‘Willow’ star and ‘Upstairs, Downstairs’ co-creator Jean Marsh dead at 90
English actress Jean Marsh, known for her roles in the fantasy film "Willow" and the ITV series "Upstairs, Downstairs," has died at age 90 due to complications from dementia.
Her longtime agent, Lesley Duff, confirmed the news to Fox News Digital, saying it had been "my pleasure to represent Jean for many years and she will be greatly missed."
Duff also provided a statement from Marsh's close friend, director Michael Lindsay-Hogg, who said, "Jean died peacefully in bed looked after by one of her very loving carers."
"We were very close for 60 years," he added. "She was as wise and funny as anyone I ever met, as well as being very pretty and kind, and talented as both an actress and writer. An instinctively empathetic person who was loved by everyone who met her. We spoke on the phone almost every day for the past 40 years."
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Marsh began her acting career in the 1950s, appearing on British and American television, including an episode of "The Twilight Zone" titled "The Lonely" in 1959.
She also appeared opposite Laurence Olivier in "Moon and Sixpence" and Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in "Cleopatra," among other film roles.
Younger audiences may recognize her most from her roles as the evil Queen Bavmorda in 1988’s "Willow," alongside the late Val Kilmer, and "Return to Oz" as the witch Mombi.
Marsh’s TV career also included co-creating the hit ITV series "Upstairs, Downstairs," following the wealthy Bellamy family and their servants, including her character, Rose Buck.
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The role earned Marsh four Emmy nominations and one win in 1975 for outstanding lead actress in a drama series.
"Upstairs, Downstairs" ran from 1971 to 1975 and was later revived in 2010, with Marsh reprising her role.
Marsh was appointed Office of the Order of the British Empire in 2012 for her services to drama.
Other roles throughout her lengthy career include parts in films like Alfred Hitchcock’s "Frenzy," "Dark Places" and "The Changeling" as well as television roles on "The Saint," "I Spy" and "Doctor Who."
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She also had a career onstage in London’s West End, and wrote five novels.
Marsh’s last credited onscreen role was in the Disney+ revival series of "Willow," reprising her role as Queen Bavmorda.
Born on July 1, 1934, in Stoke Newington, London, Marsh was briefly married to "Doctor Who" star Jon Pertwee and later had relationships with Albert Finney, Kenneith Haigh and Michael Lindsay-Hogg.
"I have had partners who I have thought about marrying and who have thought about marrying me," she told The Telegraph in 2010. "The problem was that we never thought it at the same time. I should have taken the advice of my mother, who told me 50 years ago that I should marry and settle down."