R.I.P. Caroline John

The sad news arrived that the British actress Caroline John passed away on June 5, 2012.

Born in 1940 in York, England, Caroline John studied acting at the Central School of Speech and Drama.

After working primarily in theater, in 1970 Caroline John was cast in the role of Elizabeth “Liz” Shaw in the television series “Doctor Who”. At a time when the Doctor’s companions had a primary role to ask the Doctor questions, Liz Shaw was instead a scientist able to discuss complex topics. This was probably one of the reasons why she was replaced though at the end of the season, she was pregnant so probably she’d have abandoned the show anyway.

Caroline John worked in “Doctor Who” for one year only and in “Inferno“, her latest adventure, there’s no farewell scene. Over the years, however, she worked in other productions more or less connected to the famous series. In 1993, she appeared in the special “Dimensions in Time” and in various other productions involving actors who appeared in “Doctor Who” such as the movie “The Stranger: Breach of the Peace” and the film series “P.R.O.B.E.”, where she reprised the role of Liz Shaw.

In recent years, Caroline John also took part in various “Doctor Who” audio adventures produced by Big Finish, though in “Dust Breeding” she played a character different from Liz Shaw.

During her career, she participated in several movies, tv shows, and stage plays.

She was married to actor Geoffrey Beevers, who played the Master in the adventure of the classic “Doctor Who” series “The Keeper of Traken”. They had three children.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *