Mary Tamm

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Mary Tamm
Tamm as Romana I in Doctor Who
Born(1950-03-22)22 March 1950
Bradford, West Riding of Yorkshire, England
Died26 July 2012(2012-07-26) (aged 62)
London, England
Alma materRoyal Academy of Dramatic Art
OccupationActress
Years active1970–2012
Spouse
Marcus Ringrose
​
(m. 1978)​
Children1

Mary Tamm (22 March 1950 – 26 July 2012) was a British actress, who appeared in many British TV drama series and serials, and is best known for her role as Romana I in the BBC's science fiction television series Doctor Who,[1] appearing opposite Tom Baker in the 1978–1979 story arc The Key to Time.

Early life[edit]

Tamm was born in Bradford, West Riding of Yorkshire, to an Estonian father and a Russian mother, who was an opera singer. Her parents had fled Estonia after four of her father's brothers had died in Stalin's gulag labour camps.[2] Tamm only spoke Estonian at home, and attended Estonian-language school on Saturdays. She didn't begin learning English until she was enrolled in primary school.[2] At age 11, she won a scholarship to attend Bradford Girls' Grammar School and joined the city's Civic Theatre.[3][4][5] She was a graduate and an associate member of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, where she studied from 1969 to 1971.[6]

Acting career[edit]

Tamm began acting on the stage with the Birmingham Repertory Company in 1971.[7] She moved to London in 1972 and appeared in the musical Mother Earth. Her first TV role for the BBC was as Sally in The Donati Conspiracy shown in 1973.[8] This was followed by an episode of Warship in 1974.[9] In 1975, she featured in Muriel Spark's The Girls of Slender Means on BBC2.[10] Before her association with Doctor Who, Tamm acted in a few films, including Tales That Witness Madness (1973), The Odessa File (1974) and The Likely Lads (1976). In 1981, she took the part of Rhoda Dawes in Agatha Christie's Cards on the Table at London's Vaudeville Theatre.[11]

Tamm was not initially interested in playing a companion to the Doctor,[12] believing that the role was merely that of the "damsel in distress". She changed her mind when assured by the producers that Romana would be a member of the Doctor's own race and therefore as capable as he. Tamm left the programme after only one season because she felt that the character had reverted to the traditional assistant role and could not be developed further.[13] In a 2007 interview, she stated that she was willing to shoot a regeneration sequence to allow a smooth transition between her tenure and that of her eventual successor (Lalla Ward), but was not invited to do so.[14] One source states that pregnancy was the reason that she was not asked to return, which Tamm denied as a false rumour invented by producer John Nathan-Turner.[15][16][17]

After leaving the series, Tamm took leading roles in two BBC 1 dramas, The Treachery Game (1980) and its sequel The Assassination Run (1981) alongside Malcolm Stoddard. She subsequently appeared in Barry Letts' production of Jane Eyre on BBC1 in 1983, opposite Timothy Dalton.[18] She had a leading role in the sitcom The Hello, Goodbye Man opposite Ian Lavender in 1984 for BBC 2, around the same time as her guest appearance in Bergerac.[19] In the early 1990s she was a regular guest panellist on the ITV morning quiz show Crosswits.

Subsequently, Tamm played the characters of Penny Crosbie in the soap opera Brookside from 1993 to 1996,[20] and Yvonne Edwards in the BBC drama Paradise Heights (2002), as well as guest roles in many other television programmes, including Crime Traveller on BBC1, another time travel drama.[21] Tamm returned as Pandora in the second series of the Gallifrey audio plays produced by Big Finish Productions. Her first such appearance was in Gallifrey: Lies (2005). She also appeared (as herself) in a special feature in the 2007 DVD boxed set release of The Key to Time, discussing her experiences on the programme. In August 2009, Tamm made a brief one-week appearance as Orlenda in EastEnders. Reprising the role of Romana, Tamm recorded seven new Doctor Who audio adventures for Big Finish Productions with Tom Baker shortly before her death,[22] which were released in 2013 as series 2 of the Fourth Doctor Adventures.[23]

