Susan Joan Holderness (born 28 May 1949) is an English actress on both stage and screen having had appearances in Bless This House (1974), The New Avengers (1977), Canned Laughter (1979), The Sandbaggers (1980), The Cleopatras and It Takes a Worried Man (1983), The Brief and Minder (1984), Doctors (2004-2014), Still Open All Hours (2018–2019) EastEnders and The Madame Blanc Mysteries (2021). However, she is best known for her role as Marlene Boyce in Only Fools and Horses from 1985 to 2003, and its spin-off The Green Green Grass from 2005 to 2009.
Sue Holderness | |
|---|---|
 Holderness in 2011 | |
| Born | Susan Joan Holderness 28 May 1949 Hampstead, London, England |
| Other names | Susan Holderness |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1967–present |
| Spouse |
Mark Piper (m. 1989) |
| Children | 2 |
Career
editHolderness was born on 28 May 1949, in Hampstead, London.[1] After taking her A-levels, she trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama.[1][2]
She began her acting career with the Manchester 69 Theatre Company in A Midsummer Night's Dream,[3] Peer Gynt and as Desdemona in Catch My Soul (Jack Good's rock-musical version of Othello). She has worked consistently in theatre, radio, film and television. West End plays include The Female Odd Couple, Why Not Stay for Breakfast, The Male of the Species and the highly acclaimed one-woman play Our Kid (based on Myra Hindley).[3]
Holderness regularly appeared in The Vagina Monologues[3] and she was in the cast of the touring play Seven Deadly Sins Four Deadly Sinners. She has toured the country in numerous plays and worked in several repertory companies. Much of her career has been spent performing in Alan Ayckbourn plays, three of which (Relatively Speaking, Time and Time Again, and How the Other Half Loves)[4] she toured with John Challis.
Holderness played the role of Annie in the 2010 & 2011 UK Tours of Calendar Girls.[4] She played Celia in the 2012 tour (Jan – May) and went back to playing Annie in the Autumn 2012 tour (Sep – December).[4]
Television roles include Marianne in The Sandbaggers (two series), Bless This House, as Pamela Huntley-Johnson in the episode The Bells Are Ringing (1974), as Liz in It Takes a Worried Man (two series), Jo in The Brief, Cleopatra IV in The Cleopatras;[5] as Laura Doolan, a wife of serial bigamist "Confident" Clive Cosgrove in the Minder episode "A Number of Old Wives Tales" (1984); episodes of The New Avengers,[2] Thriller, Sob Sisters, Growing Pains, Doctors,[4] Lime Street with Robert Wagner, and Murder in Suburbia.
She played a prominent role as Marlene, wife to Boycie (played by John Challis) in Only Fools And Horses[4] and the spin-off series The Green, Green Grass, which ran from 2005 – 2009,[4] including four series and three Christmas Specials.[6]
She played Rowan Atkinson's love interest, Lorraine, in Canned Laughter, and did numerous impersonations in two series of End of Part One. She played Maggie in Dear John, by John Sullivan, Joan Forrester (Oscar Blaketon's former wife) in Heartbeat for YTV, Joan Travis in Revelations, and Rachel's mother in Cold Feet,[4] also for Granada. In April 2021, she made a guest appearance in the BBC soap opera EastEnders as Estelle.[7]
Films include That'll Be the Day (1973) and It Could Happen to You (aka Intimate Teenage Secrets) (1976). She also appeared in the low budget feature Meat Draw and Out of Sight for Granada.[4]
Holderness regularly appears in pantomime.[8] including All You Need for Christmas at Fareham, Hampshire in 2009.[8]
In 2014, Holderness appeared in the BBC One medical drama Casualty as Alice Sweeney.[4] In 2018-2019 she appeared as Mrs Rossi in series five and six of the sitcom Still Open All Hours.[4]
Personal life
editHolderness is married to Mark Piper, former executive director of the Theatre Royal, Windsor.[1] Her children are Harriet, a yoga instructor, and Freddie, head of history at a school in West Sussex.[1] She has one grandchild (2018), Max.[1] Sue is a strong supporter and ambassador for Thames Hospice.
