Rita Davies

Acting

Rita Davies

Born — Died

1933-02-24 — 2016-01-19

Place of birth

Hertfordshire, England, UK

Known for

Acting

Credits

68 titles

Rita Davies (24 February 1933 – 19 January 2016) was a British character actress whose career spanned nearly six decades. She is best known for her cameo as the Historian's Wife in Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) and her sustained role as Sarah Frobisher-Smythe in House of Anubis (2011). Her other film credits include Children of Men (2006), The Da Vinci Code (2006), and Beauty and the Beast (2017, posthumous). On television she appeared in Brideshead Revisited (2008), Casualty, Doctors, Call the Midwife, Unforgotten, and Sherlock. She died of cancer at age 82 in Esher, Surrey. No major awards are on record.

Known for

Film credits

2010s · 9 titles

Beauty and the Beast poster
7.0

A live-action adaptation of Disney's version of the classic tale of a cursed prince and a beautiful young woman who helps him break the spell.

Beauty and the Beast

2017

The Best Offer poster
7.8

Virgil Oldman is a world renowned antiques expert and auctioneer. An eccentric genius, he leads a solitary life, going to extreme lengths to keep his distance from the messiness of human relationships. When appointed by the beautiful but emotionally damaged Claire to oversee the valuation and sale of her family’s priceless art collection, Virgil allows himself to form an attachment to her – and soon he is engulfed by a passion which will rock his bland existence to the core.

The Best Offer

2013

Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa poster
6.6

When famous DJ Alan Partridge’s radio station is taken over by a new media conglomerate, it sets in motion a chain of events which see Alan having to work with the police to defuse a potentially violent siege.

Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa

2013

The Trip poster
6.6

When Steve Coogan is asked by The Observer to tour the country's finest restaurants, he envisions it as the perfect getaway with his beautiful girlfriend. But, when she backs out on him, he has no one to accompany him but his best friend and source of eternal aggravation, Rob Brydon.

The Trip

2011

Private Peaceful poster
6.6

Set in the fields of Devon and the WW1 battlefields of Flanders, two brothers fall for the same girl while contending with the pressures of their feudal family life, the war, and the price of courage and cowardice.

Private Peaceful

2012

Reuniting the Rubins poster
5.4

An up-tight lawyer, Lenny Rubins, has to put his dream retirement on hold when his ailing mother emotionally blackmails him into reuniting his estranged children for a Jewish holiday. They may be peas from the same pod, but in Lenny's eyes, his grown-up children are certainly not even from the same planet: a ruthless control-freak and hard-nosed capitalist, an outspoken, argumentative eco-warrior committed to the cause, an outer-worldly Buddhist Monk; and to cap it all, a bible bashing born-again Rabbi. While they might quarrel, fight, and perhaps even be starting a war in Africa, they are still family. It is going to take a whole lot of soul-searching and sacrifice for everyone to come together in this comic drama. Written by monterey media inc.

Reuniting the Rubins

2011

Acts of Godfrey poster
NR

At a two-day business conference, God decides to romantically pair Terry, a moral crusader, with his "win-at-all-cost" antithesis, Mary. However, fate, assisted by unique and corrupt characters, attempt to beset God's arrangements.

Acts of Godfrey

2012

The List poster
4.3

Christopher Cowin is in his mid 30s, a family man who owns a small advertising agency. A court case he had recently lost has shown him the rich and powerful always win! That is why Christopher creates the website THE LIST. On this site, users can label corrupt individuals in public life and award them points as to how much of a menace they are. The result is a list of politicians, CEOs and bankers. The website quickly becomes a worldwide success but suddenly, whoever is number one on THE LIST appears murdered and public opinion starts to turn against Christopher.

The List

2013

Lad: A Yorkshire Story poster
6.9

After the death of his father, a teenage boy forms a healing friendship with a park ranger in the Yorkshire Dales.

Lad: A Yorkshire Story

2012

2000s · 9 titles

The Da Vinci Code poster
6.7

A murder in Paris’ Louvre Museum and cryptic clues in some of Leonardo da Vinci’s most famous paintings lead to the discovery of a religious mystery. For 2,000 years a secret society closely guards information that — should it come to light — could rock the very foundations of Christianity.

The Da Vinci Code

2006

Children of Men poster
7.6

In 2027, in a chaotic world in which humans can no longer procreate, a former activist agrees to help transport a miraculously pregnant woman to a sanctuary at sea, where her child's birth may help scientists save the future of humankind.

