Diane Keen

Diane Keen
Born 29 July 1946
London, England, UK
Occupation Actress
Years active 1967–present
Spouse(s) Paul Greenwood (1969–79; divorced),
Neil Zeiger (1981–93; divorced)
Children Melissa Greenwood

Diane Keen (born 29 July 1946) is an English actress, likely best known for her starring roles in the British TV drama Doctors in which she starred as Julia Parsons from 2003-2012. She is also known for starring in the 1970s comedy series The Cuckoo Waltz and Rings on Their Fingers.

Personal life

Keen grew up in East Africa, principally Tanganyika and later Kenya, where her father was a civil engineer. She attended boarding school and returned to England at the age of 19. She has one daughter, Melissa, by her marriage to Paul Greenwood, which ended in divorce in 1979.

Career

Keen was a regular on television during the 1970s and early 1980s, starring in long running sitcoms such as The Cuckoo Waltz, Rings on Their Fingers, Shillingbury Tales and You Must Be The Husband, and in two runs of (Thames Television) children's historical costume drama The Feathered Serpent. She also guest starred on many shows, including The Morecambe and Wise Show and starred as Laura Dickens in the critically acclaimed spy drama The Sandbaggers.

She starred as Elisabeth of Austria-Hungary ("Sissi") in episode one of the 13 part series Fall of Eagles and appeared in the spin-off film of the 1970s detective drama, The Sweeney. Diane Keen had a part in the movie Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush in 1967 as Claire, Judy Geeson's university student friend, whom Barry Evans (Doctor in the House British TV Series) eventually realised was the perfect girl to marry. She played Hilda in The Professionals series 1 episode Killer With a Long Arm, in 1978. In 1980 she appeared as Christina, a widowed restaurant owner, in Series 1 episode The Dessert Song of Minder. She went on to star with David Jason in A Touch of Frost.

Keen starred in the series of advertisements for Nescafé coffee for ten years and an appearance in an episode of Taggart, in the next decade she became a regular in the Inspector Wexford series, playing the wife of Wexford's D.I. Roles in Brookside and several other TV shows followed including New Tricks.

Keen has appeared onstage including the Alan Ayckbourn play Absent Friends, Poor Horace at the Bristol Old Vic and two acclaimed tours of Same time Next Year. Recently she has completed a British tour of Vagina Monologues.

British Soaps

Keen had a major soap role in BBC Birmingham's daytime soap opera Doctors, playing Mill Health Centre practice manager Julia Parsons from 2003-2012 and 2014. She also played waitress Sandra Gould in Crossroads during 1970-71, and the receptionist at the Feathers Hotel Connelton in Emmerdale Farm in 1972.

Selected filmography

See also

External links