Olga Lowe (14 September 1919 – 2 September 2013) was a British film, stage and television actress.[1] She made her film debut in an uncredited role in the 1949 film Trottie True.[2] Her many credits included EastEnders, Where Eagles Dare, Carry On Abroad, Steptoe and Son Ride Again and The Riddle of the Sands.[3][4]
Biography
Lowe, who was of Russian Jewish descent on her father's side, was born in Durban, South Africa.[5] Her father, Charles Lowe, led the Johannesburg Symphony Orchestra.[6] She first moved to London from South Africa in 1935. She worked in Brazil as part of Carmen Miranda's cabaret.[2] and in 1942 survived the torpedoing of her ocean liner, City of New York, by a German submarine while returning to South Africa.[2]
Olga Lowe was a childhood friend of actor Sid James.[1] Lowe and her first husband, John Tore, were considered to be instrumental in launching James' film career after he moved to Britain in 1947.[2] In 1976, she was performing opposite James in The Mating Season at the Sunderland Empire Theatre on the night he suffered a fatal heart attack on stage.[7]
Personal life
Lowe was married three times. Her first husband, John Tore, died in 1959, aged 35.[2] She married Peter Todd in 1959 shortly after Tore's death. The marriage between Lowe and Todd ended in divorce in 1962. In 1970, Lowe married actor Keith Morris; the couple remained together until her death in 2013.[2]
Death
Olga Lowe died on 2 September 2013 aged 93, only 12 days before her 94th birthday.[2] She was survived by her third husband, Keith Morris.[6]
Partial filmography
- State Secret (1950) - Baba 'Robinson', taller singer
- Hotel Sahara (1951) - Fatima (uncredited)
- Stop the Merry-Go-Round (1952)
- So Little Time (1952) - Florine
- Oh... Rosalinda!! (1955) - Lady
- Where Eagles Dare (1968) - Lt. Anne-Marie Kernitser (uncredited)
- Carry On Abroad (1972) - Madame Fifi
- Steptoe and Son Ride Again (1973) - Percy's Wife
- The Final Programme (1973) - Hari (uncredited)
- The Riddle of the Sands (1979) - Frau Dollmann
- Nijinsky (1980) - Signora Cecchetti
- Cous-cous (1996) - Rebecca (final film role)
References
- ^ a b "Olga Lowe - Obituaries - The Stage". 18 September 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Olga Lowe". The Daily Telegraph. 11 September 2013. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
- ^ III, Harris M. Lentz (20 May 2014). "Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2013". McFarland – via Google Books.
- ^ "Olga Lowe".
- ^ "Olga Lowe: Actress equally at home in variety or serious drama". 3 October 2013.
- ^ a b "Olga Lowe. Veteran film and stage actress. September 14, 1919 - September 2, 2013. Aged 93". 14 September 2013.
- ^ "Olga Lowe". 23 September 2013 – via www.thetimes.co.uk.