Children of Men

2006

Brideshead Revisited poster
6.3

Befriended by aristocrat Sebastian Flyte, Oxford student Charles Ryder finds that the power and privilege experienced by the family is seductive. On a visit to the ancestral home, Brideshead, he falls in love with his friend's sister, Julia. However, as his ties to the Flytes deepen, Ryder finds himself at odds with their strong Roman Catholicism.

Brideshead Revisited

2008

Driving Lessons poster
6.1

A shy teenage boy trying to escape the influence of his domineering mother, has his world changed when he begins to work for a retired actress.

Driving Lessons

2006

The Broken poster
5.5

The life of a successful radiologist spirals out of control when she sees the spitting image of herself driving down a London street. While attempting to uncover who the imposter could be, she stumbles into a terrifying mystery that her family and closest friends are somehow involved in, leaving her with no one to trust.

The Broken

2008

The Last Horror Movie poster
5.5

A serial killer uses a horror video rental to lure his next victim. What begins as a teen slasher transforms into a disturbing journey through the mind of Max Parry, a mild mannered wedding photographer with a taste for human flesh.

The Last Horror Movie

2004

Footprints in the Snow poster
4.0

Paralysed from the waist down after a car crash, Julie Hill struggles to get used to her disability and to save her marriage. It looks as if her husband will leave her. Then doctors try a revolutionary treatment which feeds electrical impulses to her leg muscles - allowing her to ride a bicycle once again and so go out for bike rides with her family. Her marriage survives and she and her husband end up closer together than before.

Footprints in the Snow

2005

Tempo poster
4.0

Jenny, a young American woman, moves to Paris and gets involved with Jack, who is seemingly the man of her dreams. However, he has a lot to hide and Jenny quickly gets entangled his dangerous lifestyle.

Tempo

2003

No artwork available
NR

The stories of five characters whose good intentions lead to disastrous consequences.

Of Best Intentions

2008

1990s · 4 titles

1970s · 3 titles

Series credits

Call the Midwife poster
7.6

Drama following the lives of a group of midwives working in the poverty-stricken East End of London during the 1950s, based on the best-selling memoirs of Jennifer Worth.

Call the Midwife

2012

Silent Witness poster
7.6

A team of exceptional forensic pathologists and scientists investigate heinous crimes and use their skills to catch the people responsible.

Silent Witness

1996

Play for Today poster
6.6

Play for Today is a British television anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC1 from 1970 to 1984. During the run, more than three hundred programmes, featuring original television plays, and adaptations of stage plays and novels, were transmitted. The individual episodes were between fifty and a hundred minutes in duration.

Play for Today

1970

Play for Today poster
6.6

Play for Today is a British television anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC1 from 1970 to 1984. During the run, more than three hundred programmes, featuring original television plays, and adaptations of stage plays and novels, were transmitted. The individual episodes were between fifty and a hundred minutes in duration.

Play for Today

1970

Sherlock poster
8.5

A modern update finds the famous sleuth and his doctor partner solving crime in 21st century London.

Sherlock

2010

Vera poster
7.4

A sharp detective with a messy life, DCI Vera Stanhope patrols her “patch” of northeast England, pursuing the truth in cases of murder, kidnapping, and blackmail. Vera is obsessive about her work and faces the world with caustic wit, guile and courage.

Vera

2011

BBC Play of the Month poster
5.2

A BBC television anthology series featuring productions of classic and contemporary stage plays usually broadcast on BBC1. Each production featured a different work, often using prominent British stage actors in the leading roles. The series was transmitted from October 1965 to September 1983.

BBC Play of the Month

1965

Heartbeat poster
7.1

Set during the 1960s in the fictional North Yorkshire village of Aidensfield, this enduringly popular series interweaves crime and medical storylines.

Heartbeat

1992

Screen Two poster
7.1

Series of single made-for-television dramas.

Screen Two

1985

Lewis poster
7.6

Inspector Robert Lewis and Sergeant James Hathaway solve the tough cases that the learned inhabitants of Oxford throw at them.

Lewis

2007

Keeping Up Appearances poster
7.7

A snobbish housewife is determined to climb the social ladder, in spite of her family's working class connections and the constant chagrin of her long suffering husband.

Keeping Up Appearances

1990

House of Anubis poster
8.2

Strange things are happening at an English boarding school called House of Anubis. Popular student Joy goes missing, the school's cranky caretaker has a creepy stuffed crow and the school's attic may be haunted. When recent American transplant Nina gets thrust into the school during this time, she decides to investigate along with her new friend, Fabian, and housemates.

House of Anubis

2011

Unforgotten poster
7.6

London police detectives Cassie Stuart and Sunny Khan investigate historic cold cases involving missing persons, murder and long-hidden secrets.

