Heather Jean Chasen (20 July 1927 – 22 May 2020) was an English actress, known for her roles in soap operas; playing Valerie Pollard in the ITV soap opera, Crossroads, from 1982 to 1986 and guest roles in Doctors, Holby City and Family Affairs. Chasen also played many roles in BBC Radio 2's The Navy Lark from 1959 to 1977, and appeared in the television series Marked Personal from 1973 to 1974. She played the recurring role of Lydia Simmonds in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, a role which received positive reviews from critics and EastEnders crew and cast members. Furthermore, she appeared extensively in theatre productions and film; in 2012, she appeared in a film version of Les Misérables.
Early life Chasen was born on 20 July 1927, in Singapore to Agnes H. (née McCullock) and F.N. Chasen, an English ornithologist. Her father fought as a trooper with the Norfolk Yeomanry in World War I. In 1921, he left England to work at the Raffles Library and Museum in Singapore, marrying Chasen's mother, Agnes, in 1926. Chasen's sister, Christine Elizabeth, was born on 4 May 1931. Her parents split up in 1938, and both later remarried.
Before the Japanese occupation, which led to the Battle of Singapore during World War II, Chasen and her mother left Singapore on the last boat before the occupation. Her father, however, on a separate ship, HMS Giang Bee, died when it was sunk by the Japanese on 12 February 1942. Chasen's stepfather, G.C.R. Franks, also died in fighting, on 22 March. Chasen and her mother moved to the UK and she trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, where she acted on stage and went on tour with Frankie Howerd in Hotel Paradiso. She appeared with Sybil Thorndike in Call Me Jacky, and toured with Douglas Fairbanks Jr. in The Pleasure of his Company, in Toronto.
Career
Crossroads and EastEnders
In 2011, Chasen was cast as Lydia Simmonds, Janine Butcher (Charlie Brooks)'s maternal grandmother and Norman Simmonds' (George Layton) mother, in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, after the original actress Margaret Tyzack had to pull out of the role for personal reasons. Two episodes featuring Tyzack had already been broadcast, and she featured in a further one on 14 April. Chasen was cast and replaced Tyzack in the role, beginning filming on 15 April for scenes broadcast from 21 April. EastEnders executive producer, Bryan Kirkwood, added: "In order to continue the current storyline we've taken the decision for Heather Chasen to take over the role of Lydia." The character died on-screen and Chasen made her last appearance on 13 June 2011, and, though not credited for it, did a voice-over for the 14 and 28 June episodes. Kirkwood later said "Lydia's storyline was perfect" and that Chasen had made the part her own after Tyzack's departure. Brooks said of the storyline as a whole, "I absolutely loved exploring Janine's background. I was really proud with the scenes with Heather Chasen [Lydia]. It was really hard work, but worth it."
Other work Chasen appeared in other television programmes such as The Bill and The Harry Hill Show. She had guest roles in Z-Cars and Dixon of Dock Green and voiced a number of characters in the radio show The Navy Lark, particularly WREN Heather Chasen and "battle axe" Ramona Povey. In soaps, she had four separate appearances in the BBC soap opera Doctors, with her most recent in 2014, reprising her role as Grace Barberry from 2012. She played Sylvie Leigh in Holby City and, for five episodes, Madge Bennet in the Channel 5 soap opera, Family Affairs. Earlier credits include, playing "rich bitches" Caroline Kerr, in The Newcomers and Isabel Neal in Marked Personal, alongside Stephanie Beacham. She also played the "evil" headmistress in Schoolgirls in Uniform at the Battersea Arts Centre. In stage and theatre, Chasen appeared in The Rat Trap. Michael Billington from The Guardian described Chasen's character, Burrage the maid, as "trundling", rating the play three stars. Other than this, she appeared in Pardon Ma Prime Minister alongside Gerald Flood and Paul Curran, written by Edward Taylor and John Graham who created the BBC radio series The Men from the Ministry. The Birmingham Mail described the play as "hilarious" and "promising". One of Chasen's last plays was My Three Angels in which she played Madame Parole, other plays included, The Man Who Came to Dinner, Who Bombed Birmingham playing Margaret Thatcher, and The Lizard of Rock, in which she played the main role, appearing alongside actor Jack Hawkins. Chasen opined that she had a "lovely time" playing Miss Marple in A Murder is Announced alongside Richard Todd and Barbara Murray. In 2009, Chasen appeared in the award-winning Anglo-Russian feature film Season of Mists, playing Jane. Chasen appeared alongside Marina Blake, Sergei Chonishvili, Ifan Huw Dafydd and ex-EastEnders actor Dudley Sutton. Other films she has appeared in include, The Kiss of Tosca in 2000, The Toybox in 2003 and Cat Run, a 2011 film.
Personal life and death Chasen was friends with, and previously had a relationship with, Amanda Barrie. In Call Me Jacky, she played an alcoholic lesbian, and later claimed to have based her characterisation partly on the novelist and playwright Patricia Highsmith, whom she knew well.
In 1949, Chasen married John Webster, and they had one son, Rupert, who played in Lindsay Anderson's if.... He also appears with Chasen in a 2013 short documentary, A Stage of Development.
Chasen died on 22 May 2020, aged 92.Actress Heather Chasen dies aged 92
Awards and nominations Chasen was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical, while she appeared in the New York adaptation of A Severed Head between 1963–1965. She appeared in the cast of the Seasons of Mists which won a number of awards internationally.
