Alexandra Ratcliff (2 October 1948 – 7 April 2019) was an English actress, model and counsellor. She made an impression as a model and film actress in the 1970s, but she became known for being one of the original cast members of the BBC soap opera EastEnders in the 1980s. She portrayed the role of Sue Osman[1] but left the role in 1989. In 2010, she revealed that she had retired from acting to train as a counsellor.
Sandy Ratcliff | |
|---|---|
 Ratcliff as Sue Osman in EastEnders | |
| Born | Alexandra Ratcliff 2 October 1948 Islington, England |
| Died | 7 April 2019 (aged 70) London, England |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1970–1994 |
Early life
editRatcliff, the daughter of an insurance salesman, had a turbulent youth. After being expelled from school at the age of 12, within two years she was heavily smoking cannabis, and she later went on to serve time in prison for selling it.[2][3] She had numerous jobs before she took up acting, including waitressing, disc-jockeying and performing as a guitarist in the rock groups Tropical Appetite and Escalator.[4]
Career
editRatcliff's career changed direction at 23, when she made a big impression as a model and was cast as "The face of the '70s" by royal photographer Lord Snowdon. This later facilitated a move into film. Her first major role was in the Ken Loach BAFTA-nominated film Family Life (1971), in which she played a schizophrenic teenager.[5] This was followed by roles in slightly less well-received films including The Final Programme (1973), Yesterday's Hero (1979) and Hussy (1980) with Helen Mirren. She also appeared in Chris Petit's British road movie Radio On (1979).[2] Ratcliff subsequently acted in several television productions including Minder, Couples, Play for Today, Target, The Sweeney, Shoestring and Shelley, and on stage in 1981 in the Ray Davies/Kinks musical, Chorus Girls.
She became a household name in 1985, as Sue Osman in the BBC serial EastEnders. She played the long-suffering wife of highly-strung cafe owner and mini-cab boss Ali Osman (Nejdet Salih). During her four years in the series, her character contended with cot death, infidelity and finally insanity. Off-screen Ratcliff was struggling with a publicised heroin addiction and she was written out of the show in 1989.[4]
Her television appearances after EastEnders were in 1992's Maigret opposite Michael Gambon, and in the BBC2 productions A Box of Swan (1990) and Men of the Month (1994).
In later life, Ratcliff retrained as a counsellor, and drove ambulances; in 2010, it was reported she "eke(d) out a living doing part time jobs", and was living "in a run-down ground floor flat on a busy road in North London".[3][4]
Personal life
editRatcliff married photographer Peter Wright in Kensington, London in 1968. They broke up and by 1973 she had her only son, William, by theatre director Terence Palmer.[2]
In 1991, her then boyfriend Michael Shorey stood trial at the Old Bailey after he was accused of killing two women. Despite Ratcliff giving him an alibi (she claimed in the witness box that they were making love at the time) he was found guilty and is now serving two life sentences for murder.[6] His court case was to be her last public appearance.[7]
In later life, Ratcliff no longer used heroin and lived on a £70 a week disability allowance.[8] She suffered three strokes and was diagnosed with cancer.[4]
Death
editRatcliff died in her sleep and her body was found on 7 April 2019. She was 70 years old.[9][10] In October 2019, the coroner's court attributed her death to taking an excessive amount of morphine due to a terminal lung condition.[11]
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Family Life | Janice Baildon | Film |
| 1973 | The Final Programme | Jenny | Film |
| 1973 | Centre Play | Girl | 1 episode |
| 1974 | Crossroads | Barbara Wells | 7 episodes |
| 1974 | Marked Personal | Paula Barry | 2 episodes |
| 1975 | Whodunnit? | Rikki Howard | 1 episode |
| 1975 | The Sweeney | Liz Jenner | 1 episode |
| 1976 | Couples | Sally Knott | 9 episodes |
| 1976 | BBC2 Playhouse | Mimi | 1 episode |
| 1977 | ITV Playhouse | Lana Cork | 1 episode |
| 1977 | Target | Angie Dawson | 1 episode |
| 1978 | Hazell | Mrs O'Rourke | 1 episode |
| 1978 | Play for Today | Mum | 1 episode |
| 1978 | Touch and Go | Charmaine | Main role |
| 1979 | Radio On | Kathy | Film |
| 1979 | Danger UXB | Rosalyn | 1 episode |
| 1979 | Kids | Carmen Fox | 1 episode |
| 1979 | Shoestring | Mel Shepherd | 1 episode |
| 1979 | Yesterday's Hero | Rita | Film |
| 1979 | Premiere | Muriel | 1 episode |
| 1980 | Hussy | Olympia | Film |
| 1980 | The Gentle Touch | Ruby | 1 episode |
| 1982 | Minder | Barbara | 1 episode |
| 1982 | Doll's Eye | Maggie | Film |
| 1982 | Shelley | Sandra | 1 episode |
| 1982 | BBC2 Playhouse | Alice | 1 episode |
| 1983 | The Balance of Nature | Julie | Television film |
| 1985–1989 | EastEnders | Sue Osman | Series regular; 271 episodes |
| 1990 | Debut on Two | Patricia | 1 episode |
| 1992 | Maigret | Ernestine Jussiaume | 1 episode |
| 1994 | Screen Two | Meg | 1 episode |
References
edit- ^ Kingsley, Hilary (1990). The EastEnders Handbook. BBC books. ISBN 978-0-685-52957-7.
- ^ a b c "Sandy Ratcliff, gifted actress who starred in Ken Loach's 'Family Life', was spotted by Snowdon and took a regular role in 'EastEnders' – obituary". The Daily Telegraph. 10 April 2019.
- ^ a b Myall, Steve (8 February 2010). "EastEnders: We track down the soap stars who left Walford". mirror.co.uk. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
Actress Sandy Ratcliff's life after leaving her role as Sue in 1989 reads like an Albert Square plotline. After struggling with heroin addiction, she played a starring role at the 1991 Old Bailey trial of her ex Michael Shorey, claiming they were making love at the time he was accused of killing two young women. He was jailed for life for murder. She now ekes out a living doing part time jobs and lives in a run-down ground floor flat on a busy road in North London with her partner.
- ^ a b c d Hayward, Anthony (10 April 2019). "Sandy Ratcliff obituary". The Guardian – via www.theguardian.com.
- ^ "Sandy Ratcliff – 'actor who played Sue Osman in EastEnders'". The Stage. 16 April 2019. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
- ^ Foster, Alistair (27 February 2006). "How did they all eastend up?". The Evening Standard.
- ^ Bonnici, Tony (12 February 2005). "Square Are They Now?". Daily Mirror.
- ^ "Obituary: Sandy Ratcliff, original EastEnders star whose life away from the soap was as dramatic as it was on screen". The Scotsman. 24 April 2019. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
- ^ Harp, Justin (8 April 2019). "EastEnders original cast member Sandy Ratcliff – who played Sue Osman – dies at age 70". Digital Spy.
- ^ "EastEnders actress Sandy Ratcliff dies aged 70". 9 April 2019 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
- ^ "Sandy Ratcliff: Lung condition and excess morphine killed ex-EastEnders actress". BBC News. 3 October 2019. Retrieved 3 October 2019.