Jackie Lane
Born: 10th July 1941 (as Jacqueline Joyce Lane)
Died: 7th June 2021 (aged 79 years)
Episodes Broadcast: 1966
Jackie Lane was born in Manchester to a father who worked as a
theatrical costumier and make-up artist. Growing up around actors, she
became involved with amateur dramatics as a teenager, and she began
training at the Library Theatre in 1960, where she also served as an
assistant stage manager. One of the plays in which Lane appeared at the
Manchester venue was Never Had It So Good, by future Doctor
Who producer John Wiles. She soon adopted the stage name
“Jackie Lenya” to avoid confusion with an Austrian-born and
American-raised actress who was already being credited as “Jackie
Lane”. Seeking work in television, Lenya moved to London in 1962,
and she made her television debut in a schools-oriented version of the
Bertolt Brecht play The Caucasian Chalk Circle. A recurring role
in Compact followed in 1963. The same year, Lenya auditioned to
play Susan in the first season of Doctor Who, but she decided
against pursuing the part because she was unwilling to commit to a
year-long contract.
Over the next two years, Lenya earned credits on episodes of
Coronation Street, The Protectors and The Villains.
She regained the ability to use her real name for professional purposes
-- ironically, because her countpart had reverted to using her actual
first name, Jocelyn. Then, at the end of 1965, Doctor Who came
calling again; Wiles was now its producer, and he recalled Lane from the
Library Theatre. This time, she accepted the role of Dodo Chaplet, and
made her debut in the closing moments of 1966's The Massacre Of St Bartholomew's
Eve. Unfortunately, Lane's time on Doctor Who was cut
short: Wiles abruptly resigned from the programme soon afterwards and
his replacement, Innes Lloyd, envisaged more modern companions for the
Doctor. Dodo was unceremoniously dumped from Doctor Who halfway
through The War Machines, barely
four months after her debut.
Becoming sceptical of her future as an actress, Lane left the business
to work as an au pair, followed by twelve months as a diplomatic
secretary in Paris. She then returned to the United Kingdom to operate
an antiques shop for several years. Unable to resist the lure of the
entertainment industry, Lane joined the actors' agency London Management
in 1976. In the late Eighties, she formed her own company: Jackie Lane
Ad Voice specialised in voiceovers, and counted several Doctor
Who alumni -- including the Fourth Doctor, Tom Baker -- amongst its
clients. Lane retired around the turn of the century, and she passed
away on June 7th, 2021.
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