Jean Marsh, co-creator and actress of Upstairs Downstairs, died at the age of 90, her agent confirmed.
The British screen and stage actress won an Emmy for her portrayal of the tough-talking but ultimately kind-hearted maid Rose Buck in the 1970s TV drama about the class system in Edwardian England.
Marsh also appeared in Hollywood films such as Cleopatra, Willow, and Alfred Hitchcock’s Frenzy, as well as on television in Doctor Who.
Marsh was described as “wise and funny… very pretty and kind, and talented both as an actress and writer” by her friend, film director Sir Michael Lindsay-Hogg. She died peacefully in bed, cared for by one of her loving carers.
In his statement, Sir Michael described almost daily phone conversations with Marsh over the last 40 years. He described her as a “instinctively empathetic person who was loved by everyone who met her”.
Marsh came up with the idea for a period drama about a wealthy family’s servants while house sitting in France with her friend, actress Dame Eileen Atkins, she later told the New York Times.
The series, which told the story of the Bellamy family and their servant staff who lived beneath them, was created by the pair, along with John Hawkesworth and John Whitney.
The ITV show was a critical and popular success, and it also enjoyed a loyal following in the United States, where it aired on PBS.
Upstairs Downstairs is thought to have inspired the Downton Abbey series, which was revived and reimagined by the BBC in 2010. Marsh was the only original cast member to return, playing the same role in five episodes.
When asked by the Daily Telegraph in 2010 why viewers seemed to be so interested in master-and-servant dramas, Marsh replied: “We still seem to want it because if you rose above your class, you knew you had done well. And we like it because the past is less worrying than the news.”
She collaborated with Dame Eileen Atkins again in 1991 to create the BBC costume drama The House of Elliott.
Her other notable TV credits included appearances on The Twilight Zone and Grantchester. Her stage credits include works by Shakespeare and George Bernard Shaw.
However, after suffering a stroke in 2011, she was forced to reduce her acting commitments.
London-born Marsh was married for five years to actor Jon Pertwee, who later played Dr Who. In 2012, she was appointed an Officer of the British Empire (OBE) for her contributions to drama.
