Marion Diamond (17 December 1936 – 5 January 2026), better known by the stage name Marian Diamond, was an English actress. Known primarily for her voice roles, she worked for the BBC for many years. Diamond narrated several episodes of Jackanory, dealing mostly with C. S. Lewis books. She voiced the part of Galadriel in 1981 radio series The Lord of the Rings.
Life and career Diamond was born in London on 17 December 1936. She was the younger of the two daughters of George Diamond, a Polish Jew, and his wife Rosemary (née Reed) of Irish extraction. Gillian Diamond, her sister, was a casting director. She attended RADA, graduating in 1956.
She appeared in a number of films, including 80,000 Suspects (1963), Subterfuge (1968), and Goodbye Gemini (1970). On television she appeared in such series as Dixon of Dock Green, Danger Man, Brookside and The Armando Iannucci Shows. She also played in the drama Madame Bovary (2000), which was broadcast in two parts on 6 and 13 February in the United States on WGBH-TV, and on 10 and 11 April in the United Kingdom on BBC Two.
Diamond died at University College Hospital in London, on 5 January 2026, aged 89.
Filmography Film YearTitleRoleNotes196380,000 SuspectsSister DurrellUncredited role1968SubterfugeSchoolteacher1970Goodbye GeminiDenise Pryce-Fletcher1992Tale of a VampireDenise
Television YearTitleRoleNotes1958Armchair TheatreTeenage GirlEpisode: "Paid in Full"1959The Young Lady from London(unknown)Mini-series; episode 21960Dixon of Dock GreenJean TaylorEpisode: "The Guilty Party"NoahAdaTelevision filmScotland Yard(unknown)Episode: "Special Duty"Danger ManTelephone OperatorEpisode: "The Girl in Pink Pajamas". Uncredited role1961A Life of BlissJanet MarkhamEpisode: #2.2ITV Television PlayhouseRenateEpisode: "Marking Time"1963Emergency Ward 10Pauline Roberts3 episodesFirst NightSimone de MateosEpisode: "The Dawn"1964The AvengersJessyEpisode: "Build a Better Mousetrap"Dig This Rhubarb(unknown)5 episodesDetectiveJulia StonerEpisode: "The Speckled Band". Pilot for the series Sherlock HolmesLove StoryAngelaEpisode: "I Love, You Love, We Love"1964–1967Play SchoolHerself - Presenter60 episodes1965JackanoryDancerEpisode: "Cap of Rushes"Front Page StoryDinaEpisode: "Runaways"Z-CarsAva LuddEpisode: "Give a Dog a Name"ITV Sunday Night DramaAnn FlemingEpisode: "Lot 171"The Sullavan BrothersJulie RomanEpisode: "The Corrupters"Fothergale Co. Ltd.Sylvia Masters2 episodes: "Raw Material Prices" and "Advertising"LondonersGillianEpisode: "Kill Three"ITV Play of the WeekJean SansomeEpisode: "Their Obedient Servants"The Mask of JanusTina VerrillEpisode: "The Cold Equation"1966The IdiotAlexandraMini-series; 5 episodesMystery and ImaginationAlice SimpsonEpisode: "The Tractate Middoth"The TroubleshootersAnna KennyEpisode: "The Fires of Hell"Play of the MonthJean BellEpisode: "The Devil's Eggshell"1967Sir Arthur Conan DoyleMiss Mary BradshawEpisode: "The New Catacomb"The Paradise MakersJean3 episodes1967, 1968JackanoryHerself - Storyteller10 episodes: "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" and "Prince Caspian"1968ITV PlayhouseMary AnnEpisode: "Rogue's Gallery: The Curious Adventures of Miss Jane Rawley"Maggie BrownEpisode: "A Matter of Diamonds"DetectiveEthel Le NeveEpisode: "Crime of Passion"Market in Honey LaneAnn MarkhamEpisode: #3.141969Canterbury TalesPrioress5 episodes1970The Main ChanceHenrietta CarsonEpisode: "The Best Legal System in the World"1971Crime of PassionRobertaEpisode: "Olivier"KateBeth Randall2 episodes: "Call Her Sensitive" and "Call Her Serious"Owen, M.D.Elaine Norton2 episodes: "The Town Mouse: Parts 1 & 2"1972TightropeMiss Jane Walker12 episodesA Place in the SunPamela LentonMini-series; episode: "Achilles Heel"Spy TrapHelen Foster4 episodes: "The Executioner: Parts 1–4"1974ThrillerJennifer PeelEpisode: "The Next Scream You Hear"The Little MermaidFirst SisterTelevision film1976WarshipSurgeon Lt. Sue Herrick3 episodes1977Rough JusticeFrances PenroseMini-series; 4 episodes1979BothwellAnna ThrondsenTelevision film1980Company and Co.Furrier's AssistantEpisode: "The First Touch"The Swish of the CurtainMrs. Halford4 episodes1982Jackanory PlayhouseRunning DeerEpisode: "Hawkwing"1985The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13¾Mrs. ClaricoatesEpisode: #1.21987The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole2 episodes1992–1995BrooksideMrs. Shackleton14 episodes1993Between the LinesSecretaryEpisode: "Some Must Watch"1996The Ruth Rendell MysteriesDr. JamiesonEpisode: "Heartstones: Part Two"2000Madame BovarySister Marie Paul2-part television film2001The Armando Iannucci ShowsVarious5 episodes2006DoctorsJean FranksEpisode: "One Day, Maybe"
References
External links
Marian Diamond at BFI