Freda Dowie

Acting

Freda Dowie

Born July 22, 1928 · Carlisle, Cumberland, England, UK

Died August 10, 2019 · aged 91

Freda Dowie was an English film and television actress best known for Distant Voices, Still Lives and Our Friends in the North.

Known For

The OmenThe Omen · 1976
The Omen
7.41976
MovieHorrorThriller
Immediately after their miscarriage, the US diplomat Robert Thorn adopts the newborn Damien without the knowledge of his wife. Yet what he doesn’t know is that their new son is the son of the devil.
ThackerThacker · 1992
Thacker
1992
MovieComedy
A Gothic comedy, featuring a distinguished cast, and starring Leslie Phillips and Margaret Tyzack. Retired colonial army officer George Thacker has high hopes of recapturing his memories of an idyllic English village life after a lifetime of meting out justice in the Far East. But instead of peace and quiet, he is greeted by violence, voodoo and a distressed damsel, brandishing a shotgun. Worst of all, the ghost of his old flame, Edith, still haunts him, threatening both his marriage and his life.
JudeJude · 1996
Jude
6.31996
MovieDramaRomance
In late 19th-century England, Jude aspires to be an academic, but is hobbled by his blue-collar background. Instead, he works as a stonemason and is trapped in an unloving marriage to a farmer's daughter named Arabella. But when his wife leaves him, Jude sees an opportunity to improve himself. He moves to the city and begins an affair with his married cousin, Sue, courting tragedy every step of the way.
Butterfly KissButterfly Kiss · 1995
Butterfly Kiss
6.41995
MovieCrimeDrama
Deeply mentally unbalanced drifter Eunice roams grim northern Britain committing psychosexual serial murders of both men and women while ostensibly searching for an unknown woman named Judith. She spares the life of lonely but kind-hearted gas station cashier Miriam, who abandons her dismal life to follow her damaged new lover. While attempting to hide the evidence of her multiple crimes, Miriam tries to understand Eunice's bizarre quest.
FragileFragile · 2005
Fragile
6.52005
MovieHorrorThriller
Haunted by memories of a patient's death, a nurse takes a job at an antiquated hospital for children. Soon she learns that the kids fear a ghost that prowls the floors and will not allow anyone to leave. Amy tries to protect them and convince the other staffers of the evil that lurks there.
Cider with RosieCider with Rosie · 1971
Cider with Rosie
5.01971
MovieTV MovieHistory
An enchanting tale of childhood in a sleepy Cotswold village during and immediately after the First World War.
Cider with RosieCider with Rosie · 1998
Cider with Rosie
5.61998
MovieDramaRomance
This adaptation of Laurie Lee's autobiographical novel follows a young man's maturation in the country town of Gloucestershire near the end of World War I. As young Laurie comes of age under the protective eye of his mother, he learns to live with an eccentric collection of friends, neighbours, and relatives. As he enters his teenage years, Laurie discovers women.
Distant Voices, Still LivesDistant Voices, Still Lives · 1988
Distant Voices, Still Lives
6.81988
MovieDramaMusic
Siblings Maisie and Tony, along with their mother, gather for their sister Eileen's wedding. It is a joyous occasion, but through flashbacks, it becomes clear that the family was not always happy. Their father was physically abusive to his wife and left the children emotionally traumatized. As a result, the children have grown into unhappy adults, looking for love they didn't receive when they were young.

