# Anita Carey

Anita Eileen Carey (16 April 1948 – 19 July 2023) was an English actress. She appeared in British television programmes from the 1970s, with her first notable appearances including roles in Beryl's Lot, The History of Mr. Polly and The Spoils of War. She then played Joyce Smedley in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street from 1996 to 1997. After further appearances in various series, she joined the cast of the BBC soap opera Doctors as Vivien March in 2007. She stayed in the role for two years, during which her character was involved in a rape scene that won her the British Soap Award for Best Dramatic Performance in 2009.

## Early life

Anita Eileen Carey was born on 16 April 1948, in Halifax, to Sidney Carey, a postal worker, and Louisa Crowther. She was brought up in Brighouse and upon leaving Holmfirth Secondary Modern School at 14, she worked as a typist for a carpet firm. At the same time, she acted with a drama club run by Esme Church at Bradford Civic Playhouse. Aged 19, Carey and her then fiancé, Steve Hodson, successfully auditioned to train at the Central School of Speech and Drama, which she attended from 1967 to 1970.

## Career

Carey's first professional role was in a theatre production at the Lyceum Theatre, Crewe. Some of Carey's early roles were in programmes such as Z-Cars, Dixon of Dock Green, I Didn't Know You Cared, Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? and Ripping Yarns. In Coronation Street, Carey appeared in the part of Joyce Smedley from 1996 to 1997. In 2006, Carey had a small role as a voice actress playing Venat in the PlayStation 2 game Final Fantasy XII.
Carey then played the role of receptionist Vivien March in the BBC soap opera Doctors from 17 May 2007 to 20 March 2009. After a storyline involving Vivien being raped aired, Carey was awarded the British Soap Award for Best Dramatic Performance at the 2009 British Soap Awards. The story also won Best Storyline, as well as the episode of the rape, "A Kind of Hush", winning Best Single Episode. In 2018, the storyline was once again recognised at the British Soap Awards, being nominated for Greatest Moment. In 2013, she appeared as Gower in Shakespeare's Pericles, Prince of Tyre at Berkeley Repertory Theatre.

## Personal life and death

In 1973, while appearing in a stage production in Sheffield, Carey met actor Mark Wing-Davey, a member of the company there. The two began living together the following year. They married in 2002. The pair had two children together. After Wing-Davey took a job in the U.S., they moved there together and she began appearing in American stage productions.
Carey was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010 and died of it on 19 July 2023, aged 75.

## Filmography

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1971 | Kate | Shirley | Recurring role |
| 1971–1972 | Z-Cars | Jill / Pam Rutherford | Guest roles |
| 1972 | Please Sir! | Air Hostess | Episode: "The Fixer" |
| 1972 | Queenie's Castle | Francis | Episode: "England Expects" |
| 1973 | ITV Sunday Night Theatre | Sue | Episode: "But Freud, Freud is Dead" |
| 1973 | The Flaxton Boys | Billie Shackleton | Episode: "1945: Welcome Home, Tommy Atkins" |
| 1973–1974 | Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? | Susan Chambers | Recurring role |
| 1974 | Billy Liar | Susan | Episode: "Billy and the Alter Ego" |
| 1974 | Marked Personal | Sara Bennett | 2 episodes |
| 1974 | Dixon of Dock Green | Carol Hayward | Episode: "The Long Memory" |
| 1974 | Napoleon and Love | Françoise | Episode: "Eleonore" |
| 1974 | Centre Play | Lorraine | Episode: "Mutinies" |
| 1974 | Horizon | Joey's Mother | Episode: "Joey" |
| 1974, 1976 | One-Upmanship | Various | Main role |
| 1975 | The Loner | Mave | Episode: "Dawson's Encounter" |
| 1975–1976 | I Didn't Know You Cared | Pat | Main role |
| 1975, 1977 | Beryl's Lot | Babs Humphries | Main role |
| 1977 | Ripping Yarns | Irene Olthwaite | Episode: "The Testing of Eric Olthwaite" |
| 1978 | Play of the Month | Ms. H1B | Episode: "Mr. & Ms. Bureaucrat" |
| 1978 | Some Enchanted Evening | | Television film |
| 1978 | Premiere | Amanda | Episode: "Something's Wrong" |
| 1978 | Coronation Street | Brenda Summers | Guest role |
| 1979 | Strangers | Edna | Episode: "Clever Dick" |
| 1979–1980 | Play for Today | Jill / Sharon | 2 episodes |
| 1980 | The History of Mr. Polly | Mrs. Polly / Miriam | Main role |
| 1980 | Juliet Bravo | Melisande Duffy | Episode: "Cages" |
| 1980–1981 | The Spoils of War | Martha Blaze | Main role |
| 1981 | Roger Doesn't Live Here Anymore | Woman in market | 1 episode |
| 1982 | Andy Robson | Elsie Ritson | Episode: "Flare Up" |
| 1984 | Miracles Take Longer | Patti Blakeston | Episode: "Frankie and Johnnie" |
| 1986 | First Among Equals | Joyce Gould | Main role |
| 1990 | A Kind of Living | Linda | Main role |
| 1991 | Poirot | Miss Rawlinson | Episode: "The Tragedy at Marsdon Manor" |
| 1992 | The Good Guys | Miss Treasure | Episode: "Verschwinden" |
| 1992 | Virtual Murder | Chief Inspector Grant | Episode: "Last Train to Hell & Back" |
| 1993, 2003 | Heartbeat | Helen Rawlings / Babs Crane | 3 episodes |
| 1993 | The Bill | Jean | Episode: "A Better Life" |
| 1996 | Band of Gold | Glennis Minkin | Guest role |
| 1996–1997 | Coronation Street | Joyce Smedley | Regular role |
| 1998 | Still Crazy | Tax Woman | Film |
| 2000 | The Wyvern Mystery | Mrs. Carew | Television film |
| 2001 | Perfect Strangers | Sibling's Mother | Recurring role |
| 2002 | Rescue Me | Carol Chatwin | Recurring role |
| 2002 | Where the Heart Is | Maggie Flannigan | Episode: "United We Stand" |
| 2003 | Crust | Receptionist | Film |
| 2004 | Last of the Summer Wine | Mavis | Episode: "Spores" |
| 2005 | The Murder Room | Tally Clutton | Guest role |
| 2005 | Midsomer Murders | Barbara Flux | Episode: "The House in the Woods" |
| 2005 | Doctors | Shirley Carver | Episode: "Lost for Words" |
| 2005 | Casualty | Faye Skinner | Episode: "Enough's Enough" |
| 2006 | The State Within | Pauline | Recurring role |
| 2007–2009 | Doctors | Vivien March | Regular role |
| 2011 | Candlesticks | Mother | Short film |
| 2018 | The Last Witness | Joan Caldercott | Film |
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## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
| 2008 | British Soap Awards | Best Actress | Doctors | Nominated | |
| 2009 | British Soap Awards | Best Actress | Doctors | Nominated | [7] [13] |
| 2009 | British Soap Awards | Best Dramatic Performance | Doctors | Won | [7] [13] |