Millicent Martin

Millicent Mary Lillian Martin, born on 8 June 1934 in Romford, Essex, is an English actress, singer, and comedian. After training at the Italia Conti theatre school, she launched her Broadway career in September 1954 when she appeared alongside Julie Andrews in The Boy Friend, remaining with the production until November 1955. Her Broadway activity spanned three decades, from 1954 to 1984, and included the revue Side by Side by Sondheim, the musical King of Hearts, and 42nd Street, in which she took over the role of Dorothy Brock in the original production during the 1980s. She also starred in V.I.P. Night on Broadway. Her work in Side by Side by Sondheim, which she performed with Julia McKenzie and David Kernan in 1977, earned her a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical, and a second nomination in the same category followed for King of Hearts in 1978.

Before her Broadway career took full shape, Martin appeared in a series of British pantomimes and stage productions in the early 1950s, including Dick Whittington at the Granada Tooting in December 1949, Aladdin at the Pavilion Bournemouth in December 1950, The Happiest Days of Your Life at the Playhouse Oxford in May 1951, and Mother Goose at the Theatre Royal Birmingham in December 1951. Her London stage work included Expresso Bongo at the Saville Theatre alongside Paul Scofield and James Kenney, The Crooked Mile in 1959, and The Card in 1975 opposite Jim Dale. In 1988 she joined the London production of Follies, starring alongside Eartha Kitt, and in 2008 she appeared at the Open Air Theatre in Regent's Park in the Lerner and Loewe musical Gigi, with Topol, Linda Thorson, and Lisa O'Hare.

On British television, Martin became widely recognized as the resident singer of topical songs on the BBC's weekly satirical programme That Was the Week That Was, which aired from 1962 to 1963. The day following the assassination of President Kennedy, she performed the tribute song In the Summer of His Years on the programme; the song had been composed by Herbert Kretzmer and David Lee within hours of the assassination and was subsequently released as a single, reaching number 104 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1963. Her work in television light entertainment earned her a BAFTA TV Award in 1964. Between 1964 and 1966 she headlined her own BBC television series, titled Mainly Millicent for its first two series and shortened to Millicent for its third, for which she received the TV Society Award. She also appeared with Morecambe and Wise in their series Two of a Kind during the 1960s, and guested alongside Pete Murray and Kenneth Williams on an edition of Juke Box Jury. In 1977 she appeared in a gala edition of The Good Old Days on BBC Television, performing in a double act with Julia McKenzie to mark the Queen's Silver Jubilee. A 1969 television comedy series, From a Bird's Eye View, was developed by producer Sheldon Leonard at the initiative of Sir Lew Grade and starred Martin, but was cancelled after 16 episodes. In 1992 she appeared as Gladys Moon in 13 episodes of the BBC detective series Moon and Son, created by Robert Banks Stewart and co-starring John Michie.

American audiences came to know Martin through her recurring role as Gertrude Moon, Daphne Moon's Mancunian mother, in the NBC sitcom Frasier, a part she played from 2000 to 2004. From 2017 to 2022 she appeared as Joan-Margaret in Grace and Frankie. Additional American television credits include guest appearances on The Drew Carey Show, Will and Grace, Newhart, Days of Our Lives, Gilmore Girls, Modern Family, Chuck, Castle, and Hot in Cleveland, where she appeared opposite her former Frasier co-star Jane Leeves. She also worked for the Disney Channel, appearing in The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Jonas, and the film Return to Halloweentown.

In the mid-1960s Martin appeared in several British feature films, including Nothing But the Best (1964), Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines (1965), Stop the World – I Want to Get Off (1966), and Alfie (1966). In 2005 she had a small role in Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont, starring Joan Plowright. Martin was married to pop singer Ronnie Carroll from 1958 to 1965 and subsequently to actor Norman Eshley, both marriages ending in divorce. Since 1978 she has been married to American Marc Alexander and has been a permanent resident of the United States.