Kate O'Mara was born Frances Meredith Carroll on August 10, 1939, in Leicester, Leicestershire, England, to actress Hazel Bainbridge and John Carroll. As a child, Kate was prodded into performing, and her early career as a speech therapist at a Sussex Girls' School was soon overshadowed by her growing attraction to acting.
Educated at the Aida Foster School, Kate made her stage debut in a production of "The Merchant of Venice" in 1963 at the age of 24. She continued to appear in classical works throughout the next two seasons, eventually transitioning to television series spots.
Kate's gothic charm caught notice in Hammer Studio horror films, where she played tawdry, darkly alluring femmes in "The Horror of Frankenstein" (1970) and "The Vampire Lovers" (1970). However, her film load remained sporadic over the years.
Instead, Kate focused on stage endeavours, appearing in many British television series and various femme fatales or shady ladies. She made little impact in America but did appear as Joan Collins' equally bitchy sister for one season of "Dynasty" (1981) in 1986.
Kate also delighted audiences in episodes of "Doctor Who" (1963) and "Absolutely Fabulous" (1992) in England. She relished a standout role in the long-running British soap opera "Crossroads" (2001). In the 1980s, she founded and toured with a theatre company, The British Actor's Theatre Company, which continued to run into the millennium.
Kate published two books: "When She Was Bad" in 1991 and "Good Time Girl" in 1993. She died at the age of 74 on March 30, 2014, after a short illness in a nursing home in Sussex, England.
