon Attitudes — Stephanie Houdet — TV miniseries • 1992, 1995 — Casualty — Dodie Mitchell, Frances Newton — Episodes: "Cascade", "Sacrifice" • 1993 — Screen Two — Mrs Birt — Episode: "Femme Fatale" • 1993 — Agatha Christie's Poirot — Madame Deroulard — Episode: "The Chocolate Box" • 1993 — Lovejoy — Evie Smyton — Episode: "Taking the Pledge" • 1993 — Heartbeat — Florence Stockwell — Episode: "Endangered Species" • 1994 — Under the Hammer — Olga Krupenskya — Episode: "The Virgin of Vitebsk" • 1994 — A — Florence Nightingale — Episode: "An Experiment" • 1994 — Cadfael — Juliana Aurifaber — Episode: "The Sanctuary Sparrow" • 1995 — A — Lettice Deverel — TV film • 1995 — Wycliffe — Agnes Currow — Episode: "Wild Oats" • 1997 — Midsomer Murders — Lucy Bellringer — Episode: "The Killings at Badger's Drift"