Unforgotten

2015

Kavanagh Q.C. poster
7.3

John Thaw dons the silks as barrister James Kavanagh Q.C., one of the most highly respected criminal advocates in London, commanding admiration from colleagues and opponents alike. However, all this has come at a price as his dedication to work has taken its toll on his private life… Going beyond traditional courtroom dramas, “Kavanagh Q.C.” uncovers the pressures of legal battles and the problems of defining the truth, providing a compelling representation of the euphoric ups and costly downs of success and failure in the legal world.

Kavanagh Q.C.

1995

Monty Python's Flying Circus poster
8.3

A British sketch comedy series with the shows being composed of surreality, risqué or innuendo-laden humour, sight gags and observational sketches without punchlines.

Monty Python's Flying Circus

1969

Monty Python's Flying Circus poster
8.3

A British sketch comedy series with the shows being composed of surreality, risqué or innuendo-laden humour, sight gags and observational sketches without punchlines.

Monty Python's Flying Circus

1969

Monty Python's Flying Circus poster
8.3

A British sketch comedy series with the shows being composed of surreality, risqué or innuendo-laden humour, sight gags and observational sketches without punchlines.

Monty Python's Flying Circus

1969

Monty Python's Flying Circus poster
8.3

A British sketch comedy series with the shows being composed of surreality, risqué or innuendo-laden humour, sight gags and observational sketches without punchlines.

Monty Python's Flying Circus

1969

No artwork available
NR

BBC anthology drama series that ran over four seasons and replaced the previous BBC Sunday Night Theatre series.

Sunday-Night Play

1960

Maigret poster
7.1

BBC series based on the novels by Georges Simenon which starred Rupert Davies as Inspector Maigret, a French police detective who preferred to watch and listen in order to solve crimes. The series ran from 1960-63 on British television.

Maigret

1960

The Inbetweeners poster
7.7

Suburban teenage friends Will, Simon, Jay and Neil, students at Rudge Park Comprehensive, attempt to navigate the social scene, attract members of the gentler sex, and saunter amongst the cool crowd. However, despite their best efforts, the four hapless lads usually end up on the side of the nerds.

The Inbetweeners

2008

Cuckoo poster
6.7

Cuckoo is every parent's worst nightmare - a slacker full of outlandish, New Age ideas. Ken is the over-protective father of a girl who's impulsively married an American hippie on her gap year.

Cuckoo

2012

Ashes to Ashes poster
7.7

Crime drama series featuring Life On Mars' DCI Gene Hunt. After being shot in 2008, DI Alex Drake lands in 1981, where she finds herself in familiar company.

Ashes to Ashes

2008

No artwork available
NR

Drama 61-67 is anthology drama series which took a different title, based on year of transmission, each year. It alternated with Armchair Theatre from ABC in the Sunday evening slot. The series was described at the time as epitomising ATV drama.

Drama 61-67

1961

Out of the Unknown poster
7.1

Out of the Unknown is a British television science fiction anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and broadcast on BBC2 in four series between 1965 and 1971. Each episode was a dramatisation of a science fiction short story; some were created for the series, but most were adaptations of already published stories. The first three years were exclusively science fiction, but that genre was abandoned in the final year in favour of horror and fantasy. A number of episodes were wiped during the early 1970s, as was standard procedure at the time.

Out of the Unknown

1965

Mongrels poster
7.8

Nelson 'the urbane fox' and his anthropomorphic animal friends navigate the urban jungle from their home in London's East End in a puppet sitcom for adults.

Mongrels

2010

Murder in Suburbia poster
7.5

Murder in Suburbia was a British detective drama that ran for two series in 2004 and 2005. Detective Inspector Kate Ashurst, a graduate of a posh girls' academy, has a sharp, analytical mind; her working-class partner, Detective Sergeant Emma Scribbins, relies on her instincts. Together this sassy, sexy investigative team uncovers the dark urges behind suburban Middleford's placid façade.

Murder in Suburbia

2004

Mr. Palfrey of Westminster poster
5.7

Mr. Palfrey is a mild-mannered, but highly skilled counter-espionage agent employed by a small, unnamed department within British intelligence. He and his team tackle complex cases, often involving government cover-ups and internal affairs.

Mr. Palfrey of Westminster

1984

Cuffs poster
6.7

Explores the day-to-day work of police officers, from high-stakes situations like drug busts and kidnappings to mundane incidents like shoplifting and public disturbances, while also delving into their personal lives and internal conflicts.

