Rosalie Williams

[billy farmer]

I wondered if any Brit Movie Members know any info about Rosalie Williams who played Mrs Hudson in the Sherlock Holmes Granada Series (1984-1994), there is not much info about Rosalie Williams on the internet and on imdb it states that her last screen appearance was in The Memoirs Of Sherlock Holmes (the final series of the Sherlock Holmes Granada Series which was shown in 1994), i would be very grateful if any Brit Movie Members could provide me with any more info about Rosalie Williams, below is a screencap of Rosalie Williams as Mrs Hudson in the episode The Naval Treaty (1984) from the Sherlock Holmes Granada Series.

[Timmy_Lea]

She invented a rival product to Shake 'n' Vac. It never took off.

[mallee59]

I loved her 'battles' with Jeremy in the Granada series, seemed to be almost at a loss.

[didi-5]

I would love to know more about Rosalie Williams but as you say, Billy, there isn't much out there. I assume she is still alive in the absence of a notice to the contrary.

[billy farmer]

On Wikipedia it states that Rosalie Williams husband David Scase died in 2003, it also states on Wikipedia that Rosalie Williams had a son (called Rory) with David Scase, on imdb it states that David Scase was an Actor (1919-2003), but on imdb it does not mention that Rosalie Williams was married to David Scase, on imdb it states that Rosalie Williams was married to the Actor Hugh Sinclair, it also states on imdb that Rosalie Williams had 2 sons with Hugh Sinclair, it does not state on Wikipedia when Rosalie Williams married David Scase and on imdb it does not state when Rosalie Williams married Hugh Sinclair, Hugh Sinclair died in 1962.

Rosalie Williams - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Rosalie Williams - IMDb

[Euryale]

David Scase did indeed marry a Rosalie Williams as did Hugh Sinclair, but I think they were two different Rosalies! David was married to his wife at the time of his death:


Obituary: David Scase | The Guardian


This may be David's wife under her married name:


Rosalie Scase - IMDb


E.

[billy farmer]

David Scase did indeed marry a Rosalie Williams as did Hugh Sinclair, but I think they were two different Rosalies! David was married to his wife at the time of his death:


Obituary: David Scase | The Guardian


This may be David's wife under her married name:


Rosalie Scase - IMDb


E.

Thank you for your research Euryale, Wikipedia and imdb confused me about Rosalie Williams and i am still confused because A Taste Of Honey is not listed among Rosalie Williams imdb credits, in the link you provided for David Scase's Obituary from The Guardian Euryale it states that David Scase had three daughters and a son who survived him and Rosalie survived him as well, i wonder if Rosalie is still with us, she was married to David Scase from 1945-2003 (58 years).

[didi-5]

Apparently Rosalie appeared in the TV series Flambards and an episode of The Sandbaggers as well as the Sherlock Holmes series.

Rosalie Williams was indeed the wife of David Scase (who made a Sherlock appearance of his own in The Master Blackmailer) and they have a son, Rory, who is also an actor. Rosalie and David met when he was artistic director at the Library Theatre, Manchester, where she was in the company (so was Jeremy Brett, coincidentally). She did, as Euryale has already said, act under the name of Rosalie Scase at times.

I'm drawing a blank on any images of the young Rosalie though. Can anyone find her in A Taste of Honey? Someone needs to link the entries in IMDb together as currently she has two under each of her professional names.

[Euryale]

It is very confusing, Billy, but the regular sources are mixed up. The Rosalie who is the subject of this thread was definitely the wife of David Scase. They married in Manchester in early 1945 and were together until his death in 2003.

They had four children which I believe are the following:

Annabel born 1948

I think this must be her:

IMDb - Annabel Scase

George R. born 1954

I'm guessing the R stands for Rory - he was also an actor.

Josephine and Katharine born 1963 - obviously twins.

Rosalie was living in Manchester under her married name until about 2007, I can find no trace of her after that at present.

The actor Hugh Sinclair was married firstly to the actress Valerie Taylor and secondly to Mary Rosalie Williams - in 1949 - so clearly a different person
to our actress.

