Judi Bowker

English actress (born 1954)

Judi Bowker
Born	(1954-04-06) 6 April 1954 (age 70) Shawford, Hampshire, England
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1972–present
Spouse	Harry Meacher (1979–present)^[1]

Judi Bowker (born 6 April 1954) is an English film and television actress.

Early life

Bowker was born in Shawford, Hampshire, England, the daughter of Alfred J. Bowker and Ann Fairweather, who had married in 1947.^[2] The family moved to the British colony of Northern Rhodesia when Bowker was two, and lived there for eight years. She had many interests, including painting and riding.^[3] However, she was most interested in acting, and began to pursue her acting career after the family returned to England.

Career

Bowker first came to international attention as the star of The Adventures of Black Beauty (1972), a television series which was a continuation of the book. In an interview, Bowker stated that her experience in riding horses was probably the key to being cast in the role. She also recalled how some of the Black Beauty episodes were set in springtime, but filmed in winter, so that sometimes she had to wear summer outfits in cold weather.^[4]

Also in 1972 Bowker starred as Saint Clare of Assisi in Franco Zeffirelli's Brother Sun, Sister Moon. The runner-up for the part was Lynne Frederick.^[5]

Her well-known film appearances are as Mina Harker in the 1977 film Count Dracula, Andromeda in the Ray Harryhausen film, Clash of the Titans (1981), and as the unhappily married Lady Olivia Lilburn in the Alan Bridges adaptation of Isabel Colegate's novel The Shooting Party (1985).^[6]

She has appeared in numerous theatre productions including major roles in Hedda Gabler, Macbeth, Ivanov, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Three Sisters, and in her husband Harry Meacher's adaptation of Sherlock Holmes.^[7]

She was cast as a narrator for a BBC audiobook adaptation of the work of P. D. James in 2018.^[8]

Personal life

Bowker has been married to the actor Harry Meacher since 1979 and they live in Highgate.^[9]

Filmography

Brother Sun, Sister Moon (1972)
East of Elephant Rock (1977)
Clash of the Titans (1981) – Andromeda
The Shooting Party (1985)
10 Arenas of Marwood (2011)
Feast of Varanasi (2016)

Television

The Adventures of Black Beauty (1972) – TV series
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1973)
South Riding (1974)
In This House of Brede (1975)
Play for Today (1975) – two episodes
The Picture of Dorian Gray (1976)
Hindle Wakes (1976)
Count Dracula (1977)
Tales of the Unexpected, "The Best of Everything" (1981) – one episode
Wilfred and Eileen (1981)
Little Miss Perkins (1982)
Ellis Island (1984) – TV miniseries
Anna Karenina (1985)
Sins (1986) – TV miniseries
Worlds Beyond, "The Haunted Garden" (1987) – one episode
Menace Unseen (1988) – TV miniseries
Kurtulus (1994) – TV miniseries
The Bill (series 19) (2003) – TV series

Theatre

Macbeth (1978) – National Theatre, Olivier Theatre
Hedda Gabler (1998) – Pentameters, Inner London^[10]
Hay Fever (2016) – Logos Theater^[11]
Copperfield (2021) – Lauderdale House^[12]^[7]

References

^ "Rotten Tomatoes: Movies | TV Shows | Movie Trailers | Reviews – Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes.
^ "Judith A Bowker" in England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916-2007, ; "Alfred J Bowker" in England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005; ancestry.co.uk, accessed 4 September 2021 (subscription required)
^ "Judi Bowker", TCM Database
^ Anita Singh, "Family viewing has disappeared, says Black Beauty star", The Daily Telegraph, 2014
^ Laura Cremonini, Hammer Vampire Women, Part Two (2020), p. 235
^ "The Shooting Party", New York, 10 Jun 1985, p. 76
^ ^a ^b "Programme for Copperfield!" (PDF). Lauderdalehouse.org.uk. 20 September 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
^ "Audiobooks narrated by Judi Bowker". Audible.com.
^ Julie Tomlin, "Julie Tomlin’s theatre news: Harry Meacher tries his hand at Chekhov", Camden New Journal, 19 May 2017, accessed 4 September 2021
^ "Hedda Gabler (Play) archive [PLAY]". Uktw.co.uk.
^ "Logos Theatre Co: Endgame by Samuel Beckett". Logostheatre.london. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
^ "Pay tribute to actors Judi Bowker and Harry Meacher". Camden New Journal. Retrieved 24 January 2022.