Gretchen Franklin

Gretchen Franklin

Known for: Acting

Born: July 6, 1911 in Covent Garden, London, England, UK - Died: July 10, 2005

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.

Known for

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The Murder Game

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0.0
MOVIE

The Murder Game

Landlady

1965 Crime
Before I Wake

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4.6
MOVIE

Before I Wake

Elsie

1955 Mystery
The Trouble with Our Ivy

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0.0
MOVIE

The Trouble with Our Ivy

Mrs. Chard

1961 TV Movie
Ticket to Paradise

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5.2
MOVIE

Ticket to Paradise

Mrs. Higginbottom

1960 Romance
The Silent Playground

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4.7
MOVIE

The Silent Playground

Mrs. Elgin

1963 Thriller
The Four Musketeers

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6.4
MOVIE

The Four Musketeers

D'Artagnan's Mother (archive footage) (uncredited)

1974 Action
Secrets

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6.0
MOVIE

Secrets

Mrs. Pitt

1973 TV Movie
Twisted Nerve

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6.7
MOVIE

Twisted Nerve

Clarkie

1968 Drama
The Company Man

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0.0
MOVIE

The Company Man

Tea Lady

1970 Drama
The Three Musketeers

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6.8
MOVIE

The Three Musketeers

D’Artagnan’s Mother

1973 Action
Flame in the Streets

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6.0
MOVIE

Flame in the Streets

Mrs. Bingham

1961 Drama
The Night Visitor

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6.4
MOVIE

The Night Visitor

Mrs. Hansen

1971 Thriller
The High Terrace

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6.0
MOVIE

The High Terrace

Mrs. Webb

1956 Mystery
Return to Waterloo

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6.7
MOVIE

Return to Waterloo

Woman on Train

1984 Music
Subterfuge

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4.7
MOVIE

Subterfuge

Bus Conductress

1968 Thriller
How I Won the War

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5.5
MOVIE

How I Won the War

2nd Old Lady

1967 Comedy
Help!

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6.8
MOVIE

Help!

Neighbour

1965 Comedy
Trottie True

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7.0
MOVIE

Trottie True

Martha (uncredited)

1949 Music
The Secret Place

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6.2
MOVIE

The Secret Place

Mother (uncredited)

1957 Crime
Cloak Without Dagger

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7.2
MOVIE

Cloak Without Dagger

Emmie

1956 Mystery
Ragtime

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7.0
MOVIE

Ragtime

Elderly Woman

1981 Drama
The Poet

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0.0
MOVIE

The Poet

Erminia

1960 Drama
The Man Who Came to Die

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0.0
MOVIE

The Man Who Came to Die

Mrs. Marriott

1965 Drama
Quincy's Quest

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5.5
MOVIE

Quincy's Quest

Witch

1979 Family