Acting credits
45
Established
Large and steady acting portfolio.
Actor
Gretchen Franklin
Acting
Career Snapshot
ExplainedThese indicators come from TMDB. They are relative signals, not review ratings.
TMDB popularity
0.6
Low visibility
TMDB internal trend index. Higher usually means more searches and page activity now.
Movies: 22Series: 23
TMDB ID: 214115
IMDb ID: nm0291434
Known for: Acting
Born: July 7, 1911
Died: July 11, 2005
Age: 94
Place of birth: Covent Garden, London, England, UK
Gender: Female
Adult content flag: No
Career span: 1949 - 1990
Years active: 42
Average TMDB rating: 6.78
Wikidata: Q243121
Biography
Born in Covent Garden, West London in 1911, Gretchen Franklin was an English actress and dancer whose showbusiness career spanned over 70 years. She was best known for her role as Ethel Skinner in the long-running BBC 1 soap opera EastEnders. She appeared in the very first episode in 1985 and was a regular in the series until 1988. After this she returned to the show intermittently until 2000 when her character was killed off, allowing Franklin to retire from acting at the age of 89. Born into a theatrical family (her father had a song and dance act, her grandfather was a famous music hall entertainer at the turn of the century and her cousin was Dad's Army star Clive Dunn) Gretchen Franklin made her theatre debut as a teenage chorus girl. She toured with comedians such as Gracie Fields before making the switch to serious acting. Her film appearances included Cloak Without Dagger (1956), Flame in the Streets (1961), The Murder Game (1965), Help! (1965), How I Won The War (1967), Twisted Nerve (1968), The Night Visitor (1971), The Three Musketeers (1973), Quincy's Quest (1979), and Ragtime (1981), among others. She is namechecked in The Fall's 1990 song Telephone Thing.
Movies
Movies
Movie credits linked with Gretchen Franklin.
6.7
Return to Waterloo
as Woman on Train
1984 Movie
7.0
Ragtime
as Elderly Woman
1981 Movie
5.5
Quincy's Quest
as Witch
1979 Movie
The One and Only Phyllis Dixey
as Phyllis's Dresser
1978 Movie
6.4
The Four Musketeers
as D'Artagnan's Mother (archive footage) (uncredited)
1974 Movie
6.7
The Three Musketeers
as D’Artagnan’s Mother
1973 Movie
6.0
Secrets
as Mrs. Pitt
1973 Movie
6.3
The Night Visitor
as Mrs. Hansen
1971 Movie
6.7
Twisted Nerve
as Clarkie
1968 Movie
4.7
Subterfuge
as Bus Conductress
1968 Movie
5.5
How I Won the War
as 2nd Old Lady
1967 Movie
The Murder Game
as Landlady
1965 Movie
6.8
Help!
as Neighbour
1965 Movie
4.7
The Silent Playground
as Mrs. Elgin
1963 Movie
The Trouble with Our Ivy
as Mrs. Chard
1961 Movie
5.9
Flame in the Streets
as Mrs. Bingham
1961 Movie
5.2
Ticket to Paradise
as Mrs. Higginbottom
1961 Movie
6.2
The Secret Place
as Mother (uncredited)
1957 Movie
6.0
The High Terrace
as Mrs. Webb
1956 Movie
7.2
Cloak Without Dagger
as Emmie
1956 Movie
4.6
Before I Wake
as Elsie
1955 Movie
7.0
Trottie True
as Martha (uncredited)
1949 Movie
Series
Series
Series credits linked with Gretchen Franklin.
7.7
Keeping Up Appearances
as Daddy's Fiance • 1 eps
1990 Series
4.1
EastEnders
669 eps
1985 Series
8.0
Blackadder
as Cordelia • 1 eps
1983 Series
6.6
Quatermass
as Edna • 2 eps
1979 Series
6.2
Terry and June
as Cath • 1 eps
1979 Series
8.0
Danger UXB
as Mrs. Flack • 1 eps
1979 Series
4.8
Hazell
as Pearl • 1 eps
1978 Series
5.5
Nicholas Nickleby
as Miss Knag • 1 eps
1977 Series
6.8
George and Mildred
as Mother • 1 eps
1976 Series
7.0
I Didn't Know You Cared
as Auntie Lil • 7 eps
1975 Series
7.8
The Sweeney
as Florence, the Charlady • 1 eps
1975 Series
1.0
Churchill's People
as Mrs Baxter • 1 eps
1974 Series
7.5
Rising Damp
as Aunt Maud • 1 eps
1974 Series
6.0
Bowler
as Mrs Bowler • 13 eps
1973 Series
7.6
Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em
1 eps
1973 Series
5.8
The Protectors
as Nelly Baxter • 1 eps
1972 Series
6.4
Sykes
as Bookstall Assistant • 1 eps
1972 Series
7.0
Budgie
as Carrie Wetherall • 1 eps
1971 Series
Londoners
as Mrs. Hincastle • 1 eps
1965 Series
6.8
Gideon's Way
as Martha Bray • 1 eps
1965 Series
6.7
The Scales of Justice
as Rose Jenkins • 1 eps
1962 Series
7.0
Z-Cars
1 eps
1962 Series
5.3
Dixon of Dock Green
as Mrs. Walcott • 1 eps
1955 Series