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | That'll Be The Day | Shirley | |
| 1976 | It Could Happen to You | Christine | |
| 1998 | The Meat Draw | Carmen |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Lollipop | Receptionist | Episode: "Doctor Fruit Cake" |
| 1972 | Tightrope | Joanna | 5 episodes |
| 1972 | Fly Into Danger | Sarah Davenport | All 7 episodes |
| 1972 | Harriet's Back in Town | Jennifer Grant | 2 episodes |
| 1974 | Bless This House | Pamela Huntley-Johnson | Episode: "The Bells Are Ringing" |
| 1975 | Thriller | Betty | Episode: "If It's a Man, Hang Up" |
| 1976 | 4 Idle Hands | Miss Pemberton | Episode: "Out of the Frying Pan" |
| 1977 | The New Avengers | Victoria Stanton | Episode: "Medium Rare" |
| 1978 | The One and Only Phyllis Dixey | Mildred Challenger | TV film |
| 1979 | Canned Laughter | Lorraine | TV film |
| 1979–1980 | End of Part One | Various | All 14 episodes |
| 1980 | The Sandbaggers | Marianne Straker | 8 episodes |
| 1983 | The Cleopatras | Cleopatra IV | 2 episodes |
| 1983 | It Takes a Worried Man | Liz | 13 episodes |
| 1984 | The Brief | Jo Gould | All 13 episodes |
| 1984 | Minder | Laura | Episode: "A Number of Old Wives Tales" |
| 1985–2003 | Only Fools and Horses | Marlene Boyce | 20 episodes |
| 1986–1987 | Dear John | Maggie | 3 episodes |
| 1989 | Sob Sisters | Marion | Episode: "I Don't Think We're in Kansas Anymore" |
| 1989 | Young, Gifted and Broke | Diane | Episode: #1.7 |
| 1992 | Growing Pains | Various | Episode: "The Lady and the Tramp" |
| 1993 | You, Me and It | Sonia | Episode: #1.2 |
| 1993 | Heartbeat | Joan Forrester | 2 episodes |
| 1996 | Revelations | Joan | 11 episodes |
| 1998 | Out of Sight | Bride's Mother | Episode: "Photo Finish" |
| 1998 | Colour Blind | Mrs. Barton | Episode: #1.2 |
| 2000,2003 | Cold Feet | Mary Bradley | 2 episodes |
| 2004 | Murder in Suburbia | Penny Gregson | Episode: "Sanctuary" |
| 2004 | Doctors | Sheila Kelly | Episode: "Watching Myself Die" |
| 2005–2009 | The Green Green Grass | Marlene Boyce | All 32 episodes |
| 2011 | Doctors | Beryl Mellor | Episode: "Light Blue Touch Paper" |
| 2012 | Crime Stories | Hazel Wood | Episode: #1.11 |
| 2013 | Casualty | Alice Sweeney | Episode: "Between the Cracks" |
| 2014 | Doctors | Rose Day | Episode: "Scullery Boy" |
| 2018–2019 | Still Open All Hours | Mrs. Rossi | 10 episodes |
| 2020 | Holby City | Gloria Davidson | Episode: #22.10 |
| 2021 | EastEnders | Estelle Jones | 4 episodes |
| 2021–present | The Madame Blanc Mysteries | Judith | 10 episodes |
References
edit- ^ a b c d e "Celebrity Interview – Sue Holderness". countryimagesmagazine.co.uk. 29 November 2018.
- ^ a b "Only Fools and Horses – Marlene". bbc.co.uk. 24 September 2014.
- ^ a b c "Interview: Sue Holderness, star of The Vagina Monologues". thisislancashire.co.uk. 20 March 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Spotlight – Sue Holderness". spotlight.com. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
- ^ "The Cleopatras | A Television Heaven Review". Archived from the original on 21 February 2006. Retrieved 27 March 2006.
- ^ "The Green Green Grass". bbc.co.uk. 28 October 2014.
- ^ "EastEnders casts Only Fools and Horses' Sue Holderness as Billy Mitchell's love interest". mirror.co.uk. 25 March 2021.
- ^ a b "All you need for Christmas". portsmouth.co.uk. 5 August 2009. Archived from the original on 5 August 2009.