Doreen June Mantle (22 June 1926 – 9 August 2023) was a South African-born British actress who played Jean Warboys in One Foot in the Grave (1990–2000).Webber, Richard (2006). The Complete One Foot in the Grave. London: Orion. p. 48; . She appeared in many British television series since the 1960s, including The Duchess of Duke Street, The Wild House, Sam Saturday, Chalk, Casualty, The Bill, Doctors, Holby City, Lovejoy, Coronation Street and Jonathan Creek. She played lollipop lady Queenie in Jam & Jerusalem (2006–2009).

Early life Doreen June Mantle was born on 22 June 1926, in Johannesburg, South Africa, to English parents Bernard and Hilda (née Greenberg), who ran a hotel."Remarkable Highgate Women" (PDF). p.13. Highgate Literary and Scientific Institution. Retrieved 11 February 2021.Wyllie, Rosalind (2019). "A Woman of Purpose: The inspirational Doreen Mantle on life in her 90's". Age Matters, p. 6-7. Age UK. Retrieved 8 February 2021. When she was six weeks old, her parents moved back to Britain, but they returned to South Africa four years later after the birth of Mantle's brother Alan in 1930.

Mantle attended the University of the Witwatersrand. She acted with the university's dramatic society and appeared on the South African amateur stage and radio, before becoming a social worker. On a visit to London in 1949, she performed at the Gateway theatre. She married Graham Smith, an engine sales manager, in 1953. She moved to the United Kingdom at the age of 23, out of opposition to apartheid, settling in London with her husband.

Career Mantle acted at Colchester repertory theatre before taking a break from the stage after the birth of her first son. After her return, she had a small role as a wedding guest at the Aldwych theatre in a 1967 Royal Shakespeare Company production of Jules Feiffer’s play Little Murders.

After a lean spell during which she worked as a London tourist guide, Mantle’s career was given a boost by William Trevor’s play Going Home at the King’s Head theatre club, Islington, in 1972. She continued to work extensively on the stage in such productions as My Fair Lady, Keep It in the Family, The Seagull and Hamlet. She also toured Britain in Billy Liar in the role of Florence Boothroyd and performed at the National Theatre in The Voysey Inheritance. In 1979, she was awarded the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance in Death of a Salesman. She also undertook radio work for BBC Radio 3 and BBC World Service. Mantle played the long suffering wife of the rabbi in BBC Radio 4's comedy series The Attractive Young Rabbi.

Mantle played Mrs Shaemen in Barbra Streisand's film version of Yentl (1983).

In television many of Mantle's parts were one-offs, but she had a short run as Mrs Catchpole in the first series of The Duchess of Duke Street (1976) and played Karl Marx’s wife in the first two parts of the Eleanor Marx trilogy (1977) and Rita Sterne, mother of the detective (Ivan Kaye) in Sam Saturday (1992).

Mantle would go on to find fame in her sixties, when in 1989 she was cast as the hapless and naive Jean Warboys, friend of Margaret (Annette Crosbie) and Victor Meldrew (Richard Wilson) in David Renwick's sitcom One Foot in the Grave. She appeared in 18 episodes from 1990 until 2000. She would work with Renwick again, appearing in an episode of his comedy drama Love Soup in 2005.

She was a regular in the first two series (2006–2008) of the sitcom Jam & Jerusalem, written by Jennifer Saunders, appearing in 12 episodes as Queenie, the school crossing attendant.

From 2010-11, Mantle briefly appeared in Coronation Street as Joy Fishwick, the mother of Colin Fishwick (David Crellin), who was secretly killed and his identity was stolen by John Stape (Graeme Hawley). In a similar fashion to her son, Joy was killed; albeit unintentionally, by John who was trying to compromise and muffle her screaming.

In early-2023, aged 96, she appeared on the clip show One Foot in the Grave - 30 Years Of Laughs, when along with other cast and crew members she took a look back at the show for which she became well known.

Personal life and death Mantle married Graham Smith in 1953; they had two sons together, but later divorced. From the mid-1990s she was a resident of Highgate, London.

Mantle died at home in London on 9 August 2023, at the age of 97.