Movies

The OmenThe Omen · 1976
The Omen
7.41976
MovieHorrorThriller
Immediately after their miscarriage, the US diplomat Robert Thorn adopts the newborn Damien without the knowledge of his wife. Yet what he doesn’t know is that their new son is the son of the devil.
ThackerThacker · 1992
Thacker
1992
MovieComedy
A Gothic comedy, featuring a distinguished cast, and starring Leslie Phillips and Margaret Tyzack. Retired colonial army officer George Thacker has high hopes of recapturing his memories of an idyllic English village life after a lifetime of meting out justice in the Far East. But instead of peace and quiet, he is greeted by violence, voodoo and a distressed damsel, brandishing a shotgun. Worst of all, the ghost of his old flame, Edith, still haunts him, threatening both his marriage and his life.
JudeJude · 1996
Jude
6.31996
MovieDramaRomance
In late 19th-century England, Jude aspires to be an academic, but is hobbled by his blue-collar background. Instead, he works as a stonemason and is trapped in an unloving marriage to a farmer's daughter named Arabella. But when his wife leaves him, Jude sees an opportunity to improve himself. He moves to the city and begins an affair with his married cousin, Sue, courting tragedy every step of the way.
Butterfly KissButterfly Kiss · 1995
Butterfly Kiss
6.41995
MovieCrimeDrama
Deeply mentally unbalanced drifter Eunice roams grim northern Britain committing psychosexual serial murders of both men and women while ostensibly searching for an unknown woman named Judith. She spares the life of lonely but kind-hearted gas station cashier Miriam, who abandons her dismal life to follow her damaged new lover. While attempting to hide the evidence of her multiple crimes, Miriam tries to understand Eunice's bizarre quest.
FragileFragile · 2005
Fragile
6.52005
MovieHorrorThriller
Haunted by memories of a patient's death, a nurse takes a job at an antiquated hospital for children. Soon she learns that the kids fear a ghost that prowls the floors and will not allow anyone to leave. Amy tries to protect them and convince the other staffers of the evil that lurks there.
Cider with RosieCider with Rosie · 1971
Cider with Rosie
5.01971
MovieTV MovieHistory
An enchanting tale of childhood in a sleepy Cotswold village during and immediately after the First World War.
Cider with RosieCider with Rosie · 1998
Cider with Rosie
5.61998
MovieDramaRomance
This adaptation of Laurie Lee's autobiographical novel follows a young man's maturation in the country town of Gloucestershire near the end of World War I. As young Laurie comes of age under the protective eye of his mother, he learns to live with an eccentric collection of friends, neighbours, and relatives. As he enters his teenage years, Laurie discovers women.
Distant Voices, Still LivesDistant Voices, Still Lives · 1988
Distant Voices, Still Lives
6.81988
MovieDramaMusic
Siblings Maisie and Tony, along with their mother, gather for their sister Eileen's wedding. It is a joyous occasion, but through flashbacks, it becomes clear that the family was not always happy. Their father was physically abusive to his wife and left the children emotionally traumatized. As a result, the children have grown into unhappy adults, looking for love they didn't receive when they were young.
Alice in WonderlandAlice in Wonderland · 1966
Alice in Wonderland
5.91966
MovieFamilyFantasy
Alice in Wonderland (1966) is a BBC television play based on Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. It was directed by Jonathan Miller, then most widely known for his appearance in the long-running satirical revue Beyond the Fringe.
GoldeneyeGoldeneye · 1989
Goldeneye
5.91989
MovieTV MovieDrama
British writer Ian Fleming's life and loves suggest that of his spy-novel hero, secret agent James Bond.
The MonkThe Monk · 1990
The Monk
3.21990
MovieDramaHorror
In Madrid at the time of the Inquisition, the monk Ambrosio is renowned for his faith and his strength of will, a saint in the eyes of the populace. But when he discovers the beautiful Matilda hidden in his own monastery, all his repressed passions begin to show themselves, and he is soon using the girl, and her powers, in his lust for more innocent prey.
Edna: The Inebriate WomanEdna: The Inebriate Woman · 1971
Edna: The Inebriate Woman
1971
MovieTV MovieDrama
A British play about homelessness by Jeremy Sandford, writer of "Cathy Come Home", first broadcast as a BBC Play For Today. It details the deterioration of Edna, a homeless alcoholic and was made at a time when vagrancy was still a criminal offence.
Whistle and I'll Come to YouWhistle and I'll Come to You · 1968
Whistle and I'll Come to You
6.61968
MovieTV MovieHorror
A university professor, confident that everything which occurs in life has a rational explanation, finds his beliefs severely challenged when, during a vacation to a remote coastal village in Norfolk, he blows through an ancient whistle discovered on a beach, awakening horrors beyond human understanding.

TV Shows

EastEndersEastEnders · 1985
EastEnders
4.21985
SeriesDrama
The everyday lives of working-class residents of Albert Square, a traditional Victorian square of terrace houses surrounding a park in the East End of London's Walford borough.
Midsomer MurdersMidsomer Murders · 1997
Midsomer Murders
7.51997
SeriesCrimeDrama
The peacefulness of the Midsomer community is shattered by violent crimes, suspects are placed under suspicion, and it is up to a veteran DCI and his young sergeant to calmly and diligently eliminate the innocent and ruthlessly pursue the guilty.
Agatha Christie's PoirotAgatha Christie's Poirot · 1989
Agatha Christie's Poirot
8.21989
SeriesCrimeDrama
From England to Egypt, accompanied by his elegant and trustworthy sidekicks, the intelligent yet eccentrically-refined Belgian detective Hercule Poirot pits his wits against a collection of first class deceptions.
Play for TodayPlay for Today · 1970
Play for Today
6.61970
SeriesDrama
Play for Today is a British television anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC1 from 1970 to 1984. During the run, more than three hundred programmes, featuring original television plays, and adaptations of stage plays and novels, were transmitted. The individual episodes were between fifty and a hundred minutes in duration.
HeartbeatHeartbeat · 1992
Heartbeat
7.21992
SeriesCrimeDrama
Set during the 1960s in the fictional North Yorkshire village of Aidensfield, this enduringly popular series interweaves crime and medical storylines.
Crown CourtCrown Court · 1972
Crown Court
5.71972
SeriesDrama
Crown Court is an afternoon television courtroom drama produced by Granada Television for the ITV network that ran from 1972, when the Crown Court system replaced Assize courts and Quarter sessions in the legal system of England and Wales, to 1984.
The BillThe Bill · 1984
The Bill
6.81984
SeriesCrimeDrama
The daily lives of the men and women at Sun Hill Police Station as they fight crime on the streets of London. From bomb threats to armed robbery and drug raids to the routine demands of policing this ground-breaking series focuses as much on crime as it does on the personal lives of its characters.
Sherlock HolmesSherlock Holmes · 1984
Sherlock Holmes
8.21984
SeriesCrimeDrama
Sherlock Holmes uses his abilities to take on cases by private clients and those that the Scotland Yard are unable to solve, along with his friend Dr. Watson.
OmnibusOmnibus · 1967
Omnibus
7.21967
SeriesDocumentary
Omnibus was an arts-based BBC television documentary series, broadcast mainly on BBC1 in the United Kingdom. The programme was the successor to the long-running arts-based series 'Monitor'. It ran from 1967 until 2003, usually being transmitted on Sunday evenings. During its 35-year history, the programme won 12 Bafta awards. Among the series' best remembered documentaries are Cracked Actor, a profile of David Bowie, and Rene Magritte, a graduate film by David Wheatley, 'Madonna: Behind the American dream', a film produced by Nadia Hagger, and a profile of the British film director Ridley Scott. For a season in 1982, the series was in a magazine format presented by Barry Norman. The series was replaced by 'Imagine' hosted by Alan Yentob.
AngelsAngels · 1975
Angels
4.51975
SeriesDrama
Angels is a BBC medical soap-opera which launched on 1st September 1975 and was the blue print for such medical soaps as Casualty, Holby City, plus daytime soap, Doctors. The medical soap focuses on different departments within Heath Green Hospital and was a highly successful continuing drama.
Upstairs, DownstairsUpstairs, Downstairs · 1971
Upstairs, Downstairs
7.81971
SeriesDrama
Upstairs: the wealthy, aristocratic Bellamys. Downstairs: their loyal and lively servants. For nearly 30 years, they share a fashionable townhouse at 165 Eaton Place in London’s posh Belgravia neighborhood, surviving social change, political upheaval, scandals, and the horrors of the First World War.
ITV PlayhouseITV Playhouse · 1967
ITV Playhouse
7.01967
SeriesDrama
ITV Playhouse is a British comedy-drama TV series that ran from 1967 to 1983, which featured contributions from playwrights such as Dennis Potter, Rhys Adrian and Alan Sharp. The series began in black and white, but was later shot in colour and was produced by various companies for the ITV network, a format that would inspire Dramarama. Actors appearing in the series included Leslie Anderson, Gwen Nelson, Ricky Alleyne, Pat Heywood, Michael Elphick, Ian Hendry, Edward Woodward, Margaret Lockwood, Jessie Matthews and Lloyd Peters.