Personal life and death[edit]

Mary Tamm was married to Marcus Ringrose, an insurance executive, from 1978 until her death from cancer on 26 July 2012. Tamm had been diagnosed with cancer 18 months prior to her death but, as revealed by her agent Barry Langford, had kept her illness secret from all but a handful of her closest friends.[4][24] They had one daughter, Lauren, born November 1979.[15][16] Ringrose died from a heart attack just hours after Tamm's funeral on 7 August.[25]

Her autobiography, entitled First Generation, was published in September 2009 by Fantom Films. Before her death she had been working on a second part of her autobiography, Second Generation, which was published in 2014.[26]

Filmography[edit]

Film[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
1973
 Tales That Witness Madness Ginny (segment 4 "Luau")
1974
 The Odessa File Sigi
1976
 The Likely Lads Christina
1978
 Rampage Julie
1987
 Three Kinds of Heat Piou
2000
 Sorted School Mother
2000
 Melody's Her 2nd Name Alex
2001
 Amazons and Gladiators Zenobia
2009
 Doghouse Meg Nut

Television[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
1973 Hunter's Walk Ruth Episode: "Reasonable Suspicion"
1973 The Donati Conspiracy Sally Ross 3 episodes
1973 Coronation Street Polly Ogden 2 episodes
1974 A Raging Calm Julie Warner 3 episodes
1974 The Inheritors Liz Fisher Episode: "Double, Double..."
1974 Warship Zimba Episode: "The Immortal Memory"
1975 Whodunnit? Valerie Austin Episode "Nothing To Declare"
1975 Public Eye Jenny Episode: "How About It, Frank?"
1975 The Girls of Slender Means Selina Redwood All 3 episodes
1978–1979 Doctor Who Romana 26 episodes
1978 Return of the Saint Gerri Hanson Episode: "The Debt Collectors"
1980 The Assassination Run Jill Fraser All 3 episodes
1981 The Treachery Game All 3 episodes
1981 Only When I Laugh Leonora Episode: "Postman's Knock"
1982 Not the Nine O'Clock News Various Episode: "Made in Wales"
1983 Jane Eyre Blanche Ingram 2 episodes
1984 Bergerac Leslie West Episode: "Tug of War"
1984 The Hello Goodbye Man Jennifer Reynoldston All 6 episodes
1986 Worlds Beyond Susan Wentworth Episode: "Guardian of the Past"
1989 Agatha Christie's Poirot Mrs. Farley Episode: "The Dream"
1989 Casualty Virginia Wilson Episode: "A Grand in the Hand"
1991 The Bill Ms. Crosby Episode: "Now We're Motoring"
1991 Perfect Scoundrels Mary Cooper Episode: "No Thanks for the Memory"
1993 Brookside Penny Crosbie 6 episodes
1997 The New Adventures of Robin Hood Alice Episode: "Witches of the Abbey"
1997 Crime Traveller Mary Chandler Episode: "A Death in the Family"
1997 Heartbeat Marilyn Episode: "Bad Apple"
1998 Loved by You Spy Girl Episode: "The Spy Girl Who Loved Me"
1999 CI5: The New Professionals Maggie Episode: "Phoenix"
2000 Doctors Lyn Baker Episode: "God's Will"
2000 Up Rising House Buyer Episode: "The Green Man"
2000 Headless Portia Loomis
2001 The Bill Moira Sutherland Episode: "Lick of Paint"
2001 Jonathan Creek Vivian Brodie Episode: "Satan's Chimney"
2002 Paradise Heights Yvonne Edwards 5 episodes
2002 Coronation Street Diana Black Episode: #1.5357
2005 Twisted Tales Mrs. Templeman Episode: "Flat Four"
2005 Rose and Maloney Danuta Richmond Episode: "Alan Richmond"
2006 Doctors Sylvia Crawford Episode: "Mirror, Mirror"
2006 Holby City Fliss Robson Episode: "Crossing the Line"
2007 A Class Apart Mrs Fills TV film
2007 Diamond Geezer Maureen Carlton Episode: "A Royal Affair"
2007 Doctors Jemma Forrester Episode: "Dying to Please"
2008 Wire in the Blood Elektra 2 episodes
2009 EastEnders Orlenda 4 episodes

