Diane Keen

Diane Keen
Born (1946-07-29) 29 July 1946
London, England
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, who starred in the British TV drama Doctors in which she played Julia Parsons from 2003-2012. She is also known for starring in the 1970s comedy series The Cuckoo Waltz and Rings on Their Fingers, and for her many appearances in Nescafé coffee advertisements during the 1970s and 1980s.[1]

Personal life

Born in London,[1] Keen grew up in East Africa, principally Tanganyika and later Kenya, where her father was a civil engineer.[2] She attended boarding school and returned to Britain at the age of 19,[2] where she became a secretary for the Ivy League fan club, leading to her releasing a 45 single of "Sally Go 'Round the Roses" (credited as Dee King) on the Piccadilly label in 1966. [3] She has one daughter, Melissa, by her marriage to Paul Greenwood, which ended in divorce in 1979. Her granddaughter, Siena Pugsley, played the role of her on-screen granddaughter in Doctors.[4]

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 had a part in the 1967 film Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush 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, and appeared in the 1977 spin-off film of the 1970s detective drama, The Sweeney. She starred as Elisabeth of Austria-Hungary ("Sissi") in episode one of the 13 part series Fall of Eagles (1974) and 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. [5]

Keen starred in the series of advertisements for Nescafé coffee for ten years [6] and made an appearance in an episode of Taggart[7]. in the next decade she became a regular in the Inspector Wexford series, playing the wife of Wexford's D.I.[8] Roles in Brookside and several other TV shows followed including New Tricks. [9]

Keen has appeared onstage, including in the Sir Alan Ayckbourn play Absent Friends, at the Bristol Old Vic, and in two acclaimed tours of Same Time Next Year. [10]. In 2013 she co-starred in a British tour of The Vagina Monologues.[11]

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.[2] 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

[12]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Me & My Health: Diane Keen", chroniclelive.co.uk, 2 October 2003. Retrieved 10 March 2016
  2. 1 2 3 Webber, Richard (2013) "Diane Keen: 'Get a job, my parents said. I was appalled'", Daily Telegraph, 24 November 2013. Retrieved 10 March 2016
  3. ↑ "Dee King". Discogs. Retrieved 2017-07-12.
  4. ↑ "Sexy monologues are not just for the girls". Retrieved 2017-07-12.
  5. ↑ TV.com. "Diane Keen". TV.com. Retrieved 2017-07-12.
  6. ↑ Jackson, Kate (2008-03-20). "Gold Blend favourites reunite for the brand's 70th anniversary". mirror. Retrieved 2017-07-12.
  7. ↑ "There's been a murder: Taggart at 25". The Independent. 2008-09-07. Retrieved 2017-07-12.
  8. ↑ Road, Tabard. "Having the Last Laugh • Archive • Inspector Wexford". inspectorwexford.info. Retrieved 2017-07-12.
  9. ↑ Limited, London Theatre Direct. "Cassidy Janson & Diane Keen join cast of Olivier, Tony & Grammy Award-winning Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.". Retrieved 2017-07-12.
  10. ↑ "Thurrock". Thurrock. Retrieved 2017-07-12.
  11. ↑ "The Vagina Monologues, Grand Opera House, York, November 15". York Press. Retrieved 2017-07-12.
  12. ↑ Staff, Hollywood.com (2015-02-02). "Diane Keen | Biography and Filmography | 1946". Hollywood.com. Retrieved 2017-07-12.
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