Childhood & Early Life
Michele Dotrice was born on September 27, 1948, in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, England, to Roy and Kay Dotrice. Her parents had met during their acting stints in repertory theatrical productions. Her father initially worked as a radio operator at the ‘Royal Air Force.’ She grew up with two sisters.
Roy and Kay Dotrice were well-known actors. Thus, all three of their daughters grew up fascinated by the art of acting. Michele began doing theater at an early age and also visited her parents on the sets of their films and TV productions.
She took professional training in acting from the ‘Corona Academy’ in London. She began auditioning for TV and film roles in her early teenage years. She made her TV debut at 13.
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Career
Her first-ever TV stint was a small, single-episode role in the children’s series titled ‘The Treasure Seekers.’ She played a princess in one of its episodes, titled ‘Held to Ransom.’ The same year, she appeared in small roles in two TV films, ‘Operation Fantail’ and ‘Vice Versa.’ She then appeared in a TV short titled ‘Adventure to Order,’ which featured her in the supporting role of ‘Sandra.’
Later that year, she appeared in a few episodes of the documentary series titled ‘Signpost.’ She was seen as a schoolgirl in eight episodes of the series.
In 1962, she played small roles in the TV film ‘The Father’ and the series ‘Katy.’ Despite having played multiple roles before she had turned 14, she was still far away from the limelight.
In 1962, she got a big breakthrough. She bagged the role of ‘Nell’ in the ‘BBC’ miniseries ‘The Old Curiosity Shop.’ She appeared in 13 episodes of the series. The series was praised by both critics and audiences. Thus, it ended up launching Michele’s career.
In the mid-1960s, she played guest roles in series such as ‘Love Story,’ ’Thirteen Against Fate,’ and ‘Out of the Unknown.’
The year 1966 was a big year for her. Apart from playing guest roles in a few TV series,’ she also made her film debut that year, with the horror film titled ‘The Witches.’ The film received moderate critical acclaim and was also a decent commercial hit. The film released in the U.S. as ‘The Devil’s Own.’
She then played a supporting role, ‘Vicky,’ in six episodes of the series titled ‘Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.’ The same year, she appeared in the small role of ‘Fantine’ in three episodes of the miniseries titled ‘Les Miserables.’
In 1970, she made her comeback to feature films after a 4-year hiatus, with the horror–thriller film ‘And Soon the Darkness.’ The film featured her in the lead role of ‘Cathy.’ However, it was rejected by critics. The film received an average response at the box office.
The same year, she appeared in yet another horror film, ‘The Blood on Satan’s Claw.’ Michele played ‘Margaret,’ one of the lead roles in the film. However, the film was not a huge critical or commercial success.
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She also appeared in a TV drama film titled ‘Jane Eyre’ in 1970.
In 1972, she appeared in various roles in the British series ‘The Sextet.’ She appeared in eight episodes of the series and played a different role in each episode.
She received the biggest break of her acting career when she appeared as a married woman named ‘Betty Spencer’ in the popular British sitcom ‘Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em.’ The series, which featured her in the lead role, told the story of a dysfunctional married couple. It premiered in 1973 and ran for three seasons until 1978.
The response to the series was mostly good, with many critics calling it one of the best British sitcoms of the decade. In 2016, Michele reprised her role as ‘Betty’ in a special episode of the sitcom.
In 1976, she played the supporting role of ‘Nancy Rimmington’ in the comedy film ‘Not Now, Comrade.’ The film received extremely polarized reviews. However, with time, the film became a cult classic.
Toward the end of the 1970s, Michele appeared as ‘Lady Percy,’ a supporting role in the two-part TV film ‘Henry IV.’
In the early 1980s, she appeared in a significant role in the series titled ‘Chintz.’ She was then seen in guest roles in series such as ‘Boon’ in the mid-1980s.
Since the late 1980s, her career began declining and she was scarcely seen in major or lead roles. In the mid-1990s, she appeared as ‘Lady Cora Peters,’ a supporting character in the series ‘Bramwell.’ In the late 1990s, she played another supporting role: ‘Mrs. Sedley’ in the miniseries titled ‘Vanity Fair.’
In the 2000s, she played guest roles in a string of TV series, such as ‘Big School,’ ‘Death in Paradise,’ ‘A Thing Called Love,’ and ‘Murder in Suburbia.’
In the more recent years, she has appeared in films such as ‘Starfish’ and ‘A Very British Christmas.’
