Editing Kate O'Mara

{{short description|English actress (1939–2014)}}
{{Distinguish|Kate Mara}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox person
| name                    = Kate O'Mara
| image                   = Actress_Kate_O'Mara.jpg
| image_size              = 
| alt                     = 
| caption                 = Portrait © [[Trevor Leighton]] / [[National Portrait Gallery, London|National Portrait Gallery]], 1988
| birth_name              = Frances Meredith Carroll
| birth_date              = {{Birth date|1939|8|10|df=y}}
| birth_place             = [[Leicester]], Leicestershire, England
| death_date              = {{death date and age|2014|03|30|1939|8|10|df=y}}
| death_place             = [[Worthing]], [[Sussex]], England
| known_for               = {{hlist|''[[The Vampire Lovers]]''|''[[The Horror of Frankenstein]]''|[[The Rani]] in ''[[Doctor Who]]''|''[[Dynasty (1981 TV series)|Dynasty]]''|''[[The Brothers (1972 TV series)|The Brothers]]''}}
| occupation              = Actress, writer
| years_active            = 1963–2012
| spouse                  = {{ubl
| {{marriage|[[Jeremy Young]]|1971|1976|reason=divorced}}
| {{marriage|Richard Willis|1993|1996|reason=divorced}}
}}
| children                = 2
| relatives               = [[Belinda Carroll]] (sister)
}}

'''Kate O'Mara''' (born '''Frances Meredith Carroll''';<ref name="Coveney">Michael Coveney [https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2014/mar/30/kate-omara Obituary: Kate O'Mara], ''The Guardian'', 30 March 2014</ref> 10 August 1939 – 30 March 2014) was an English film, stage and television actress, and writer. O'Mara made her stage debut in a 1963 production of ''[[The Merchant of Venice]]''. Her other stage roles included Elvira in ''[[Blithe Spirit (play)|Blithe Spirit]]'' (1974), Katherina in ''[[The Taming of the Shrew]]'' (1978 and 1982), [[Lady Macbeth]] in ''[[Macbeth]]'' (1982), [[Cleopatra]] in ''[[Antony and Cleopatra]]'' (1982), [[Goneril]] in ''[[King Lear]]'' (1987), and [[Marlene Dietrich]] in ''[[Lunch with Marlene]]'' (2008).

In the cinema, O'Mara acted in two 1970 [[Hammer Film Productions|Hammer Horror films]]: ''[[The Vampire Lovers]]'' and ''[[The Horror of Frankenstein]]''. On [[BBC]] television, she had regular roles in ''[[The Brothers (1972 TV series)|The Brothers]]'' (1975–1976), ''[[Triangle (1981 TV series)|Triangle]]'' (1981–1982) and ''[[Howards' Way]]'' (1989–1990), and portrayed ''[[Doctor Who]]'' villain [[The Rani]] three times (1985, 1987, 1993). She also appeared as Jackie Stone in two episodes of the sitcom ''[[Absolutely Fabulous]]'' (1995–2003) and as Virginia O'Kane in four episodes of the prison drama ''[[Bad Girls (TV series)|Bad Girls]]'' (2001). On American television, she played [[Caress Morell]], the scheming sister of [[Alexis Colby]] in the primetime soap opera ''[[Dynasty (1981 TV series)|Dynasty]]'' (1986).

==Early life and career==
O'Mara was born, in [[Leicester]], Leicestershire, to John F. Carroll, an [[RAF]] flying instructor, and actress Hazel Bainbridge<ref name="Coveney"/> (born Edith Marion Bainbridge; 25 January 1910 – 7 January 1998).{{cn|date=May 2025}} Her younger sister is actress [[Belinda Carroll]]. After boarding school, she attended art school before becoming a full-time actress.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/what-s-on/she-s-not-a-superbitch-after-all-1-950737|title=She's not a superbitch after all|work=Edinburgh Evening News|date=25 April 2002|access-date=23 November 2013}}</ref>{{fv|date=May 2025}} O'Mara made her stage debut in a production of ''[[The Merchant of Venice]]'' in 1963, although her first film role was some years earlier (under the name Merrie Carroll) in ''[[Home and Away (film)|Home and Away]]'' (1956) with [[Jack Warner (actor)|Jack Warner]], as her father, and [[Kathleen Harrison]].<ref name="Coveney"/>

