Pauline "Polly" Adams is an English actress. She is best known for her work on the stage both in England and in the United States, and for her portrayal of Mrs. Brown in the 1990s television series Just William. She made her Broadway debut in a 1975 revival of London Assurance as Grace Harkaway, for which she was nominated for a Drama Desk Award. Her other Broadway credits include Bedroom Farce.

Early life and education Pauline Adams was born in Chichester, Sussex.

She trained at Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA).

Career Adams, known as Polly, has appeared in several productions in London theatres, appearing at such theatres as the Old Vic, the Oxford Stage Company, the Hampstead Theatre, the Royal National Theatre, the Greenwich Theatre, the Haymarket Theatre, the Lyric Hammersmith, the Globe Theatre, the Queen's Theatre, the Piccadilly Theatre, the Savoy Theatre, and the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Her theatre credits include Ida in The Chiltern Hundreds, Time and the Conways, A Month in the Country, Pygmalion, Tis Pity She’s a Whore, A Small Family Business, Tons of Money, Plunder, The Philanderer, Engaged, Troilus and Cressida and Don Juan Comes Back From The War, The Government Inspector, Benefactors, The Real Thing, Present Laughter, The Importance of Being Earnest, Hay Fever, The Merchant of Venice, Private Lives, The Complaisant Lover, and Relatively Speaking.

She made her Broadway debut in a 1975 revival of London Assurance as Grace Harkaway, for which she was nominated for a Drama Desk Award. Her other Broadway credits include Bedroom Farce.

Adams worked on television in the UK, appearing in shows including The Ruth Rendell Mysteries, Element of Doubt, Just William, A Dark-Adapted Eye, The Cinder Path, Blisters , Inspector Alleyn, Bonjour la Classe, The Camomile Lawn, Sob Sisters, Executive Stress, The Murder at the Vicarage, Faint-Hearted Feminist, Winter Sunshine, Goodbye Darling , Tribute to the Lady, Upstairs, Downstairs, The First Churchills, The Spoils of Poynton, Pride and Prejudice, and Compact and Sea Song.

Her film credits include Clinic Exclusive (1971), Element of Doubt (1996), and Kisna: The Warrior Poet (2005).

Personal life Her daughters, Susannah, Nelly, and Caroline Harker are also actresses. Adams portrayed Jane Bennet in the 1967 television adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, while Susannah Harker played the same role in the 1995 TV series Pride and Prejudice.

Filmography Film YearTitleRoleNotes 1964 Never Put It in Writing Receptionist1970 A Cup of Kindness Tilly Winn TV film She Follows Me About Benny TV film 1971 Clinic Exclusive Ann 1976 Private Lives Sibyl Chase TV film 1980 Bedroom Farce Jan TV film1986 The Murder at the Vicarage Ann Protheroe TV film L'étincelle Kathryn 1996 Element of Doubt Ellen TV film 2002 Falling Apart Clare's Mum TV film 2005 Kisna: The Warrior Poet Lady Katherine

