Claire Nielson, 1937 – 2026

Scottish actress Claire Nielson, 89, died on April 26. A graduate of the Royal Scottish Academy of Dramatic Art, she played many roles onstage, including a helping of Shakespeare. Nielson’s obits are doing nip-ups over her role as an American guest on Fawlty Towers, but I remember her as one of Rose’s suffragists on Upstairs, Downstairs. She was very busy on TV, having recurring roles on Redgauntlet, Ghost Squad, The Revenue Men, The Prior Commitment, The Scobie Men, The Brothers, The Dick Emery Show, Z Cars, Chintz, The Two Ronnies, Punchdrunk, The Crow Road, and Taggart. Nielson founded an acting workshop in Stratford-Upon-Avon; she was married to actor Paul Greenwood and producer Dennis Vance. She recalled her agent warning her about her comedy roles: “back then, pretty young women who did light entertainment stopped being offered dramatic parts . . . I’d always preferred comedy, so I didn’t care.”