O’Mara's earliest television appearances, in the 1960s, included guest roles in ''[[Danger Man]]'', ''[[Adam Adamant Lives!]]'', ''[[The Saint (TV series)|The Saint]]'', ''[[Z-Cars]]'' and ''[[The Avengers (TV series)|The Avengers]]''.<ref name="imdb">{{IMDb name|id=0641817|name=Kate O'Mara}}</ref> In 1970, she appeared in two [[Hammer Film Productions|Hammer Studio]] horror films: ''[[The Vampire Lovers]]'' and ''[[The Horror of Frankenstein]]''. In the former, she had an erotically charged scene with [[Ingrid Pitt]], in which O'Mara was meant to be seduced; the two women were left laughing on set, however, as Pitt's fangs kept falling into O'Mara's cleavage.<ref name="Cotter">Robert Michael 'Bobb' Cotter [https://books.google.com/books?id=IiZnbykWAsIC&pg=PA142 ''The Women of Hammer Horror: A Biographical Dictionary and Filmography''], Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, 2013, p. 142</ref> O'Mara's work in ''The Vampire Lovers'' impressed Hammer enough for them to offer her a contract, which she turned down, fearful of being typecast.<ref name="Cotter"/>

Her first major TV role was as Julia Main, wife of the main protagonist in the ITV series ''[[The Main Chance]]'' (1969). She had a regular role in the BBC drama series ''[[The Brothers (1972 TV series)|The Brothers]]'' (1975–1976) as Jane Maxwell, and in the early 1980s, O'Mara starred in the BBC soap opera ''[[Triangle (1981 TV series)|Triangle]]'' (1981–1982), sometimes counted among the worst television series ever made.<ref name="Telegraph">[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/10732965/Kate-OMara-obituary.html Obituary; Kate O'Mara], ''The Daily Telegraph'', 30 March 2014</ref> She played the villainous [[The Rani|Rani]] in ''[[Doctor Who]]'' in two serials, ''[[The Mark of the Rani]]'' (1985) and ''[[Time and the Rani]]'' (1987), and also in the ''Doctor Who'' 30th anniversary spoof ''[[Dimensions in Time]]'' (1993), part of the ''[[Children in Need]]'' charity event.<ref>Emma G. Fitzsimmons [https://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/31/arts/television/kate-omara-played-caress-on-dynasty-dies-at-74.html?ref=obituaries "Kate O’Mara, a Schemer on ‘Dynasty’, Dies at 74"], ''The New York Times'', 30 March 2014.</ref> She also appeared, through archival footage, in the 2025 episode "[[Wish World]]".{{cn|date=May 2025}}

[[File:Kate O'Mara 1976.jpg|thumb|O'Mara in 1976]]
Between these appearances in ''Doctor Who'', she auditioned for a leading role as one of the sisters on the American primetime soap ''[[The Colbys]]'', a [[spin-off (media)|spin-off]] of the American prime time soap opera ''[[Dynasty (1981 TV series)|Dynasty]]''. Eventually, O'Mara was offered one of the roles alongside [[Stephanie Beacham]], but declined since was still under contract with a production of stage play ''Light Up the Sky'' at the [[The Old Vic|Old Vic Theatre]]. Shortly after, she was offered the part of [[Caress Morell]] on ''Dynasty''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://metro.co.uk/2009/10/27/kate-omara-241520|title=Kate O'Mara |first=Marissa|last=Charles|work=Metro News|date=27 October 2009|access-date=23 November 2013}}</ref> As the sister of [[Alexis Colby]] ([[Joan Collins]]), O'Mara appeared in 17 episodes of the sixth season and four episodes of the seventh during 1986. "We had a tremendous bitchy tension between us", the actress recalled about performing opposite Collins. "My character Caress was like an annoying little mosquito who just kept coming back and biting her".<ref name="Telegraph"/> O'Mara disliked living in [[California]], preferring the change of seasons in Britain, and to her relief was released from her five-year contract after Collins told the producers that having two brunettes in the series was a bad idea.<ref name="Telegraph"/> After returning to the UK, she was cast as another scheming villain, Laura Wilde, in the BBC soap ''[[Howards' Way]]'' (1989–1990).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-26809417|publisher=BBC News|title=''Dynasty'' star Kate O'Mara dies|date=30 March 2014|access-date=18 June 2014}}</ref>

==Later life and career==
[[File:Doctor Who 50th Celebration - Peter Davison (and Kate O'Mara in background).jpg|thumb|O'Mara and [[Peter Davison]] at the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' 50th Anniversary Celebration Weekend, November 2013]]
O'Mara spoke on several occasions about her experience with the [[casting couch]]. On an episode of ''[[The Word (TV series)|The Word]]'' in 1994, O'Mara claimed that American producer [[Judd Bernard]] pulled down her panties during a hotel-room audition for the [[Elvis Presley]] vehicle, ''[[Double Trouble (1967 film)|Double Trouble]]''.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRaBWCJWgMs#t=3m28s | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160127193945/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRaBWCJWgMs#t=3m28s | archive-date=27 January 2016 | title=- YouTube | website=[[YouTube]] }}</ref> In her autobiography ''Vamp Until Ready: A Life Laid Bare'', O'Mara described this incident<ref>{{harvnb|O'Mara|2003|p=61}}</ref> and "many other close encounters with... this very unpleasant and humiliating procedure",<ref>{{harvnb|O'Mara|2003|p=32}}</ref> including with a well-known television casting director,<ref>{{harvnb|O'Mara|2003|pp=32–33}}</ref> the boss of [[Associated Television]] at [[ATV Elstree Studios]],<ref>{{harvnb|O'Mara|2003|pp=34–35}}</ref> and the director of ''[[Great Catherine (film)|Great Catherine]]''.<ref>{{harvnb|O'Mara|2003|pp=41–42}}</ref>

O'Mara continued to make television appearances throughout the 1990s, including ''[[Cluedo (UK game show)|Cluedo]]'' (1990), and playing Jackie Stone (Patsy's older sister) in two episodes of ''[[Absolutely Fabulous]]'' (1995–2003). In 2001, she had a recurring role in the [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] prison drama series ''[[Bad Girls (TV series)|Bad Girls]]'' before appearing in the short-lived revival of the soap opera ''[[Crossroads (British TV series)|Crossroads]]''. She continued to perform on stage and in March 2008 she played [[Marlene Dietrich]] in a stage play entitled ''[[Lunch with Marlene]]''. From August to November 2008, she played Mrs Cheveley in [[Oscar Wilde]]'s stage play ''[[An Ideal Husband]]'' directed by [[Peter Hall (director)|Peter Hall]] and produced by [[Bill Kenwright]]. She performed in radio and audio plays. In 2000, she reprised her role as the Rani in the [[BBV Productions]] audio play ''[[The Rani Reaps the Whirlwind]]'', and in 2006 she made a guest appearance in the radio comedy series ''[[Nebulous]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/nebulous|publisher=BBC comedy|title=Nebulous|access-date=18 June 2014}}</ref>

In 2012, O'Mara appeared in a theatre adaptation of Agatha Christie's ''[[Death on the Nile]]''.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-26809417|title=Dynasty star Kate O'Mara dies|date=2014-03-30|publisher=BBC News|access-date=2017-07-24}}</ref>

==Personal life==
O'Mara was married twice, first to [[Jeremy Young]] in 1971; the couple divorced in 1976. In 1993, she married Richard Willis, but the marriage was dissolved in 1996.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/10732965/Kate-OMara-obituary.html|title=Kate O'Mara – obituary|work=The Daily Telegraph|access-date=2017-07-24}}</ref>

She had two sons, Dickon Young (1964–2012) and Christopher Linde (born 1965), both from previous relationships. Dickon took his stepfather's surname but Christopher, having been given up for adoption, was named by his adoptive parents, Derek and Joy Linde.<ref name="Distraught"/> Christopher, from whom O'Mara was long estranged, was the son of actor David Orchard.{{citation needed|date=April 2020}}
Dickon, whose biological father was reportedly actor [[Ian Cullen]],{{citation needed|date=April 2020}} was a [[stage manager]] for the [[Royal Shakespeare Company]] before setting up his own company building tree-houses in the mid-1990s. He was found hanged, a presumed suicide, at the family home in [[Long Marston, Warwickshire|Long Marston]], [[Warwickshire]], on 31 December 2012, after previous suicide attempts.<ref name="Distraught">{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/9777586/Kate-OMara-beyond-distraught-over-sons-suspected-suicide.html|title=Kate O'Mara 'beyond distraught' over son's suspected suicide|work=The Daily Telegraph|date=3 January 2013|location=London, UK|issn=0307-1235|oclc=49632006|access-date=23 November 2013}}</ref> O'Mara was in hospital with [[pneumonia]] at the time of her son's death and his body was not discovered for three weeks.{{citation needed|date=April 2020}}

O'Mara wrote four books. She wrote two novels: ''When She Was Bad'' (1992) ({{ISBN|0261667157}}) and ''Good Time Girl'' (1993), ({{ISBN|0002242915}})). She also wrote two autobiographical books, ''Vamp Until Ready'' (2003) ({{ISBN|1861057008}}) and ''Game Plan: A Woman's Survival Kit'' (1990) ({{ISBN|0283060573}}).

She said she shared some blame for her marital troubles — she said she was too independent and challenging of authority, despite liking the idea of a “knight in shining armor” to sweep her off her feet from time to time. She said she appreciated men with a sense of humor. “I prefer blond men…But when it comes to physical attraction it’s very difficult to pinpoint…I think the most important thing is a sense of humour. If a man can make me roar with laughter he'll definitely find himself on my welcome list. And if he's tall, blond, and has the bonus of a sense of humour, he'll be on my priority list. And by tall, I don't mean a giant. With my height, a bloke of 5ft.10ins is real tall!"<ref>{{cite journal |title=Leisure Times |journal=News Straits Times |date=March 11, 1986 |page=4}}</ref>

Speaking about her bouts of [[Major depressive disorder|depression]], later in her life, O'Mara said: "... I've since learnt a cure for depression: listening to [[Johann Sebastian Bach|J.S. Bach]] and reading [[P.G. Wodehouse]]. This got me through the break-up of my second marriage 17 years ago. The great thing about Wodehouse is that his books are full of romantic problems and yet so hilarious that it puts things in perspective ... I'm not frightened of dying, but I love the countryside so much and I'm going to miss it. I'd like to be out in the wind and the trees for ever."

==Death==
O'Mara died on 30 March 2014 in a nursing home, in [[Worthing]], [[Sussex]], aged 74, from [[ovarian cancer]]. She left a £350,000 estate, bequeathing £10,000 to the Actors' Benevolent Fund and, after the funeral and legal fees, the remainder to her younger sister Belinda Carroll, a former actress.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.itv.com/news/update/2014-03-30/dynasty-and-triangle-star-kate-omara-dies-aged-74|title=Dynasty and Triangle star Kate O'Mara dies aged 74|publisher=Itv.com|access-date=30 March 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Michael|last=Coveney|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2014/mar/30/kate-omara|title=Kate O'Mara obituary|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=31 March 2014|date=2014-03-30}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/arts-and-culture/tributes-after-actress-kate-omara-dies-in-worthing-nursing-home-886298|title=Tributes after actress Kate O’Mara dies in Worthing nursing home|date=30 March 2014|website=SussexWorld}}</ref>

==Filmography==
===Film===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 1956
| ''[[Home and Away (film)|Home and Away]]''
| Annie Knowles 
| As Merrie Carroll
|-
| 1962
| ''[[Captain Clegg (film)|Captain Clegg]]''
| Girl at Inn
| Uncredited
|-
| rowspan=3|1968
| ''[[Corruption (1968 film)|Corruption]]''
| Val Nolan
|
|-
| ''[[Great Catherine (film)|Great Catherine]]''
| Varinka
| [[Gordon Flemyng]] film
|-
| ''[[The Limbo Line]]''
| Irina Tovskia
|
|-
| 1969
| ''[[The Desperados]]''
| Adah 
| [[Henry Levin (film director)|Henry Levin]] film
|-
| rowspan=3|1970
| ''[[The Vampire Lovers]]''
| The Governess (Mme. Perrodot)
| [[Roy Ward Baker]] film
|-
| ''[[Cannon for Cordoba]]''
| Ruby
|
|-
| ''[[The Horror of Frankenstein]]''
| Alys
| [[Jimmy Sangster]] film
|-
| rowspan=2|1974
| ''[[The Tamarind Seed]]''
| Anna Skriabina
| [[Blake Edwards]] film
|-
| ''[[Feelings (1974 film)|Feelings]]''
| Barbara Martin
| [[Gerry O'Hara]] film
|-
| 1976
| ''Machinegunner''
| Pat Livingston
|
|-
| rowspan=2|1978
| ''An Unknown Friend''
| Karen Lindén
|
|-
| ''[[The Nativity (1978 film)|The Nativity]]''
| Salome
| 
|-
| rowspan=2|1992
| ''[[Golden Films|Aladdin]]''
| Madam Roly Poly
| rowspan="2" | Voice
|-
| ''[[Golden Films|Beauty and the Beast]]''
| Lucinda
|-
| 1999
| ''The Road to Ithaca''
| Despina
|
|}

===Television===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
|1957-1967
|''[[Emergency Ward 10]]''
|Nurse
|
|-
| 1964–<br/>1966
| ''[[No Hiding Place]]''
| Jacqueline
| 2 episodes
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1965
| ''[[Danger Man]]''
| Annette
| Episode: ''A Room in the Basement''
|-
| ''[[Gaslight Theatre (TV series)|Gaslight Theatre]]''
| Patience
| Episode: ''The Drunkard or, the Sins of the Parents Shall Be Visited...''
|-
| ''[[Hereward the Wake (TV series)|Hereward the Wake]]''
| Richilda
| Episode: ''The Court of Love''
|-
| rowspan="2" |1966
| ''[[Court Martial (TV series)|Court Martial]]''
| Episode: ''Logistics of Survival''
|
|-
| ''[[Weavers Green]]''
| Mick Armstrong
|
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1967
| ''[[Adam Adamant Lives!]]''
| Sonia Fawzi
| Episode: ''The Basardi Affair''
|-
| ''[[Welcome to Japan, Mr. Bond]]''
| [[Miss Moneypenny]]'s assistant
| Uncredited
|-
| ''[[The Troubleshooters (British TV series)|The Troubleshooters]]''
| Kim Hart
| Episode: ''Mr. Know-How''
|-
| 1967–<br />1968
| ''[[The Saint (TV series)|The Saint]]''
| Annabelle / Nadine / Yvette
| Episodes: ''Double Take'', ''Counterfeit Countess'', ''Fast Women''
|-
| 1967–<br />1969
| ''[[Z-Cars]]''
| Kate / Mae Astell
| 4 episodes
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1968
| ''Promenade''
| Laura
| Short film
|-
| ''[[The Champions]]''
| Jane Purcell
| Episode: ''To Catch a Rat''
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1969
| ''[[The Avengers (TV series)|The Avengers]]''
| Lisa
| Episode: ''Stay Tuned''
|-
| ''[[The Main Chance]]''
| Julia Main
| 4 episodes
|-
| ''[[Department S (TV series)|Department S]]''
| Pietra
| Episode: ''Who Plays the Dummy''
|-
| rowspan="4" | 1970
| ''[[Never a Cross Word]]''
| Ellie
| Episode: ''When is a Spy...''
|-
| ''[[Codename (TV series)|Codename]]''
| Helen Lingard
| Episode: ''Opening Gambit''
|-
| ''[[Paul Temple#British television series|Paul Temple]]''
| Luciana Benedetti
| Episode: ''Re-take''
|-
| ''[[The Adventures of Don Quick]]''
| Peleen
| Episode: ''People isn't Everything''
|-
| rowspan="6" | 1972
| ''A Man About a Dog''
| rowspan="2" | Storm Riordan
|
|-
| ''ITV Sunday Night Theatre''
|
|-
| ''[[The Persuaders!]]''
| Heidi Schulman
| Episode: ''Read and Destroy''
|-
| ''[[Jason King (TV series)|Jason King]]''
| Delphi
| Episode: ''A Kiss for a Beautiful Killer''
|-
| ''[[Clouds of Witness]]''
| Cynthia Tarrant
| Episode 1.3
|-
| ''[[Pathfinders (TV series)|Pathfinders]]''
| Section Officer Anne Denby
| Episode: ''Fog''
|-
| 1973
| ''[[Spy Trap]]''
| Sharon Lunghi
| 3 episodes
|-
| 1974
| ''[[The Protectors]]''
| Sarah Trent
| Episode: ''A Pocketful of Posies''
|-
| 1975–<br/>1976
| ''[[The Brothers (1972 TV series)|The Brothers]]''
| Jane Maxwell
| 30 episodes
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1976
| ''[[The Morecambe & Wise Show (1968–1977)|Morecambe & Wise]]''
| Kate O'Mata Hari
| Christmas Special
|-
| rowspan="2" | ''[[The Two Ronnies]]''
| The Gypsy Queen
|
|-
| 1977
| Lucy Lee
| Series 6 Episodes 3–6: '''''Stop! You're Killing Me'''  mini-serial''
|-
|1977-1978
|[[Whodunnit? (British game show)|''Whodunnit?'']] 
|Lady Gertrude Potter/Treasure Chest Magee
|2 episodes
|-
| 1978
| ''[[Return of the Saint]]''
| Jeanette
| Episode: ''Assault Force''
|-
| 1979
| ''[[The Plank (1979 film)|The Plank]]''
| 'It's Paint' Woman
|
|-
| 1981–<br/>1982
| ''[[Triangle (1981 TV series)|Triangle]]''
| Katherine Laker
| 27 episodes
|-
| 1985–<br/>1987
| ''[[Doctor Who]]''
| [[The Rani]]
| Serials: "[[The Mark of the Rani]]"/"[[Time and the Rani]]"
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1986
| ''[[Dempsey and Makepeace]]''
| Joyce Hargreaves
| Episode: ''Guardian Angels''
|-
| ''[[Dynasty (1981 TV series)|Dynasty]]''
| [[Caress Morell|Cassandra "Caress" Morell]]
| Recurring (Seasons 6–7)
|-
| 1987
| ''[[Great Catherine (film)|Great Catherine]]''
| Varinka
|
|-
| 1989–<br/>1990
| ''[[Howards' Way]]''
| Laura Wilde
| 26 episodes
|-
| 1990
| ''[[Cluedo (British game show)|Cluedo]]''
| Mrs. Peacock
| Episode: ''Christmas Past, Christmas Present''
|-
| 1993
| ''[[Comic Relief|Comic Relief: The Invasion of the Comic Tomatoes]]''
| Female Patient
|-
| 1993
| ''[[Doctor Who: Dimensions in Time]]''
| The Rani
| Guest appearance
|-
| 1995–<br/>2003
| ''[[Absolutely Fabulous]]''
| Jackie Stone
| 2 episodes
|-
| 1997
| ''[[The New Adventures of Robin Hood]]''
| Lady Isabelle
| Episode: ''Marion to the Rescue''
|-
| 2001
| ''[[Bad Girls (TV series)|Bad Girls]]''
|  Virginia O'Kane
| 4 episodes
|-
| 2003
| ''[[Crossroads (British TV series)|Crossroads]]''
| Lady Alice Fox
| rowspan="2" | Soap opera
|-
| 2005
| ''[[Family Affairs]]''
| Jackie Lawrence
|-
| 2008
| ''[[Doctors (2000 TV series)|Doctors]]''
| Rosetta Froom
| Episode: ''Fears, Feats & the Frooms''
|-
| 2012
| ''[[Benidorm (British TV series)|Benidorm]]''
|  Barbara Simmonds
|  1 episode (final appearance)
|}