Television YearTitleRoleNotes1959 Dixon of Dock Green Sally Ford Episode: "Duffy Calls the Tune" The Two Charleys Jessie Episode: "Canteen Capers" 1960 Theatre Night Serena Tilney Episode: "The Bride Comes Back"1961 An Enemy of the People Petra Stockmann Miniseries ITV Play of the Week Penny Gracey Episode: "The Two on the Beach"1962 BBC Sunday-Night Play Clarissa Davenport Episode: "Both Ends Meet" Suspense Miss Eaton Episode: "Killer in the Band" Somerset Maugham Hour Sally Episode: "Killer in the Band" 1963 ITV Play of the Week Tessie Dunton Episode: "For King and Country #2: The Barricade" 1964 Drama 61-67 Jan Episode: "Drama '64: The Brick Umbrella" 1964–1965 Compact Julia Preston Series regular 1967 Pride and Prejudice Jane Bennet Miniseries1968 Sexton Blake Barbara Mayne 4 episodes ITV Playhouse Caol Episode: "Neutral Ground"1969 Who-Dun-It Delphine Minniver Episode: "Crime at the Panto" The First Churchills Henrietta Churchill 5 episodes1970 The Spoils of Poynton Maggie Miniseries From a Bird's Eye View Betty Episode: "Millie's Moveable Feast" 1972 Villains Mother Episode: "Sand Dancer"1974 ITV Sunday Night Theatre Jackie Episode: "Only the Other Day" Armchair Cinema Anna Episode: "Sea Song"1975 Three Comedies of Marriage Episode: "One of the Family" Upstairs, Downstairs Mrs. Polly Merivale Episode: "Such a Lovely Man" 1976 BBC Play of the Month Margaret Orme Episode: "Loyalties" 1977 Devenish Prudence Devenish Episode: "The Great American Job" 1978 The Sunday Drama Eloise Gainsborough Episode: "The Marrying Kind" 1981 Goodbye Darling Phillippa Episode: "Daisy"1984 The Fainthearted Feminist Irene Winter Sunlight Jane Miniseries 1986 Executive Stress Olive 1 episode 1989 Sob Sisters Dorothy Series regular 1991 The Ruth Rendell Mysteries Melanie Dearborn Episode: "Murder Being Once Done" 1992 The Camomile Lawn Sarah Miniseries1993 Bonjour la Classe Jean Halifax Series regular Alleyn Mysteries Mildred Potter Episode: "Death in a White Tie"1994 A Dark-Adapted Eye Helen Miniseries The Cinder Path Florence Chapman Miniseries 1994–1995 Just William Mrs. Brown Series regular 2009 Kingdom Amelia 1 episode

Theatre Year Title Role Venue Notes 1959 The Complaisant Lover Ann Howard Globe Theatre, London1962 The Chances Extra Chichester Festival Theatre, Chichester The Broken Heart Christella Chichester Festival Theatre, Chichester 1963 Gentle Jack Cynthia Queens Theatre, London 1967 Relatively Speaking Virginia Duke of York's Theatre, London 1971 Dear Antoine Anémone Piccadilly Theatre, London 1973 Private Lives Sibyl Chase Globe Theatre, London 1975 Engaged Belinda Treherne The Old Vic, London1976 Troilus and Cressida Helen Royal National Theatre, London Plunder Joan Hewlett Lyttelton Theatre, London 1977 The Country Wife Alithea Olivier Theatre, London1978 The Philanderer Grace Tranfield Lyttelton Theatre, London Don Juan Comes Back From The War Ensemble Cottesloe Theatre, London Bedroom Farce Jan Prince of Wales Theatre, London 1979 Hay Fever Myra Arundel Lyric Theatre, London 1980 The Importance of Being Earnest Gwendolen Fairfax Haymarket Theatre, Leicester & The Old Vic, London 1981 Present Laughter Joanna Greenwich Theatre, London & Vaudeville Theatre, London 1982 The Real Thing Charlotte Strand Theatre, London 1985 Benefactors Jane Vaudeville Theatre, London 1986 Tons of Money Louise Allington Lyttelton Theatre, London 1987 A Small Family Business Poppy McCracken Olivier Theatre, London 1988 'Tis Pity She's a Whore Hippolita Olivier Theatre, London 1990 Rumors Christine Bevans Chichester Festival Theatre, Chichester also, UK tour 1991 The Government Inspector Anna Greenwich Theatre, London 1992 Pygmalion Mrs Eynsford-Hill Olivier Theatre, London 1994 A Month in the Country Lizaveta Bogdanovna Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford & Albery Theatre, London 1997 Time and the Conways Mrs. Conway Mercury Theatre, Colchester & Salisbury Playhouse, Salisbury 1999 The Chiltern Hundreds Lady Lister Vaudeville Theatre, London 2000 The Good Samaritan Muriel Hampstead Theatre, London 2001 The Winslow Boy Grace Winslow Chichester Festival Theatre, Chichester also, UK Tour 2005 Marrying the Mistress Laura Stockdale Jersey Opera House, Saint Helier 2006 Entertaining Angels Ruth Chichester Festival Theatre, Chichester 2007 For Services Rendered Charlotte Ardsley Watermill Theatre, Bagnor 2008 Legal Fictions Savoy Theatre, London 2010 A Voyage Round My Father Mother Salisbury Playhouse, Salisbury 2014 Rapture, Blister, Burn Alice Hampstead Theatre, London 2016 Home Chat Mrs. Ebony Finborough Theatre, London

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