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Dr Who star returns to Bradford roots". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. 28 September 2009. Retrieved 9 October 2009.
  2. ^ a b Hayward, Anthony (27 July 2012). "Mary Tamm: Actress who made her name as the Time lady Romana in 'Doctor Who'". The Independent. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  3. ^ "Doctor Who star Mary Tamm dies aged 62". The Guardian. 26 July 2012. Retrieved 26 July 2012.
  4. ^ a b "Obituary: Mary Tamm". Daily Telegraph. 26 July 2012.
  5. ^ "Interview with Mary Tamm". BBC Wiltshire. 21 September 2007. Retrieved 9 October 2009.
  6. ^ Warwick, David (2012). "Mary Tamm (RADA Obituary)". The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Archived from the original on 28 July 2014. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
  7. ^ "Mary Tamm". 26 July 2012 – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  8. ^ "The Donati Conspiracy – BBC One London – 14 September 1973 – BBC Genome". The Radio Times (2600): 67. 6 September 1973.
  9. ^ "Warship – BBC One London – 5 November 1974 – BBC Genome". The Radio Times (2660): 49. 31 October 1974.
  10. ^ "The Girls of Slender Means – BBC Two England – 3 May 1975 – BBC Genome". The Radio Times (2686): 21. May 1975.
  11. ^ Programme for Cards on the Table (Vaudeville Theatre): Theatreprint No 80, May 1982
  12. ^ "Mary Tamm – Doctor Who Interview Archive". drwhointerviews.wordpress.com.
  13. ^ "MaryTamm.com". Archived from the original on 25 July 2008.
  14. ^ "There's Something About Mary", a DVD featurette on The Key to Time – Special Edition (BBC Video/2 Entertain, 2007).
  15. ^ a b "MaryTamm Official Website – Mary Tamm in Dr Who". MaryTamm.com. Archived from the original on 6 January 2010.
  16. ^ a b McGuigan, Eddie (3 September 2009). "An interview with Mary Tamm". Outpost Skaro. Archived from the original on 8 November 2009. Retrieved 12 November 2012.
  17. ^ Rawson-Jones, Ben (19 October 2009). "Doctor Who Interview: Mary Tamm". Digital Spy. Retrieved 26 July 2012.
  18. ^ "Jane Eyre – BBC One London – 6 November 1983 – BBC Genome". The Radio Times (3130): 31. 3 November 1983.
  19. ^ "Bergerac – BBC One London – 28 January 1984 – BBC Genome". The Radio Times (3142): 22. 26 January 1984.
  20. ^ Flerlage, Elizabeth (24 September 2007). "The 5-minute Interview: Mary Tamm, Actress". The Independent. Retrieved 9 October 2009.
  21. ^ "Crime Traveller – BBC One London – 8 March 1997 – BBC Genome". The Radio Times (3814): 68. 6 March 1997.
  22. ^ "Doctor Who – Fourth Doctor Adventures – Coming Soon". Big Finish Productions.
  23. ^ DOCTOR WHO – FOURTH DOCTOR ADVENTURES – RELEASED ITEMS. Big Finish Productions. Retrieved 17 January 2014
  24. ^ "Mary Tamm's widower 'died of a broken heart'". Daily Telegraph. 24 October 2012. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
  25. ^ "Doctor Who actor Mary Tamm's husband dies hours after her funeral". TheGuardian.com. 9 August 2012.
  26. ^ "RADA: The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art - Mary Tamm (RADA Obituary)". Archived from the original on 28 March 2016. Retrieved 2 September 2016.

External links[edit]

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