Freda Dowie

Freda Dowie (22 July 1928 – 10 August 2019) was an English actress known for her numerous television and film appearances. Born in Carlisle, Cumberland, she married art critic and filmmaker David Thompson. Dowie's television credits include popular shows like Dixon of Dock Green, Doomwatch, Edna, the Inebriate Woman, Upstairs, Downstairs, I, Claudius, The Old Curiosity Shop, The Pickwick Papers, Lillie, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, Our Friends in the North, Common As Muck, Lovejoy, Agatha Christie's Poirot, Crown Court, and Heartbeat. She often portrayed long-suffering roles and received a European Film Award nomination for her memorable performance as the Mother in the 1988 film Distant Voices, Still Lives. Dowie's film career also includes notable roles in Subterfuge (1968), The Omen (1976), The Monk (1990), Butterfly Kiss (1995), Jude (1996), Cider with Rosie (1998), and Fragile (2005).