Filmography

Source, unless specified:

Films YearTitleRoleNote1967PrivilegeMiss Crawford1972FrenzyWoman in CrowdUncredited1975All Creatures Great and SmallMrs SeatonTV movie1979Black JackMrs Carter1979Secret OrchardsAunt BunnyTV movie1981The French Lieutenant's WomanLady on Train1983YentlMrs Shaemen1983St. Ursula's in DangerMiss Cowley1984Home Video1985Star Quality: Bon VoyageMrs TeitelbaumTV movie1990Mountains of the MoonMrs Speke1992The Turn of the ScrewDoreen1994A Man You Don't Meet Every DayMrs Norton1996In Love and WarEmilia1997So This Is Romance?Clairvoyant2004Suzie GoldNana's Friend2005Antonio's BreakfastLady with RubbishShort2006ScoopJoe's Co-Passenger2010Two Ladies & a HillHillaryShort2011Late BloomersNora2012The OwnerFelicity2012Over the Hill?Mrs Parker2013Fire HorseAdaShort201755 StepsEleanor's Mother2018Knock at the DoorMrs. HarrisShort2018JeanJeanShort2019BlindMrs WoodShort

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes1964–1965Emergency Ward 10Mrs Cox1965A Passage to India (Play of the Month)Mrs Fletcher1966–1973Love StoryMrs Driver / Madge / Mrs Bryant1967Uncle CharlesAmerican Wife1969Strange ReportMrs Ogilive1969The LetterMadame Joyce1969–1973Special BranchMrs Harris (Episode 'A New Face') / Miss Mitchell1972KateHarriet Bates1972Six Days of JusticeProbation Officer1972–1977Crown CourtVera Tilley / Mrs Verity Holt-Matthews 1973Armchair 30Miss Fanshaw1973Public EyeMiss Barnwell1973Vienna 1900Frau Arbesbacher1973The Song of SongsFrau Czepanek1974Intimate StrangersDorothy1974Marked PersonalMrs Hastings1974–1979Play for TodayMary Hunter / Julia Branston / Mother1976The Duchess of Duke StreetMrs Catchpole1976Billy BrandEdna James1977Esther WatersMrs Randal1977HeadmasterChairwoman1977 Eleanor MarxFrau Marx1978Secret ArmyMme. Desmarts1979Mystery!: Malice AforethoughtHilda1979Thomas & SarahMrs Ryder1980The Gentle TouchBeryl King1980LadykillersMrs Wheeler1980Pride and PrejudiceMrs Reynolds1980–1981BBC2 PlayhouseMrs Orpen / Margaret1983The Home FrontMedora1984CharlieMaggie1985Summer SeasonMatron1985ConnieMiss Greer1987Sunday PremiereMrs Venables1987ScreenplayMother Monica1990Screen TwoLandlady1990–2000One Foot in the GraveMrs Warboys18 episodes 1990–2002CasualtyRenee Wainwright / Mrs Duffin1991Stanley and the WomenLady Bailey1992Nice TownJean Thompson1992The Secret AgentMrs Waller1992Sam SaturdayRita Sterne1992Mr Wakefield's CrusadeChrissie1992LovejoyVera1994Class ActHilda Skoric1994Peak PracticeMary Eastman1996Testament: The Bible in AnimationNaomi1996Our Friends in the NorthMrs Wilson1996The VetEdie Davenport1997ChalkDr. Eleanor Gillespie1997–1999The Wild HouseGranny2000Where the Heart IsMiriam Stone2001–2019DoctorsMrs Merriam / Winnie Carpenter / Doris Forsyth / RoseRecurring roles2003The BillAnne Culshaw2004Doc MartinMarianne Walker2004Shadow PlayQueen Victoria2004–2009Holby CitySimone Mannstein / Sylvia Wheeler2005Love SoupMavis Bledsoe2005Twenty Thousand Streets Under the SkyMarion Chingford2005HustleAnne Foster2006Brief EncountersFrances2006–2008Jam & JerusalemQueenie2007The Sarah Jane AdventuresMrs Randall2007Holby BlueMaureen Jessie2008BonekickersMary Cunley2009The QueenThe Queen Mother2010Dirk GentlyRuth Jordan2010Jonathan CreekMrs Gantry2010–2011Coronation StreetJoy Fishwick10 episodes2011My FamilyLillian2013–2014The MimicMartin's Grandma / Martin's Nan2015LewisJoan2018Father BrownMiss Tibby2023One Foot in the Grave - 30 Years Of LaughsHerself/Mrs Warboys

References

External links

Doreen Mantle at the British Film Institute