Jean Marsh, the celebrated British actor and co-creator of the groundbreaking ITV drama Upstairs, Downstairs, has died at the age of 90. Her death was due to complications from dementia, her close friend Michael Lindsay-Hogg confirmed to The New York Times.
A pioneer of period drama on television, Marsh was best known for her role as Rose Buck, the parlourmaid whose warmth and quiet strength made her a cornerstone of Upstairs, Downstairs. The series, which aired from 1971 to 1975, portrayed the intertwined lives of the aristocratic Bellamy family and their domestic staff during a time of profound social and political change in early 20th-century England. Her performance earned her the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 1975, with nominations in the two surrounding years.
Marsh not only starred in the acclaimed series but also co-created it, helping lay the groundwork for what would become a hugely influential genre — one that later hits like Downton Abbey would draw from. In 2010, Marsh reprised her role in a two-season BBC revival of Upstairs, Downstairs, set in a new era under King George V.
Born Jean Lyndsay Torren Marsh on July 1, 1934, in London, she showed early promise as a performer, taking dance lessons as a child and later studying at a repertory school. Her career on stage took off in the late 1950s, notably in John Gielgud’s Broadway production of Much Ado About Nothing, where she played Hero.
Marsh soon made her mark on television with roles in The Twilight Zone, Doctor Who, and numerous British series. Her film credits include Frenzy, The Eagle Has Landed, Return to Oz, Ron Howard’s Willow, and a small uncredited role in Cleopatra, starring Elizabeth Taylor. In the early ’90s, she co-created The House of Eliott, a BBC drama following two sisters building a fashion empire in 1920s London.
Despite suffering a stroke and heart attack in 2011, Marsh remained characteristically curious and light-hearted in interviews. “I suppose I do have a kind of quiet energy,” she told the Daily Mail. “I’m enchanted by people... I look at them and think, ‘Oh, he’s bought a wonderful knobbly carrot.’ Everything I notice.”
In recognition of her contributions to drama, Marsh was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2012.
