Entertainment

'Dynasty' Star Kate O'Mara's Died At 64

by Alanna Bennett

In the world of television, the women of Dynasty have long been icons. Now one of those women has left us: Dynasty star Kate O'Mara died Sunday of an undisclosed illness. She was 74. An English actress, O'Mara played the role of Caress Morell in Dynasty in 1986. Morell was the scheming sister of Joan Collins' Alexis Colby.

Aside from her role in the iconic soap, O'Mara also made repeat appearances in the original run of Doctor Who, playing the villain Rani, a renegade Time Lord and scientific evil genius exiled from Gallifrey and who, like Caress, is hoping to funnel her skills — in Caress' case it was a tell-all book full of secrets — into power.

O'Mara made her stafe debut in a 1963 production of The Merchant of Venice and her last acting gig was as Barbara Simmonds in an episode of the British sitcom Benidorm. Outside of her acting career (she was very well-known on the British stage and ran a theater company, too), she also wrote two novels and two autobiographical books. Here's a snippet from the promo for her autobiography Vamp Until Ready :

The no-holds-barred, eagerly awaited autobiography of one of Britain's most popular icons - known to millions from her many film and TV appearances, including Dynasty and The Brothers. Kate O'Mara writes here: "Don't put your daughter on the stage, Mrs Worthington! advised Noel Coward is his famous song. But mine did, and when I was only four years old! But my mother was only doing what came naturally, as I'm part of six generations of a theatrical family - we've built theatres and run our own theatre companies around the country, as well as being actors and actresses. A peripatetic childhood and eleven schools later, I went into the family business! For over 40 years I've done everything from Shakespeare to Hollywood soaps, from Restoration Comedy to Cult Television Drama, from Westerns to Pantomime. I have been nothing if not diverse! My personal life, however, has been a disaster area. Rape, desertion, adoption, divorce and numerous relationships with very much younger men. And this for someone who sees herself as an intellectual and can't be doing with sex at all...Oh well, the show must go on!"

Our condolences go out to her loved ones.

You can listen to her talk about her life and her work in the interview below: