Millicent Martin
Millicent Mary Lillian Martin (born 8 June 1934) is an English actress, singer, and comedian.[1] She was the lone female singer of topical songs on the weekly BBC Television satire show That Was the Week That Was known as TW3 (1962–1963), and won a BAFTA TV Award in 1964. For her work on Broadway, she received Tony Award nominations for Side by Side by Sondheim (1977) and King of Hearts (1978), both for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. Other television roles include her recurring role as Gertrude Moon in the NBC sitcom Frasier (2000–04)[2] and Joan Margaret in Grace & Frankie (2017-2022).[3]
Life and career
Martin was born in Romford, Essex.[4]
Theatre
Early clippings show Martin as one of the cast in the pantomime "Dick Whittington" starring Jimmy Hanley at the Granada Tooting in December 1949[5] The following year she was in "Aladdin" at the Pavilion Bournemouth in December 1950[6] and in May 1951 she appeared in "The Happiest Days of Your Life" at the Playhouse, Oxford playing an "enterprising" pupil.[7] December 1951, saw her in the pantomime "Mother Goose" at the Theatre Royal, Birmingham.[8]
She attended the Italia Conti theatre school[9] and not long after leaving the school, she made her Broadway debut alongside Julie Andrews in The Boy Friend in September 1954.[10] She remained in the show until November 1955.
In December 1964 she played the role of Tweeny in a musical version of the Admirable Crichton with Kenneth More in London's West End, the show called "Our Man Crichton".
Her additional New York theatre credits include taking over as Dorothy Brock in the original Broadway production of 42nd Street in the 1980s and performing the revue Side by Side by Sondheim with Julia McKenzie and David Kernan in 1977, for which she was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. She received a second Tony nomination for the musical King of Hearts (1978).[11]
In London, Martin starred with Paul Scofield and James Kenney in Expresso Bongo at the Saville Theatre. In 1959, she had also appeared in The Crooked Mile. Also in West End, she starred opposite Jim Dale in The Card in 1975.
In 1988, Martin joined the London production of the Sondheim musical Follies, starring with Eartha Kitt.
More recently, in 2008, she appeared at the Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park with Topol, Linda Thorson and Lisa O'Hare in the Lerner & Lowe musical, Gigi.
Television
During the early 1960s, Martin was the resident singer of topical songs on the British weekly satire show That Was The Week That Was (1962–1963). Martin won a BAFTA TV Award for Light Entertainment Personality in 1964. One of the songs she sang on the show, the John F. Kennedy tribute "In the Summer of His Years", was released as a single and 'bubbled under' the Billboard Hot 100 chart at No 104 in 1963 (but was outcharted by a cover version by Connie Francis, which reached No 46). She has also released recordings in Swedish, such as the 7" single "Om du nånsin skulle ändra dej".
Martin had her own BBC television series between 1964 and 1966, titled Mainly Millicent for the first two series, and shortened to Millicent for the third and final series. For her work in this series she won the TV Society Award. In one episode, Martin and guest star Roger Moore performed a comedy skit in which Moore played secret agent James Bond some years before he was cast in the role. In the mid-1960s she guested, alongside Pete Murray and Kenneth Williams, in an edition of Juke Box Jury.[12]
She appeared with Morecambe and Wise in their series "Two of a Kind" in the 1960s.
In 1969, Sir Lew Grade wanted to make a comedy film series, starring Martin, that would appeal to both American and British audiences. He sent six comedy sketches of Martin to producer Sheldon Leonard, who came up with the premise of From a Bird's Eye View. The series was not a success and was cancelled after 16 episodes had been filmed.
In 1977, on Jubilee Day, she appeared in a gala edition of BBC TV's The Good Old Days to celebrate the Queen's Silver Jubilee, performing in a double act with Julia McKenzie.
Martin appeared on $100,000 Pyramid in 1987 during the second week of the show's longest lasting tournament.
Martin appeared as Gladys Moon in 13 episodes of Moon and Son, a 1992 BBC detective series created by Robert Banks Stewart, and co-starring John Michie.
In 2005, she had a small part in the film, Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont which starred Joan Plowright.
Her later television roles include Gertrude Moon, Daphne Moon's Mancunian mother, in the American sitcom Frasier. She has worked for the Disney Channel, starring in the shows The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, Jonas and in the film Return to Halloweentown. Other performances include guest roles in The Drew Carey Show, Will & Grace, Newhart and Days of Our Lives. She also had a small role on an episode of Gilmore Girls and a key role in an episode of Modern Family.
In 2011, she guest-starred opposite her former Frasier daughter, Jane Leeves, in the TV Land series Hot in Cleveland. She has also had an appearance in the fourth season of Chuck as the mother of Hartley Winterbottom, who was given the first Intersect prototype and became Alexei Volkoff; she also guest-starred on an episode of the fourth season of Castle as a theatre critic who wrote a harsh review of a performance given by Castle's mother.
From 2017 to 2022, she appeared in Grace and Frankie as Joan-Margaret.
Film
In the mid-1960s, Martin appeared in British feature films Nothing But the Best (1964), Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines (1965), Stop the World – I Want to Get Off (1966), and Alfie (1966).
Personal life
This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. (June 2021) |
During the early 1960s Martin lived adjacent to Abbey Road studios. She was so close that she could occasionally hear producer George Martin speaking to the artists recording during a session.
She was married to the pop singer Ronnie Carroll from 1958 until 1965, and subsequently to actor Norman Eshley, but both marriages ended in divorce. She has been married to American Marc Alexander since 1978, and is now a permanent resident of the United States.
Filmography and stage work
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Libel | Maisie | |
| 1961 | Invasion Quartet | Kay | |
| 1962 | The Girl on the Boat | Billie Bennett | |
| 1964 | Nothing but the Best | Ann Horton | |
| 1965 | Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines | Air Hostess | |
| 1966 | Alfie | Siddie | |
| 1966 | Stop the World – I Want to Get Off | Evie / Anya / Ara | |
| 2005 | Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont | Mrs. De Salis | |
| 2017 | Adventures of Old Man | Lucille | Short |
| The Last Word | Margaret Dumont |
Stage
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | The Boy Friend | Nancy | |
| 1958 | Expresso Bongo | performer | |
| 1959 | The Crooked Mile | Cora | |
| 1970 | Tonight at 8:00 | performer | |
| 1973 | The Card | performer | |
| 1976 | Side by Side by Sondheim | performer | Tony Award nomination: Best Featured Actress in a Musical |
| 1978 | King of Hearts | Madeleine | Tony Award nomination: Best Featured Actress in a Musical |
| 1980 | 42nd Street | Dorothy Brock | |
| 1987 | Follies | Phyllis Rogers Stone | |
| 1997 | The Rivals | Mrs. Malaprop | |
| 2002 | What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? | Jane | |
| 2008 | Twice Upon A Time | Mrs. Clark | |
| 2008 | Gigi | Mamita |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | Theatre Night | Maisie King | "Expresso Bingo" |
| 1960 | International Detective | Katie O'Brien / Susan | "The Rose Bowl Case", "The Marlowe Case" |
| 1961 | The Horsemasters | Joan | Disney TV film |
| 1964 | Espionage | Susan | "Once a Spy" |
| 1964 | Drama 61-67 | Jocelyn Willows | "The Happy Moorings" |
| 1964 | Kiss Me Kate | Lois Lane | TV film |
| 1970–71 | From a Bird's Eye View | Millie Grover | Main role |
| 1981 | That Beryl Marston...! | Kay | "Live & Let Live" |
| 1984 | Glitter | Valerie Beaumont | "In Tennis, Love Means Nothing" |
| 1986 | Newhart | Sylvia | "Everybody Ought to Have a Maid" |
| 1986–87 | Downtown | Harriet Conover | Main role |
| 1987 | L.A. Law | Arlene Sabrett | "Pigmalion" |
| 1988 | Max Headroom | Cornelia Firth | "Baby Grobags" |
| 1992 | Moon and Son | Gladys Moon | Main role |
| 1996 | Coach | Tita | "Luther Get Your Gun" |
| 1996 | The Upper Hand | Dolly Hamp | "Nobody's Child" |
| 1998–2001 | Days of Our Lives | Lili Faversham | Regular role |
| 1999 | Stark Raving Mad | Katie Randall | "Fish Out of Water" |
| 2000 | That's Life | Carol | Recurring role (season 1) |
| 2000–2004 | Frasier | Gertrude Moon | Recurring role (seasons 7–11) |
| 2004 | The Drew Carey Show | Helen | "Passion of the Wick" |
| 2005 | Will & Grace | Leni | "Love Is in the Airplane" |
| 2006 | The Suite Life of Zack & Cody | Mrs. Delacourt | "Free Tippy" |
| 2006 | Return to Halloweentown | Prof. Persimmon Periwinkle | TV film |
| 2009 | Jonas | Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth | "Fashion Victim" |
| 2011 | Chuck | Mrs. Winterbottom | "Chuck Vs. Agent X" |
| 2011–2014 | Hot in Cleveland | Agnes Bratford | "Hot for the Lawyer", "Tazed and Confused" |
| 2012 | Castle | Oona Marconi | "A Dance with Death" |
| 2013 | Modern Family | Charlotte | "Goodnight Gracie" |
| 2013 | Bones | Evelyn Schumacher | "The Cheat in the Retreat" |
| 2016 | 2 Broke Girls | Gertrude | "And the Coming Out Party" |
| 2017–2022 | Grace and Frankie | Joan-Margaret | Guest role (seasons 3–4) Recurring role (seasons 5–7) |
| 2018 | Code Black | Marjorie | "Home Stays Home" |
References
- ^ "Millicent Martin Biography (1934-)". Filmreference.com.
- ^ The Timeout Team (13 April 2018). "Nostalgia: Star actress Millicent Martin who lived and got married in Brighton". The Argus. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
- ^ Spencer, Samuel (21 January 2020). "Who stars in "Grace and Frankie" Season 6?". Newsweek. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
- ^ Sheridan, Peter (25 January 2016). "Millicent Martin is still in demand at 81 in her adopted US". Daily Express. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
- ^ "The Stage". The Stage: 2. 22 December 1949.
- ^ "The Stage". The Stage: 9. 21 December 1950.
- ^ "Bucks Herald". Bucks Herald: 3. 25 May 1951.
- ^ "The Stage". The Stage: 5. 20 December 1951.
- ^ "Daily Mirror". Daily Mirror: 2. 15 July 1954.
- ^ phayward (27 October 2015). "Millicent Martin returns to London". Retrieved 8 May 2020.
- ^ "Millicent Martin - Broadway Cast & Staff". ibdb.com. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
- ^ Stevens, Christopher (2010). Born Brilliant: The Life of Kenneth Williams. John Murray. p. 210. ISBN 978-1-84854-195-5.
External links
- Millicent Martin at the Internet Broadway Database
- Millicent Martin at IMDb
- Mainly Millicent at BBC Comedy Guide