Rachel Thomas

Actress

February 10, 1905 (89 years)

† February 8, 1995

Alltwen, Pontardawe, Glamorgan, Wales, UK

Biography

Rachel Thomas was a Welsh character actress, who almost always played the stereotypical Welsh mother or grandmother, and appeared regularly on both Welsh and English language television. She appeared in such classic films as "The Proud Valley "(1940) with Paul Robeson, "Blue Scar" (1949) and "Tiger Bay" (1959). In 1954 she was part of the original BBC Radio cast of Dylan Thomas' radio play "Under Milk Wood", playing the roles of Rosie Probert, Mary Ann Sailors and Mrs. Willy Nilly and went on…

Filmography

5.3

BBC Play of the Month

Berthe

A BBC television anthology series featuring productions of classic and contemporary stage plays usually broadcast on BBC1. Each production featured a different work, often using prominent British stage actors in the leading roles. The series was transmitted from October 1965 to September 1983.

7.2

Theatre 625

Mrs Treharne

Theatre 625 is a British television drama anthology series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC2 from 1964 to 1968. It was one of the first regular programmes in the line-up of the channel, and the title referred to its production and transmission being in the higher-definition 625-line format, which only BBC2 used at the time.

5.2

The Wednesday Play

Mrs. Ulyatt

An anthology series of television plays which aired on BBC1 from October 1964 to May 1970. The plays were usually written for television, although adaptations from other sources also featured.

5.0

Churchill's People

Edda

Churchill's People is a British anthology series based on A History of the English-Speaking Peoples, Winston Churchill's four-volume history of Britain and its former colonies. 26 episodes were produced by the BBC and initially broadcast from 30 December 1974 to 23 June 1975.

7.4

Dad's Army

Mother Superior

Introducing the Walmington-On-Sea home guard. During WW2, in a fictional British seaside town, a ragtag group of Home Guard local defense volunteers prepare for an imminent German invasion.

6.7

Suspense

Anthology series telling suspenseful tales.

6.8

Shadows

Myfanwy

Shadows is a British Supernatural television anthology series produced by Thames Television for ITV between 1975 and 1978. Extending over three seasons, it featured ghost and horror dramas for children. Guest actors included John Nettleton, Gareth Thomas, Jenny Agutter, Pauline Quirke, Brian Glover, June Brown, Rachel Herbert, Jacqueline Pearce and Gwyneth Strong. The series was also notable for reviving the character of Mr. Stabs. Notable writers for the series included J. B. Priestley, Fay Weldon and PJ Hammond.

6.7

How Green Was My Valley

Mrs Nicholas

How Green Was My Valley is a six-part television miniseries adapted by Elaine Morgan, based on Richard Llewellyn's eponymous 1939 novel. The serial is produced by the BBC and 20th Century Fox Television for BBC Two—the latter's involvement is due to their ownership of the rights to the novel and its subsequent Oscar-winning 1941 film. Huw Morgan, the academically inclined youngest son in a proud family of Welsh coal miners, witnesses the tumultuous events of his young life during a period of rapid social change. At the dawn of the 20th-century, a miners' strike divides the Morgans: the sons demand improvements, and the father doesn't want to rock the boat.

7.2

Tiger Bay

Mrs. Parry

In Tiger Bay, the docklands of Cardiff, rough-and-tumble street urchin Gillie witnesses the brutal killing of a young woman at the hands of visiting Polish sailor Korchinsky. Instead of reporting the crime to the authorities, Gillie merely pockets a prize for herself — Korchinsky's shiny black revolver — and flees the scene. When Detective Graham discovers that Gillie has the murder weapon, the fiery young girl weaves a web of lies to throw him off course.

6.3

The District Nurse

The District Nurse is a British television series, produced by BBC Wales and shown on BBC One between 1984 and 1987. The series was a period drama created by Julia Smith and Tony Holland and starred Nerys Hughes as Megan Roberts, the titular district nurse fighting to improve living conditions for the people living in a poverty stricken mining town, Pencwm, in south Wales during the late 1920s. The School scenes were filmed at Pont-y-gof school in Ebbw Vale, shortly before the old school was demolished. The children and teachers at the school were involved in the first two series. The outdoor school and street scenes were filmed at a small village near Tredegar. Most of the houses used have now been demolished, however the street still remains. In the third series, shown in 1987 and set in the early 1930s, Megan had moved on to the seaside town of Glanmor where she worked with a father/son pair of doctors - Emlyn Isaacs and James Isaacs.

6.1

Undercover

Maria Petrovitch

Occupied Yugoslavia. With organised resistance shattered by the Nazi onslaught it is only the activity of small guerrilla bands that bring fresh hope to the people. But quislings and infiltrators are everywhere – and trusting the wrong person could easily get you killed...

6.4

The Captive Heart

Mrs. Evans

A series of stories about the lives and loves of men in a Prisoner of War camp over five years. The main story is of Hasek (Redgrave) a Czech soldier who needs to keep his identity a secret from the Nazis. To do this, he poses as a dead English Officer and corresponds with the man's wife. Other inmates’ stories are also revealed. Location shooting in the British occupied part of Germany adds believability.

N/A

Ennal's Point

Nance Grail

Examines the professional and personal lives of a Welsh lifeboat crew and their tight-knit community in a small seaside village.

N/A

The Life and Times of David Lloyd George

Mrs Richard Owen

The Life and Times of David Lloyd George charts the life of the controversial Liberal politician with Philip Madoc in the titular role. The title theme, Chi Mai, was by Ennio Morricone

6.5

The Halfway House

Miss Morgan - Landlady

A group of travellers, each with a personal problem that they want to hide, arrive at a mysterious Welsh country inn. There is a certain strangeness in the air as they are greeted by the innkeeper and his daughter. Why are all the newspapers a year old? And why doesn't Gwyneth seem to cast a shadow?

6.1

Catacombs

Christine

A rich woman who uses meditation to deal with pain is visited by her niece who returns from Paris. The woman can be a handful and one of her employees suggests to her husband that he kill her freeing them both. When an affair starts between the husband and the niece murder becomes a real possibility. However some people won't stay dead.

8.5

Blue Scar

Gwyneth Williams

1940s British realist film about the life and struggles of a family in a Welsh mining town.

6.3

The Proud Valley

Mrs. Parry

In a Welsh coal mining valley, a young man with a beautiful singing voice is called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice when a pit disaster threatens.

7.0

Under Milk Wood

Rosie Probert / Mary Anne Sailors / Mrs Willy Nilly (voices) (archive sound)

A poet's tale of a day in the lives of the villagers of a Welsh fishing town of Llareggub.

1.0

Sea Song

Lil Carter

Millionaire recluse Ray Carter takes part in a single handed race across the Atlantic - but soon discovers a stowaway.