Caroline John
| Caroline John | |
|---|---|
John as Liz Shaw on Doctor Who in 1970
|
|
| Born |
Caroline Frances John 19 September 1940 York, North Yorkshire, England |
| Died | 5 June 2012 (aged 71) London, England |
| Cause of death | Cancer |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1954–2012 |
| Television |
Doctor Who A Perfect Spy |
| Spouse(s) | Geoffrey Beevers (1970–2012, her death) |
| Children | 3 |
Caroline Frances John (19 September 1940 – 5 June 2012) was an English actress best known for her role as Elizabeth "Liz" Shaw in the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who, as well as several other television roles. John was the third of eight children born to Alexander John and Vera Winckworth. She was educated at a convent school in Kenilworth
After training at the Central School of Speech and Drama, she worked in theatre, touring with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre in Juno and the Paycock directed by Laurence Olivier, King Lear, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, The Merchant of Venice and as Hero in Franco Zeffirelli's production of Much Ado About Nothing.
John played the role of the Doctor's companion in 1970 opposite Jon Pertwee's Third Doctor. John was recommended to then Doctor Who producer Peter Bryant by another BBC producer, James Cellan Jones, who sent Bryant and his associate Derrick Sherwin photographs of her. Unlike most of the preceding and subsequent female companions of the Doctor, Shaw was a brilliant scientist and understood much of the Doctor's technobabble. Shaw and the Doctor discussed things on a more equitable level of intelligence, and the Doctor respected and rarely patronised her. New series producer Barry Letts believed the character was too intellectual to be a suitable companion to the Doctor and decided against renewing her contract for the next season.
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