Nicola Pagett dead aged 75 – Upstairs, Downstairs star dies suddenly after being diagnosed with brain tumour
UPSTAIRS, Downstairs star Nicola Pagett has died aged 75.
The actress is said to have “died suddenly” on March 3 after being diagnosed with a brain tumour.
Nicola was best known for playing Elizabeth, the spoilt daughter of Richard Bellamy and Lady Marjorie in the 1970s series Upstairs, Downstairs.
The series followed the lives of an upper-class family and their servants in their central London townhouse in the early 1900s.
Speaking about her role in the show, Nicola once said: “There weren’t any stars really — that was the beauty of it.
“Everyone had an equal importance in the thing.
“The product was more important than the people in it in those days.
“So, if it was a success, it was a success because everyone in it was good rather than because the actor in it was well known.”
In 1977 she starred in the BBC epic Anna Karenina and in 1989 she worked alongside David Jason and Gwen Taylor in A Bit of a Do.
Following her success in the tv series, Nicola went onto play Elizabeth Fanshawe in Frankenstein in 1973 which has been considered one of the best Frankenstein films to date.
The star was born in Cairo in 1985 where her father was an oil executive and spent most of her childhood traveling across the world to places such as Hong Kong, Japan and Cyprus.
When she returned to the UK at 17 she joined the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts and began her acting career.
After spending years as a regular on the West End stage, Nicola appeared in films such as An Awfully Big Adventure, Privates on Parade and Anne of a Thousand Days starring Richard Burton.
In 1997, Nicola shared a glimpse into her private life in her book Diamonds Behind My Eyes.
In the autobiography, she spoke about her career and her battle with mental illness.
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According to reports, her behaviour became so erratic at times and she developed an obsession with Tony Blair’s spokesperson, Alastair Campbell, whom she “bombarded with love letters”.
Her final appearance on the stage was in 1995 at the National Theatre where she starred alongside then-newcomer David Tennant.
Nicola is survived by her daughter Eve and sister Angela.