==Select stage roles==
* 1963, Jessica, ''[[The Merchant of Venice]]'' at the [[Shaftesbury Theatre]].
* 1966, Lydia Languish, ''[[The Rivals]]'' at The Welsh Theatre Co.
* 1967, Elsa, ''[[The Italian Girl]]'' at the [[Wyndham's Theatre]]
* 1970, Fleda Vetch, ''[[The Spoils of Poynton]]'' at the Mayfair Theatre
* 1971, Gerda Von Metz, ''[[The Avengers (1971 play)|The Avengers]]'' (directed by [[Leslie Phillips]]) at the Prince of Wales Theatre<ref>{{cite web|url=http://declassified.theavengers.tv/stage_main.htm|title=The Avengers Declassified: The Stage Show|publisher=Declassified.theavengers.tv|access-date=31 March 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407044929/http://declassified.theavengers.tv/stage_main.htm|archive-date=7 April 2014}}</ref>
* 1971–2, Sheila Wallis, ''[[Suddenly at Home]]'' at the Fortune Theatre
* 1974, Elvira, ''[[Blithe Spirit (play)|Blithe Spirit]]'' at the Bristol Old Vic
* 1974, Liza Moriarty, ''[[Sherlock's Last Case]]'' at the Open Space Theatre Fortune Theatre
* 1977, Sybil Merton, ''[[Lord Arthur Saville's Crime]]'' at the Sadlers Wells Theatre
* 1977, Louka, ''[[Arms and the Man]]'' at the Hong Kong Festival
* 1978, Rosaline, ''[[Love's Labour's Lost]]'' at the Thorndike Theatre
* 1978, Katherina, ''[[The Taming of the Shrew]]'' at the Ludlow Festival
* 1978, Cyrenne, ''[[Rattle of a Simple Man]]''
* 1979, Monica Claverton-Ferry, ''[[The Elder Statesman (play)|The Elder Statesman]]''
* 1979, Lina, ''[[Misalliance (play)|Misalliance]]'' at The Birmingham Rep
* 1979, Irene St Clair, ''[[The Crucifer of Blood]]'' at the Haymarket Theatre
* 1980, Ruth, ''[[Night and Day (play)|Night and Day]]'', at post-London tour
* 1981, Stephanie Abrahams, ''[[Duet for One]]'' Yugoslavia and tour
* 1981, [[Beatrice (Much Ado About Nothing)|Beatrice]], ''[[Much Ado About Nothing]]'' at the New Shakespeare Co
* 1982, Kathrina, ''[[The Taming of the Shrew]]'' at the Nottingham Playhouse\New Shakespeare Co
* 1982, Titania\Hippolta, ''[[A Midsummer Night's Dream]]'' at the New Shakespeare Co
* 1982, Lady Macbeth, ''[[Macbeth]]'' at the Mercury Theatre
* 1982, Cleopatra, ''[[Antony and Cleopatra]]'' at the Nottingham Playhouse
* 1982, Millamant, ''[[The Way of the World]]'' at the Nottingham Playhouse
* 1983, Hortense, ''[[The Rehearsal (play)|The Rehearsal]]''
* 1984, Mistress Ford, ''[[The Merry Wives of Windsor]]'' at the New Shakespeare Co
* 1985 – 1987, Frances Black, ''[[Light Up the Sky (play)|Light Up the Sky]]'' at the Old Vic & Globe Theatres
* 1987, Goneril, ''[[King Lear]]'' at the Compass Theatre
* 1988, Berinthia, ''[[The Relapse]]'' at the Mermaid Theatre
* 1990, Torfreida, ''[[The Last Englishman]]'' at The Orange Tree Theatre
* 1990, Martha, ''[[Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?]]'' at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre
* 1991, Lilli Vanessi, ''[[Kiss Me, Kate|Kiss Me Kate]]'', RSC tour
* 1992, Lady Fanciful, ''[[The Provok'd Wife]]'' at the National Theatre Studio
* 1992, Rosabel, ''[[Venus Observed]]'' at the Chichester Festival
* 1992, Eve, ''[[Cain]]'' at the Chichester Festival
* 1992, Jackie, ''[[King Lear in New York]]'' at the Chichester Festival
* 1994, Maria Wislack, ''[[On Approval (play)|On Approval]]''
* 1995, Pola, ''[[The Simpleton of the Unexpected Isles]]'' at The Orange Tree Theatre
* 1995, Rachel, ''[[My Cousin Rachel]]'', English Theatre, Vienna and tour 1995
* 1996, Olivia, ''[[Twelfth Night]]'' at the Haymarket Theatre, [[Basingstoke]]
* 1996–7, Mrs Cheveley, ''[[An Ideal Husband]]'' at the Haymarket, Albury and Gielgud theatres
* 2000, Mrs. Malaprop\Lucy, ''[[The Rivals]]''
* 2000, Madame Alexandre, ''[[Colombe (play)|Colombe]]'' at the Salisbury Playhouse
* 2003, Gertrude Lawrence, ''[[Noel and Gertie]]''
* 2004, Mrs Arbuthnot, ''[[A Woman of No Importance]]''
* 2005, Eloise, ''[[The Marquise]]'' at the Mercury Theatre
* 2005, Helen, ''[[We Happy Few (play)|We Happy Few]]'' at the Gielgud Theatre
* 2008, Marlene Dietrich, ''[[Lunch with Marlene]]'' at The New End Theatre
* 2010, Lady Windermere, ''[[Lord Arthur Saville's Crime]]'' at the Mercury Theatre

==See also==
*[[Cinema of the United Kingdom]]
*[[Television in the United Kingdom]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
*{{cite book
|last=O'Mara
|first=Kate
|year=2003
|title=Vamp Until Ready: A Life Laid Bare
|publisher=Robson Books Ltd
|isbn=978-1861057006
}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb name|0641817}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Omara, Kate}}
[[Category:1939 births]]
[[Category:2014 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century English actresses]]
[[Category:20th-century English novelists]]
[[Category:20th-century English women writers]]
[[Category:21st-century English women writers]]
[[Category:21st-century English actresses]]
[[Category:20th-century English memoirists]]
[[Category:21st-century English memoirists]]
[[Category:Actresses from Leicester]]
[[Category:Alumni of the Aida Foster Theatre School]]
[[Category:Deaths from ovarian cancer in England]]
[[Category:English film actresses]]
[[Category:English soap opera actresses]]
[[Category:English stage actresses]]
[[Category:English television actresses]]
[[Category:English women memoirists]]
[[Category:English women novelists]]
[[Category:English women non-fiction writers]]