Gretchen Franklin
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- July 7, 1911
- Died
- July 11, 2005 (aged 94)
- Birthplace
- Covent Garden, London, England, UK
Biography
Born in Covent Garden, West London in 1911, Gretchen Franklin was an English actress and dancer whose showbusiness career spanned over 70 years. She was best known for her role as Ethel Skinner in the long-running BBC 1 soap opera EastEnders. She appeared in the very first episode in 1985 and was a regular in the series until 1988. After this she returned to the show intermittently until 2000 when her character was killed off, allowing Franklin to retire from acting at the age of 89. Born into a theatrical family (her father had a song and dance act, her grandfather was a famous music hall entertainer at the turn of the century and her cousin was Dad's Army star Clive Dunn) Gretchen Franklin made her theatre debut as a teenage chorus girl. She toured with comedians such as Gracie Fields before making the switch to serious acting. Her film appearances included Cloak Without Dagger (1956), Flame in the Streets (1961), The Murder Game (1965), Help! (1965), How I Won The War (1967), Twisted Nerve (1968), The Night Visitor (1971), The Three Musketeers (1973), Quincy's Quest (1979), and Ragtime (1981), among others. She is namechecked in The Fall's 1990 song Telephone Thing.
Known For
Filmography
Keeping Up Appearances
TV · as Daddy's Fiance · 1 ep
EastEnders
TV · as Ethel Skinner · 670 eps
Return to Waterloo
Movie · as Woman on Train
Blackadder
TV · as Cordelia · 1 ep
Dead Ernest
TV · 7 eps
Ragtime
Movie · as Elderly Woman
Quincy's Quest
Movie · as Witch
Terry and June
TV · as Cath · 1 ep
Danger UXB
TV · as Mrs. Flack · 1 ep
Quatermass
TV · as Edna · 2 eps
The One and Only Phyllis Dixey
Movie · as Phyllis's Dresser
Hazell
TV · as Pearl · 1 ep
The Famous Five
TV · as Mrs Janes · 1 ep
Nicholas Nickleby
TV · as Miss Knag · 1 ep
George and Mildred
TV · as Mother · 4 eps
The Sweeney
TV · as Florence, the Charlady · 1 ep
I Didn't Know You Cared
TV · as Auntie Lil · 7 eps
The Four Musketeers
Movie · as D'Artagnan's Mother (archive footage) (uncredited)
Rising Damp
TV · as Aunt Maud · 1 ep
Churchill's People
TV · as Mrs Baxter · 1 ep
Secrets
Movie · as Mrs. Pitt
The Three Musketeers
Movie · as D’Artagnan’s Mother
Bowler
TV · 13 eps
Bowler
TV · as Mrs Bowler · 13 eps
Black and Blue
TV · as Mrs. Pitt · 1 ep
Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em
TV · as Mrs. Welch · 1 ep
The Protectors
TV · as Nelly Baxter · 1 ep
Sykes
TV · as Bookstall Assistant · 1 ep
The Organization
TV · as Edna · 3 eps
Six Days of Justice
TV · as Annie · 1 ep
The Night Visitor
Movie · as Mrs. Hansen
Budgie
TV · as Carrie Wetherall · 1 ep
The Company Man
Movie · as Tea Lady
Castle Haven
TV · 100 eps
Twisted Nerve
Movie · as Clarkie
Subterfuge
Movie · as Bus Conductress
Journey to the Unknown
TV · as Mrs. Barrett · 1 ep
How I Won the War
Movie · as 2nd Old Lady
The Murder Game
Movie · as Landlady
Help!
Movie · as Neighbour (uncredited)
The Man Who Came to Die
Movie · as Mrs. Marriott
Gideon's Way
TV · as Martha Bray · 1 ep
A Slight Case Of...
TV · 1 ep
Londoners
TV · as Mrs. Hincastle · 1 ep
Story Parade
TV · as Mrs. Huxtable · 1 ep
The Protectors
TV · as Mrs Bolland · 1 ep
The Four Seasons of Rosie Carr
TV · as Amy Bennett · 1 ep
The Silent Playground
Movie · as Mrs. Elgin
Z-Cars
TV · 1 ep
The Scales of Justice
TV · as Rose Jenkins · 1 ep
Steptoe and Son
TV · as Aunt Daphne · 1 ep
Raise Your Glasses
TV · 1 ep
The Trouble with Our Ivy
Movie · as Mrs. Chard
Ticket to Paradise
Movie · as Mrs. Higginbottom
Flame in the Streets
Movie · as Mrs. Bingham
The Poet
Movie · as Erminia
The Artful Dodger
TV · 6 eps
Bleak House
TV · as Mrs Guppy · 1 ep
Saturday Playhouse
TV · as Susan Sillsby, Mrs. Wilson, Mrs. Catt · 1 ep
The Secret Place
Movie · as Mother (uncredited)
The High Terrace
Movie · as Mrs. Webb
Cloak Without Dagger
Movie · as Emmie
Armchair Theatre
TV · as Miss Julia, Mrs. Chard, Else, Edie Tidy, Mrs. Marriott, Tea Lady · 1 ep
Before I Wake
Movie · as Elsie
Dixon of Dock Green
TV · as Mrs. Walcott · 1 ep
Trottie True
Movie · as Martha (uncredited)