Rosalie did act under her married name of Scase for A Taste of Honey as the BFI shows:

BFI | Film & TV Database | WILLIAMS, Rosalie


E.

[didi-5]

Yes I just mentioned Rory Scase in my previous post ... clearly whoever added the entries for Rosalie Scase and Rosalie Williams to the IMDb didn't make the connection between the two. I wonder why she used Williams later (her original name?).

[billy farmer]

Thank you for yet more interesting research Euryale, very interesting information, i am glad to say that i am no longer confused about Rosalie Williams, thank you also for your replies didi-5, also very interesting information, good to see Jeremy Brett given a mention, i also would like to see some images of a young Rosalie Williams.

[Euryale]

Yes I just mentioned Rory Scase in my previous post ... clearly whoever added the entries for Rosalie Scase and Rosalie Williams to the IMDb didn't make the connection between the two. I wonder why she used Williams later (her original name?).

Perhaps because she had already established her acting career under the name 'Williams', so professionally it made sense to revert to it.

Her daughter Annabel married the actor Peter Armitage who played Bill Webster in Coronation Street. Peter attended the East 15 Acting School which I believe Rosalie and David had an association with. That may have been how Annabel and Peter met.


E.

[billy farmer]

A screencap of Rosalie Williams as Mrs Hudson in the episode The Solitary Cyclist (1984) from the Sherlock Holmes Granada Series.

[Euryale]

I can't find any reference to a date of birth for Rosalie but she may be the Rosalie J. Williams born in Barton-upon-Irwell in the spring of 1919. A few clues point to this. Rosalie's marriage record gives her middle initial as 'J' and all her children are registered as born in Barton. If I have the right person, her mother's maiden name was Brunnschweiler suggesting some German or Austrian ancestry.

Rosalie seems to have spent much of her life living in a house that had belonged to her parents in Urmston, Manchester. The best way to find information about Rosalie is to read books and articles about Joan Littlewood and her theatrical circle.

Class Act: The Cultural and Political Life of Ewan MacColl by Ben Harker is a biography of the legendary folksinger/songwriter. From this we find out that Rosalie's parents were teachers and they spent World War II in the USA, leaving Rosalie in England. Rosalie attended Manchester University and during the War years she was for a time the girlfriend of Ewan MacColl. In fact, Ewan stayed with Rosalie at her parents' house in Urmston for much of the War. During this period Rosalie worked as a clerk at the local town hall, and her house became a sort of headquarters for Joan Littlewood and her associates.

Rosalie was still living at the Urmston house when Ben Harker interviewed her for this book a few years ago.


E.

[billy farmer]

Thank you for yet more great research Euryale, thanks to you i am learning a lot more about Rosalie Williams that i never knew.

[billy farmer]

A screencap of Rosalie Williams as Mrs Hudson in the episode The Empty House (1986) from the Sherlock Holmes Granada Series, also featuring Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes.

A wonderful moment when Mrs Hudson is reunited with Holmes after three years (following his encounter with
Professor Moriarty at The Reichenbach Falls in Switzerland)

[billy farmer]

Rosalie Williams appeared in the ITV series Holly (which was first shown in 1972), Rosalie played the part of Mrs Mattingly in Holly, also appearing in Holly was David Burke (who played Dr Watson in the first two series of the Sherlock Holmes Granada Series), David Burke played the part of Tom Prentiss in Holly, i have never seen any episodes of Holly, but it would be very interesting to see both Rosalie Williams and David Burke in a series that was made long before they appeared together in the Sherlock Holmes Granada Series.

[billy farmer]

A screencap of Rosalie Williams as Mrs Lacey in an episode of Coronation Street that was first shown on ITV on March 20th 1978, also featuring Norman Bird as Joe Hibbert, William Roache as Ken Barlow and Barbara Knox as Rita Fairclough, this episode of Coronation Street featured the wedding of Alf Roberts and Renee Bradshaw.