Biography
Joan Benham (17 May 1918 β 13 June 1981) was an English actress best known for her portrayal of Lady Prudence Fairfax in the ITV period drama series Upstairs, Downstairs. She was born in London and was the first cousin of Hollywood actress Olive Sturgess.Although her career mostly centred on television, Benham began her career appearing on the West End stage in the 1940s and continued to appear on the London stage periodically throughout her career. She appeared on Broadway as Helena in the 1954 revival of William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream opposite Patrick Macnee as Demetrius.Joan Benham appeared in sixteen episodes of Upstairs, Downstairs, from the first to the last series, as a Bellamy family friend, Lady Prudence Fairfax. Other London Weekend Television roles for her saw her appear as Lady Loftus in the comedies Doctor in the House, Doctor in Charge and Doctor on the Go and as Cecily Foyle, the friend of prison governor Faye Boswell (and a recurring role), in the drama Within These Walls.
Other television programmes she appeared in include, Mrs Thursday, Father Brown, The Duchess of Duke Street, Just William and Take My Wife. Her film credits include the Miss Marple movie Murder Ahoy! (1964), Ladies Who Do (1963), Perfect Friday (1970) and Carry On Emmannuelle (1978).Her last role was as Melinda Spry in the sitcom Terry and June. This episode, The Lawnmower, was broadcast on 13 November 1981, exactly five months after the day she had died, in Westminster, London, aged 63.
Filmography
all 40
Movies 27
TV Shows 13
The Sun Trap (1980)
Terry and June (1979)
Take My Wife (1979)
Carry On Emmannuelle (1978)
The Greek Tycoon (1978)
The Upchat Line (1977)
Hardcore (1977)
The Duchess of Duke Street (1976)
Melissa (1974)
Father Brown (1974)
Within These Walls (1974)
Michael Regan (1971)
Upstairs, Downstairs (1971)
Six Dates with Barker (1971)
Perfect Friday (1970)
Arthur? Arthur! (1969)
The Limbo Line (1969)
Never A Cross Word (1968)
Compensation Alice (1967)
The Wild Affair (1965)
Murder Ahoy (1964)
Ladies Who Do (1963)
The V.I.P.s (1963)
I Thank a Fool (1962)
Dr. Finlay's Casebook (1962)
The Grass Is Greener (1960)
No Hiding Place (1959)
The Heart of a Man (1959)
The Bridal Path (1959)
The Crowning Touch (1959)
Desert Mice (1959)
The Whole Truth (1958)
A Night to Remember (1958)
It's Great to be Young! (1956)
Loser Takes All (1956)
Child in the House (1956)
King's Rhapsody (1955)
The Man Who Loved Redheads (1955)
Saturday Island (1952)
Maytime in Mayfair (1949)
Ratings
Gallery
Information
Known ForActing
GenderFemale
Birthday1918-05-17
Deathday1981-06-13 (63 years old)
Birth PlaceLondon, United Kingdom
CitizenshipsUnited Kingdom
Also Known AsJoan Olive Benham
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