Judy Loe
Judith Margaret Loe, known as Judy Loe, was an English actress known for her work in television.
Early life
Loe was born in Urmston, Lancashire, on 6 March 1947, the only child of Norman Scarborough Loe, who worked in the equipment business, and Nancy Loe, who was a department store worker and model. She attended Urmston Grammar School and the University of Birmingham, from where she graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in English and drama.Television
Loe was in the original British cast of the rock musical Hair. In 1970 she made her debut on British television in the ITV Thames Television programme Ace of Wands, broadcast 1970–72, as Lillian "Lulli" Palmer. Loe then made guest appearances in series such as Z-Cars, Dixon of Dock Green, Man at the Top, Armchair Theatre and ITV Playhouse.In 1973, Loe was cast as Alice Lee in the five-episode television series Woodstock. In 1975 she appeared in the role of Princess May in the ATV drama series Edward the Seventh. She made guest appearances in comedies such as Ripping Yarns, Robin's Nest, The Upchat Line and Miss Jones and Son. In 1978 she appeared in an episode of the television drama Crown Court before landing the role of Dr Helen Sanders in the final two series of the television drama General Hospital playing the role from 1978 until 1979.
In 1980, Loe appeared in one episode each of Heartland and The Gentle Touch before appearing in two episodes of Sunday Night Thriller and three episodes of When the Boat Comes In. She starred alongside Donald Churchill in the ITV sitcom Goodnight and God Bless and made a brief appearance as a nurse in Monty Python's The Meaning of Life. In 1984, Loe starred as the abandoned housewife Allison in the six-part BBC1 serial Missing From Home by Roger Marshall and directed by Douglas Camfield. She made guest appearances in drama programmes up to 1985 before landing the role of Diane in the television programme Yesterday's Dreams in 1987. In 1988, Loe gained the role of Pamela in the Yorkshire Television sitcom Singles with Roger Rees; this was the first sitcom Loe starred in and which lasted three series until 1991. In 1990, she took a regular role in The Chief, playing Dr. Elizabeth Stafford from 1990 to 1993.
In 1997, Loe played Adele Cecil in "Death Is Now My Neighbour", an episode of Inspector Morse, reprising her role the following year in "The Wench is Dead". In 1998, she starred as Commander Kathryn MacTiernan in Space Island One.
In the early 2000s, Loe played Jan Goddard in Casualty and its spinoff Holby City after previously appearing as different guest characters in one episode of each series. In 2009 she appeared in the medical drama Doctors.
Personal life and death
Loe was married to actor Richard Beckinsale from 1977 until his death in 1979. She was later married to television director Roy Battersby until his death in 2024. She was the mother of film actress Kate Beckinsale, stepmother of Kate's half-sister and television actress Samantha Beckinsale, grandmother of Kate's daughter and actress Lily Mo Sheen, and former mother-in-law of American film director Len Wiseman.Loe died from cancer on 15 July 2025, at the age of 78.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role |
| 1970 | Hair | |
| 1970–1971 | Ace of Wands | Lulli Palmer |
| 1972 | Man of Straw | Katchen Zillich |
| 1972 | Z Cars – "Tessa in the Woodpile" | Tessa Ford |
| 1972 | Man at the Top – "All Very Hush, Hush" | Sheri Lomax |
| 1972 | Armchair Theatre – "The Stumbling Block" | Jenny |
| 1972, 1980 | Playhouse – "A Splinter of Ice" and "Visitors for Anderson" | Clemence Jen |
| 1973 | Woodstock | Alice Lee |
| 1975 | Dixon of Dock Green – "Conspiracy" | Sally Bell |
| 1975 | Edward the Seventh | Princess May |
| 1975–1976 | Couples | Young Woman Mrs. Hewitt |
| 1977 | Robin's Nest – "Piggy in the Middle" | Sarah |
| 1977 | Ripping Yarns – "The Curse of the Claw" | Chief Petty Officer Russell |
| 1977 | The Upchat Line – "One Good Turn" | Wendy Johnson |
| 1978 | Miss Jones and Son – "Will You Be My Wife?" | Jill |
| 1978 | Crown Court – "The Change" | Marianne Miller |
| 1978–1979 | General Hospital – "Instinct" and "Long Weekend" | Dr. Helen Sanders |
| 1979–1980 | Heartland – "The Letter of the Law" and "Working Arrangements" | Susan Purser |
| 1980–1981 | The Gentle Touch – "Menaces" and "Protection" | June Stafford |
| 1981 | Sunday Night Thriller – "The Business of Murder" | Dee |
| 1981 | When the Boat Comes In "Action!" "Comrades in Arms" "Roll of Honour" | Tania Corley |
| 1982 | Let There Be Love – "Getting to Know You" | Alison |
| 1982 | Play for Today – "Life After Death" | Hilary |
| 1983 | The Home Front – "The Poodle Strikes Back" | Shirley |
| 1983 | The Meaning of Life | Nurse #1 |
| 1983 | Goodnight and God Bless "Treachery Begins at Home" "Little Green-Eyed Monster" "Did You Hear the One About...?" "The Grand Illusion" "Ronnie's Wonderful Day" "You Won't Feel a Thing" | Celia Kemp |
| 1983 | Singles | Briony |
| 1984 | Missing From Home | Allison Reynolds |
| 1984 | Fox Mystery Theater – "In Possession" | Betty Mervyn |
| 1985 | Travelling Man – "The Quiet Chapter" | Diana Arkell |
| 1987 | Yesterday's Dreams | Diane Daniels |
| 1988–1991 | Singles | Pamela |
| 1990 | Boon – "The Belles of St. Godwalds" | Deborah |
| 1990–1993 | The Chief | Dr. Elizabeth Stafford |
| 1992 | Between the Lines – "Lies and Damned Lies" | Radio Interviewer |
| 1994 | Peak Practice – "Power Games" | Sheila Massey |
| 1995 | Revelations | Jessica Rattigan |
| 1995–2002 | Casualty | Roz McGregor Jan Goddard |
| 1997 | The Moth | Kate Thorman |
| 1997, 1998 | Inspector Morse – "Death Is Now My Neighbour" and "The Wench Is Dead" | Adele Cecil |
| 1998 | Space Island One | Commander Kathryn McTiernan |
| 1999 | Doomwatch: Winter Angel | Angel |
| 2001–2003 | Holby City | Geraldine Thompson Jan Goddard |
| 2003 | Silent Witness – "Fatal Error" | Nina Taylor, QC |
| 2004 | The Bill – "Last Orders" | Adela Pearce |
| 2008 | Trial & Retribution – "The Box" | Eileen Banks |
| 2009 | Doctors – "But for the Grace of God" | Paula Stott |
| 2015 | Absolutely Anything | Canteen Lady |
| 2016 | Walliams & Friend – "Jack Whitehall" | Mrs. Hudson |
| 2024 | Fool Me Once - "Episode Six" | Glamorous Woman |