Marian Diamond (actress)

Marian Diamond
Marian Diamond in Tightrope 1972
Born
Marion Diamond

(1936-12-17)17 December 1936
London, England
Died5 January 2026(2026-01-05) (aged 89)
London, England
OccupationActress
Years active1958–2006
RelativesGillian Diamond (sister)

Marion Diamond (17 December 1936 – 5 January 2026), better known by the stage name Marian Diamond, was an English actress. Known primarily for her voice roles, she worked for the BBC for many years. Diamond narrated several episodes of Jackanory, dealing mostly with C. S. Lewis books. She voiced the part of Galadriel in 1981 radio series The Lord of the Rings.

Life and career

Diamond was born in London on 17 December 1936.[1] She was the younger of the two daughters of George Diamond, a Polish Jew, and his wife Rosemary (née Reed) of Irish extraction. Gillian Diamond, her sister, was a casting director.[2] She attended RADA, graduating in 1956.[3]

She appeared in a number of films, including 80,000 Suspects (1963), Subterfuge (1968), and Goodbye Gemini (1970). On television she appeared in such series as Dixon of Dock Green, Danger Man, Brookside and The Armando Iannucci Shows. She also played in the drama Madame Bovary (2000), which was broadcast in two parts on 6 and 13 February in the United States on WGBH-TV, and on 10 and 11 April in the United Kingdom on BBC Two.

Diamond died at University College Hospital in London, on 5 January 2026, aged 89.[4][5]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1963 80,000 Suspects Sister Durrell Uncredited role
1968 Subterfuge Schoolteacher
1970 Goodbye Gemini Denise Pryce-Fletcher
1992 Tale of a Vampire Denise

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1958 Armchair Theatre Teenage Girl Episode: "Paid in Full"
1959 The Young Lady from London (unknown) Mini-series; episode 2
1960 Dixon of Dock Green Jean Taylor Episode: "The Guilty Party"
Noah Ada Television film
Scotland Yard (unknown) Episode: "Special Duty"
Danger Man Telephone Operator Episode: "The Girl in Pink Pajamas". Uncredited role
1961 A Life of Bliss Janet Markham Episode: #2.2
ITV Television Playhouse Renate Episode: "Marking Time"
1963 Emergency Ward 10 Pauline Roberts 3 episodes
First Night Simone de Mateos Episode: "The Dawn"
1964 The Avengers Jessy Episode: "Build a Better Mousetrap"
Dig This Rhubarb (unknown) 5 episodes
Detective Julia Stoner Episode: "The Speckled Band". Pilot for the series Sherlock Holmes
Love Story Angela Episode: "I Love, You Love, We Love"
1964–1967 Play School Herself - Presenter 60 episodes
1965 Jackanory Dancer Episode: "Cap of Rushes"
Front Page Story Dina Episode: "Runaways"
Z-Cars Ava Ludd Episode: "Give a Dog a Name"
ITV Sunday Night Drama Ann Fleming Episode: "Lot 171"
The Sullavan Brothers Julie Roman Episode: "The Corrupters"
Fothergale Co. Ltd. Sylvia Masters 2 episodes: "Raw Material Prices" and "Advertising"
Londoners Gillian Episode: "Kill Three"
ITV Play of the Week Jean Sansome Episode: "Their Obedient Servants"
The Mask of Janus Tina Verrill Episode: "The Cold Equation"
1966 The Idiot Alexandra Mini-series; 5 episodes
Mystery and Imagination Alice Simpson Episode: "The Tractate Middoth"
The Troubleshooters Anna Kenny Episode: "The Fires of Hell"
Play of the Month Jean Bell Episode: "The Devil's Eggshell"
1967 Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Miss Mary Bradshaw Episode: "The New Catacomb"
The Paradise Makers Jean 3 episodes
1967, 1968 Jackanory Herself - Storyteller 10 episodes: "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" and "Prince Caspian"
1968 ITV Playhouse Mary Ann Episode: "Rogue's Gallery: The Curious Adventures of Miss Jane Rawley"
Maggie Brown Episode: "A Matter of Diamonds"
Detective Ethel Le Neve Episode: "Crime of Passion"
Market in Honey Lane Ann Markham Episode: #3.14
1969 Canterbury Tales Prioress 5 episodes
1970 The Main Chance Henrietta Carson Episode: "The Best Legal System in the World"
1971 Crime of Passion Roberta Episode: "Olivier"
Kate Beth Randall 2 episodes: "Call Her Sensitive" and "Call Her Serious"
Owen, M.D. Elaine Norton 2 episodes: "The Town Mouse: Parts 1 & 2"
1972 Tightrope Miss Jane Walker 12 episodes
A Place in the Sun Pamela Lenton Mini-series; episode: "Achilles Heel"
Spy Trap Helen Foster 4 episodes: "The Executioner: Parts 1–4"
1974 Thriller Jennifer Peel Episode: "The Next Scream You Hear"
The Little Mermaid First Sister Television film
1976 Warship Surgeon Lt. Sue Herrick 3 episodes
1977 Rough Justice Frances Penrose Mini-series; 4 episodes
1979 Bothwell Anna Throndsen Television film
1980 Company and Co. Furrier's Assistant Episode: "The First Touch"
The Swish of the Curtain Mrs. Halford 4 episodes
1982 Jackanory Playhouse Running Deer Episode: "Hawkwing"
1985 The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13¾ Mrs. Claricoates Episode: #1.2
1987 The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole 2 episodes
1992–1995 Brookside Mrs. Shackleton 14 episodes
1993 Between the Lines Secretary Episode: "Some Must Watch"
1996 The Ruth Rendell Mysteries Dr. Jamieson Episode: "Heartstones: Part Two"
2000 Madame Bovary Sister Marie Paul 2-part television film
2001 The Armando Iannucci Shows Various 5 episodes
2006 Doctors Jean Franks Episode: "One Day, Maybe"

References

  1. ^ Noble, Peter (1975). British Film and Television Year Book. Volume 30. Cinema TV Today. p. 106.
  2. ^ "Gillian Diamond obituary". theguardian.com. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  3. ^ "RADA Student & graduate profiles Marian Diamond". rada.ac.uk. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  4. ^ Carrick, Heather (14 January 2026). "Marian Diamond: Miriam Margolyes pays tribute to 'dear friend' after Jackanory star's death aged 89". National World. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
  5. ^ "Brookside star Marian Diamond dies, aged 89 – Miriam Margolyes shares emotional tribute". Radio Times. 14 January 2026. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
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