Dr. Finlay's CasebookDr. Finlay's Casebook · 1962
Dr. Finlay's Casebook
6.71962
SeriesComedyDrama
Dr Finlay's Casebook is a BBC television series that was broadcast from 1962 until 1971. Based on A. J. Cronin's novella Country Doctor, the storylines centred on a general medical practice in the fictional Scottish town of Tannochbrae during the late 1920s.
LovejoyLovejoy · 1986
Lovejoy
7.41986
SeriesComedyDrama
The adventures of the eponymous Lovejoy, a likeable but roguish antiques dealer based in East Anglia. Within the trade, he has a reputation as a “divvie”, a person with an almost supernatural powers for recognising exceptional items as well as distinguishing genuine antique from clever fakes or forgeries.
Father BrownFather Brown · 1974
Father Brown
6.81974
SeriesMysteryCrime
Based on the short stories by G. K. Chesterton, Father Brown is a Roman Catholic priest and amateur detective.
I, ClaudiusI, Claudius · 1976
I, Claudius
7.81976
SeriesDrama
Acclaimed blackly comic historical drama series. Set amidst a web of power, corruption and lies, it chronicles the reigns of the Roman emperors - Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula and finally Claudius.
DoomwatchDoomwatch · 1970
Doomwatch
6.41970
SeriesDramaSci-Fi & Fantasy
Doomwatch is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC, which ran on BBC 1 between 1970 and 1972. The series was set in the then present-day, and dealt with a scientific government agency led by Doctor Spencer Quist, responsible for investigating and combating various ecological and technological dangers. The series was followed by a film adaptation produced by Tigon British Film Productions and released in 1972, and a revival TV film was broadcast on Channel 5 in 1999.
A Ghost Story for ChristmasA Ghost Story for Christmas · 1971
A Ghost Story for Christmas
7.41971
SeriesDrama
A strand of annual British short television adaptations of classic ghost stories, referencing the oral tradition of telling supernatural tales at Christmas. First broadcast on BBC One from 1971 to 1978, and revived in 2005 on BBC Four.
Jason and the ArgonautsJason and the Argonauts · 2000
Jason and the Argonauts
6.42000
SeriesFamily
At a young age, Jason witnesses the brutal deposement and murder of his father at the hands of his uncle Pelias. Twenty years later, Jason returns home to claim his rightful place as king, but Pelias orders him to be executed, and in order to save himself Jason is forced to go on a dangerous quest to find the legendary Golden Fleece. So Jason gathers a motley crew of men and sets sail on the Argos.
Our Friends in the NorthOur Friends in the North · 1996
Our Friends in the North
7.71996
SeriesDrama
An epic tale of a changing Britain over four decades, seen through the eyes of four friends.
Death in Holy OrdersDeath in Holy Orders · 2003
Death in Holy Orders
6.92003
SeriesMysteryCrime
Detective Adam Dalgliesh investigates the death of a young ordinand who died in mysterious circumstances.
The Return of Sherlock HolmesThe Return of Sherlock Holmes · 1986
The Return of Sherlock Holmes
8.41986
SeriesMysteryCrime
In the second series of the widely celebrated ITV detective programme, Dr John Watson finds a mystery in an empty house, while Holmes and he later solve the mysteries of an abbey grange, the Musgrave ritual, a second stain, a man with a twisted lip, the priory school, and a half-dozen plaster busts of Bonaparte.
Oranges Are Not the Only FruitOranges Are Not the Only Fruit · 1990
Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit
6.61990
SeriesDrama
Seven-year-old Jess is removed from her peculiar Pentecostal home and sent to school.
In Suspicious CircumstancesIn Suspicious Circumstances · 1991
In Suspicious Circumstances
6.51991
SeriesCrimeDrama
Introduced by renowned English actor Edward Woodward, In Suspicious Circumstances is an anthology of reenactments depicting real-life murder mysteries, some famous and some obscure, exploring cases with elements of miscarriage of justice, unsolved mysteries, and unusual circumstances, often spanning different historical periods.