Caroline Blakiston

Caroline Georgiana Blakiston[1] (born 13 February 1933) is an English actress. She is best known in her native United Kingdom for her role in the television comedy series Brass, to international audiences as Mon Mothma in the Star Wars film Return of the Jedi, and Aunt Agatha in Poldark.

Caroline Blakiston
Born
Caroline Georgiana Blakiston

(1933-02-13) 13 February 1933
Chelsea, London, England
OccupationActress
Years active1961–present
Spouse(s)Russell Hunter
(m. 1970; div. 19??)
Children2

Early life

Blakiston was born in London, the younger daughter of archivist- "the most widely known archivist of his generation in England"-[2] and author Hugh Noel Blakiston (1905–1984) and (Rachel) Georgiana (1903–1995), daughter of barrister Harold John Hastings Russell (a descendant of the 6th Duke of Bedford) and Lady Victoria Alberta Leveson-Gower, whose father was the statesman Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville. The Blakiston family originated in County Durham, and were related to the Blakiston baronets.[3][4]

Blakiston attended RADA.

Career

In the 1960s, Blakiston appeared in three episodes of The Avengers as well a number of ITC productions such as The Saint, Department S and the 1969 Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) episode "Never Trust a Ghost". She appeared to great acclaim as Marjorie Ferrar in the BBC Television adaptation of Galsworthy's The Forsyte Saga in 1967. In 1977 she appeared in Raffles as Lady Paulton, and also in Murder Most English as Helen Carobleat. In 1980/81, she starred in the BBC/Australian TV World War II comedy series Private Schulz as The Countess.

In 1983, Blakiston played the wayward character of Lady Patience Hardacre in the satirical Granada television series Brass, which ran for three series. She portrayed Mon Mothma, the primary political leader of the Rebel Alliance in the 1983 Star Wars film, Return of the Jedi. The 1980s saw Blakiston in a lead role as head of a special unit within British intelligence, opposite Alec McCowen in Mr. Palfrey of Westminster.

In 1986, Blakiston played the villain Bess Sedgwick opposite Joan Hickson's Miss Marple, in the episode "At Bertram's Hotel" of the BBC's Miss Marple series. She also appeared as Lionel Hardcastle's ex-wife in an episode of As Time Goes By. She and Geoffrey Palmer (Lionel) had previously played estranged spouses a decade earlier in Carla Lane's series The Last Song. From 2015 to 2018, Blakiston played Aunt Agatha in the BBC adaptation Poldark.

Personal life

In 1970, Blakiston married the actor Russell Hunter after they had played together in A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park. They had a son and a daughter together, but later divorced.[5]

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
1966 The Trygon Factor White nun
1969 The Magic Christian Hon Esther Grand
1971 Sunday Bloody Sunday Rowing wife
1979 Yanks Golfing friend
1983 Return of the Jedi Mon Mothma
1987 The Fourth Protocol Angela Berenson

Television
Year Title Role Notes
1961–1967 The Avengers Various roles 3 episodes
1962 City Beneath the Sea Dr Ann Boyd 7 episodes
1966 The Saint Eleanor Bastion Episode: "The Convenient Monster"
1967 The Forsyte Saga Marjorie Ferrar 4 episodes
1968 The Caesars Agrippina 4 episodes
1969 Department S Kate Mortimer Episode: "The Shift That Never Was"
1969 Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) Karen Howarth Episode: "Never Trust A Ghost"
1978 Les Misérables Madame Thenardier TV film
1978 Crown Court Kathleen Fenton QC Episode: "Association"
1979 Prince Regent Lady Frances Jersey 3 Episodes
1980 Shoestring Monica Episode: "Looking for Mr.Wright"
1981 Private Schulz The Countess 1 episode
1983–1990 Brass Lady Patience Hardacre 32 episodes
1984–1985 ’’Mr. Palfrey of Westminster’’ The Coordinator 10 episodes
1985 Charters and Caldicott Margaret Mottram 6 episodes
1987 Miss Marple Bess Sedgwick Episode: "At Bertram's Hotel"
1996 As Time Goes By Margaret Episode: S5:E02 "Lionel's Ex-Wife"
2004 Midsomer Murders Angela Hartley Episode S08:E04 Bantling Boy
2006 The Line of Beauty Lady Partridge 2 episodes
2009 Midsomer Murders Hilary Compton Episode S12:E08 Small Mercies
2012 Holby City Kathleen Pennington Episode: "Through the Darkness"
2013 Agatha Christie's Poirot Julia Carstairs Episode: "Elephants Can Remember"
2014 Father Brown Lady Lavinia Pryde Episode: "The Pride of the Pryde"
2015–2018 Poldark Aunt Agatha 26 episodes
2015 Casualty Frances Barrett Episode: "The Long Haul"
2016 Midsomer Murders Sylvia Lennard Episode: "The Village that Rose from the Dead"
gollark: ++delete helloboi's code
gollark: Soon [REDACTED] and no more class-52F apioforms.
gollark: Project NUMERATE POLYMER appears to be proceeding.
gollark: iahsomethingbees_32.
gollark: Visit chorus city????

References
  1. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage 107th edition, vol. 1, ed. Charles Mosley, Burke's Peerage Ltd, 2003, p. 320
  2. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00379818509514282?journalCode=cjsa20
  3. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage 107th edition, vol. 1, ed. Charles Mosley, Burke's Peerage Ltd, 2003, p. 320
  4. https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-60978
  5. "Russell Hunter : Obituaries". The Independent. 28 February 2004. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
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