Cuffs

2015

55 Degrees North poster
7.1

Armed with a self-effacing manner and a lively sense of humour, Dominic 'Nicky' Cole quickly discovers that being a good cop doesn't always win you friends. Stuck away from the land of the living as a night detective, he learns that new friends are in short supply. The other detectives look upon him with suspicion and his boss DI Carter doesn't do much to make his new recruit welcome. Although his methods can, at times, be unorthodox, Nicky always tries to do the right thing, even if it does make him unpopular with his new colleagues.

55 Degrees North

2004

Ladies in Charge poster
6.5

Ladies in Charge is a 1986 British television drama, an expansion from a 1985 pilot in the Storyboard anthology programme. Produced by Thames Television for ITV, the six-episode programme stars Carol Royle, Julia Hills, and Julia Swift. After serving as World War I ambulance drivers, three women start a private agency in London to solve problems for clients, blending mystery and drama with a lighthearted tone. They take on various cases, from finding lost items to uncovering secrets, often challenging societal expectations for women of the era.

Ladies in Charge

1986

Number 10 poster
7.0

Follows the private lives of seven British PMs who lived at Number 10 Downing Street between the 1780s and the 1920s: William Pitt the Younger, the Duke of Wellington (Arthur Wellesley), Benjamin Disraeli, William Ewart Gladstone, David Lloyd-George, Herbert Henry Asquith and James Ramsay MacDonald.

Number 10

1983

Without You poster
6.6

Ellie's beloved husband is killed in a car accident. A woman was in the car with him and killed too. Who was she? Was he having an affair? Was it an accident?

Without You

2011

The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾ poster
6.9

A British television series based on the book of the same name written by Sue Townsend.

The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾

1985

Ghost Squad poster
6.0

Ghost Squad, known as G.S.5 for its third series, was a crime drama series about an elite division of Scotland Yard that ran between 1961 and 1964. Each episode the Ghost Squad would investigate cases that fell outside the scope of normal police work. Despite the show and characters being fictional, an actual division did exist within the Metropolitan Police Service at the time. Inspiration for the series was taken from a book of the same name, written by John Gosling — a retired police officer and former member of the team. Although the real-life squad only operated in London, the fictionalised team travelled internationally; however — as was typical of the time — most foreign locations were actually a combination of stock footage and sets at Independent Artists Studio at Beaconsfield and Elstree Studios. Music was by Philip Green. The show was produced by ITC Entertainment, along with Rank Organisation TV and ATV. It was the first ITC show filmed to fit the one hour time-slot — setting the trend for the majority of ITC's future output. Another common ITC trait was to feature an American, in this case Michael Quinn, in a leading role so as to increase the chances of international sales. At 6' 3", Quinn often towered over his co-workers. This was especially noticeable in the first series title sequence showing him walking through a crowd walking in the opposite direction. He frequently smoked in the show as did many others. The second series had a different title sequence and Neil Hallett sometimes replaced Quinn. Hallett looked more like a spy while Quinn looked a bit like a playboy. Quinn was replaced by Australian actor, Ray Barrett in the third series. Ray Austin played Billy Clay in and was also Stunt Director on all series bringing the action to life. Austin went on to become a renowned TV director in Hollywood and the UK.

Ghost Squad

1961

Southcliffe poster
6.7

Following a raft of shootings in an English market town, the crimes are retold in a nonlinear narrative structure through the eyes of a journalist and the tragedies' victims.

Southcliffe

2013

Teenage Health Freak poster
7.0

Teenage Health Freak is a British teen comedy-drama about the life and travails of a socially awkward teenager as he goes through life. It is best known for featuring the actress Liza Walker and the actor Alex Langdon. It was based on the book Diary of a Teenage Health Freak, by Dr. Ann McPherson and Dr. Aidan Macfarlane.

Teenage Health Freak

1991

My Life in Film poster
7.4

Art is an independent film-maker with big ideas... sadly nobody will listen to these ideas, with the exception of his best friend Jones. The series follows Art as his overactive imagination turns every day into a cinematic classic, with homages to 'Top Gun' and 'The Shining' to name but a few.

My Life in Film

2004

Nicholas Nickleby poster
7.0

Nicholas Nickleby, a young boy in search of a better life, struggles to save his family and friends from the abusive exploitation of his coldheartedly grasping uncle.

Nicholas Nickleby

1968

Starlings poster
7.0

Starlings is a British comedy-drama written by Steve Edge and Matt King who also play the roles of Fergie and Uncle Loz. It is one of the few new television comedy series that has been commissioned and aired on Sky1.

Starlings

2012