Joan Collins has led tributes to her former 'Dynasty' co-star Kate O'Mara, who died yesterday in a Sussex nursing home.
Joan, who is in Los Angeles, woke up to the news of Kate's passing, and immediately left a message on her Twitter account:
Kate O'Mara died after a short illness, aged 74.
The popular star of 'Dynasty' and 'Doctor Who' passed away in a Sussex nursing home, her agent announced.
Miss O'Mara's many fans will remember her as Alexis Colby's sister, the scheming Caress Morell, in 'Dynasty', and as The Rani in 'Doctor Who'. She also starred in 'Howards Way' and played Patsy's sister Jackie in 'Absolutely Fabulous'.
Kate O'Mara, alongside Dynasty co-star Joan Collins at the height of their 1980s popularity
Her agent Phil Belfield said, "She was extraordinary, she had so much energy and vitality with a love for theatre and acting."
Throughout her long career, Kate O'Mara always stood out with her distinctive, sculpted cheekbones and intense gaze, a look that made her often cast as the villainess.
But, as she told HuffPostUK only recently, this perception came as a surprise to her...
“I’m actually quite a nice person,” she said. “It’s to do with the way I look, an uncompromising sort of face, brusque delivery and voice, and I think the combination of all that.
“When I’m doing pantomime, children will scream the place down, before I open my mouth. There’s obviously something that really gets them.”
And she definitely had a sense of humour too, remembering the surreal time of her years living in LA, where she worked alongside Joan Collins on ‘Dynasty’:
“I was Caress – who’s called THAT?” she laughed. “I was in Hollywood for two years, and the only way to approach it was with a sense of humour, because they took everything so seriously.
“All the time spent on lipstick hair, which are really of minor importance in the scheme of things. By the time they’d finished, I never recognised myself, the make up was so flawless and the lighting superb. ‘Who’s that creature? My goodness, it’s me.’”
Kate O'Mara played popular Doctor Who adversary The Rani
The last year of Kate's life had been very difficult for the popular actress, following the suicide of her son Dickon in December 2012.
At the time of her death, however, she told us she was happy to be back in England, based near her grandchildren, and still grafting until very recently at her trade - drama coaching, workshops, and her own two-hander play about Marlene Dietrich.
She was also happy to be involved in last year's celebrations for the Doctor Who 50th anniversary, even mooting the prospect of bringing back her character of The Rani, of whom she told us,
“I’d love to come back as The Rani another time around.
“To have a much older woman as your adversary, there’s something interesting about that.
"One of two female Time Lords. Not bad.”