Filmography Film Year Title Role 1949 Meet the Duke Carol1971 Naughty! Victorian Madame Suburban Wives Kathy Lambert1972 Commuter Husbands Wife On the Game Madame 1976 The Deadly Females Frances 1989 The Plot to Kill Hitler The Baroness 2000 The Kiss of Tosca Tosca 2003 The Toybox Gran 2009 Season of Mists Jane 2010 The Social Network Matt's wife 2011 Cat Run Bingham's Mom 2012 Les Misérables Madame Magloire
Television Year Title Role Notes1960 No Hiding Place Brenda 1 episode The Cheaters Mary Calder The World of Tim Frazer Helen Baker 6 episodesDanger Man Helen Hamilton 1 episode1961 Lorain Zameda Walk a Crooked Mile Angela Charles Inspector Maigret Guest Dixon of Dock Green Laura Beckley1962 Saki Agnes Huddle Dixon of Dock Green Stella Judd1963 Jezebel ex UK Rita Lorraine Suspense Clarice Morrison 1965 The Newcomers Caroline Kerr 1967 Z-Cars Pamela Raven 2 episodes 1969 Call My Bluff Herself 1 episode 1973–1974 Marked Personal Isabel Neal 84 episodes 1977 Play of the Month: Waste Lady Julia Farrant 1 episode 1978 A Traveller in Time Mary, Queen of Scots 3 episodes 1981 Lady Killers Mrs. Martinetti 1 episode1982 Crossroads Reporter Young Sherlock: The Mystery of the Manor House Aunt Rachel 5 episodes 1982–1986 Crossroads Valerie Pollard Unknown 1983 Shades of Darkness Minor Role 1 episode 1989 Heat of the Day Mrs Kelway 1990 Who Bombed Birmingham Margaret Thatcher1992 The Eligible Bachelor The Hon Amelia Surgical Spirit Sabatini's Mother 2003, 2010 Holby City Sylvie Leigh 2 episodes2003 The Bill Mrs. Belstram 1 episode The All New Harry Hill Show Betty 2003,2006,2012, 2014 Doctors Norma Ida Price Grace Barberry 4 episodes2005 Casualty Bessie Symes 1 episode Family Affairs Madge Bennett 5 episodes 2011 EastEnders Lydia Simmonds 11 episodes 2013 Dancing on the Edge Lady Altringham 1 episode
Radio Year Title Role 1959–1977 The Navy Lark WRN Chasen Mrs Ramona Povey Rita Murray Morpeth Goldstein Natasha Snogitoff Lady Quirk Miss Simpkins Lady Todhunter-Brown Lucy Doll Queen Jaratova Wren Simkins Second Officer Maclootie Lady Hamilton Myrtle Pertwee Mrs Sedgwick Fatima Sumpbolt Nurse at the RN College, Dartmouth Renee, daughter of the landlord of the Popple's Head pub and barmaid at the pub Judith "Judikins" PoveyExotic & Sultry Tanya (Agent no.5)Agent No.2 (working for The Mistress)Mrs GranthimumNorwegian waitressDolores "the Danglers"FifiMiss Esmeralda CrimpLeading Wren Felicity PertweeThe Mayoress of Whittlesea Bay1st Officer Anastasia PertweeGrotty GertieMiss QueegLetitia PhillipsAstrid Feltbody 1966 The Embassy Lark HE Fatima Soriaya Fazalik, Turkish Ambassador to Tratvia 1967 Sexton Blake adventures Paula Dane
Stage/Theatre Year Title Role 1945 Donna Clarines Marcella 1954 Blood Wedding Leonardo's wife1958 Little Eyolf Rita Allmers Templeton Anna Dasousa The Mousetrap Mollie Ralston 1960 The Lizard of the Rock Main Role1962 A Midsummer Night's Dream Helena Policy for Murder Lee Miller 1963 The Maids Solange 1963, 1964, 1965 A Severed Head Antonia Lynch Gibbon1966 Love from Liz Nancy Morrow Jorrocks Mrs Barnington Thriller of the Year Gillian Howard 1967 Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Martha 1967–1968 Call me Jacky Countess Ardele Gina Ekdal The Wild Duck Jacqueline du Bois1969 Forty Years On Matron Lady S Lady Susan 1970 Lady Frederick Marchioness of Mereston 1970–1972 The Pleasure of his Company Katherine Daugherty1971 Hello and Goodbye Hester The Amorous Prawn Mrs. Fitzadam The Magistrate Queen Margaret Richard III Agatha 1972 Children of the Wolf Helena 1973 Baby Love Mrs. Taylor1975 Hay Fever Judith Bliss Butterflies Are Free Mrs. Baker Madame de Sade Alison Diaries Comtesse de Saint Fond 1977 Rebecca Beatrice Lacy 1978 Murder in a Bad Light Olivia Waynward1979 The Eagle Has Two Heads Edith de Berg The Man Who Came To Dinner Miss Preen 1994 A Murder is Announced Miss Marple 1996 Black Chiffon Nanny 1997 School Girls in Uniform The Headmistress1999 Sweet Bramleys June Laying the Ghost Freda 2000 Getting On Minor Role 2001 Mountain Language Elderly Lady 2002 My Three Angles Madame Parole 2006 The Rat Trap Burrage the Maid 2008 Pardon Ma Prime Minister Lead Role
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