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Kate O’Mara: British Actress of ‘Dynasty’ Dies at 74

British actress Kate O’Mara passed away Sunday at a nursing home in Sussex, England. Her agent, Phil Belfield, confirmed in a written statement that O’Mara died from an unspecified illness...
Kate O’Mara: British Actress of ‘Dynasty’ Dies at 74
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  • British actress Kate O’Mara passed away Sunday at a nursing home in Sussex, England.

    Her agent, Phil Belfield, confirmed in a written statement that O’Mara died from an unspecified illness.

    “Kate O’Mara passed away peacefully today at a nursing home in Sussex after a short Illness,” he wrote. “She was a delight to know and an extraordinary woman and actress with a passion for Shakespeare and stage acting.”

    Born Frances Meredith Carroll on August 10, 1939 in Leicester, England, O’Mara was the daughter of John Carroll and actress Hazel Bainbridge.

    At age 24, she left her career as a speech therapist and appeared in her first stage play, The Merchant of Venice, in 1963.

    She went on to appear in a number of classical stage productions until she started to land TV roles.

    O’Mara was best known for her American acting role as Cassandra ‘Caress’ Morrell, the sister of Alexis Colby-portrayed by actress Joan Collins-in the 1981 ABC prime-time soap opera Dynasty.

    The cunning, but beautiful Caress didn’t make her appearance until 1986 and was an essential part of the show for one season.

    O’Mara played a character who was always in a typical feud with her sister Alexis, who often won most of their sibling battles.

    Besides Dynasty, O’Mara has depicted roles in other British TV series including Doctor Who (1963), The Brothers (1972), and English soap opera Crossroads (2001). Big film roles like The Horror of Frankenstein (1970) also showed the spooky and dark side of her acting talent.

    Additionally, the British performer had a talent for writing. She published two books: “When She Was Bad” (1991) and “Good Time Girl” (1993).

    The brunette beauty was quite aware at the time that her looks were always a big part of her acting career. 

    She had previously stated in an interview that she planned to turn in her acting hat once her “sell-by date” ran its course.

    Nevertheless, O’Mara continued to act in theatre performances up until her death.

    In 2012 she appeared in Death of the Nile and most recently in her own original stage production, An Evening with Kate O’Mara, at the West End Theater in London.

    O’Mara is survived by her sister and actress Belinda Carroll.

    She was 74 years old.

    Images via YouTube

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