Frances Cuka
Encyclopedia
Frances Cuka is a British actress, principally on television, whose career has spanned nearly fifty years.
Cuka was born in London, England, the daughter of Letitia Alice Annie (née Francis), a tailor, and Joseph Cuka, a process engraver. On stage, she created the role of Jo in Shelagh Delaney
's play A Taste of Honey
in 1958. Subsequent television roles included Adam Adamant Lives, The Champions
and Minder
. She also appeared as Doll Tearsheet in the BBC
TV version of Henry IV, Part II. She had recurring roles in the soap opera
s Crossroads and Coronation Street
. Film roles have included Scrooge (as Bob Cratchit
's wife) and Henry VIII and his Six Wives
(as Catherine of Aragon
).
From 2006 to 2009, she played the recurring role of a troublesome tramp called Mrs Bassey in the popular medical drama Casualty
. Her final appearance was in September 2009, when her character died from severe burns after being involved in an explosion at a shopping centre.
In 2010, she played Lady Bracknell for Logos Theatre Company at Upstairs at the Gatehouse
, in the unusual four-act version of The Importance of Being Earnest
.
In March and April, 2011, she appeared in two episodes of the first series of Channel 4
sitcom Friday Night Dinner
, titled The Curtains and The Mercedes, as the grandma of the characters played by Simon Bird
and Tom Rosenthal
.
Cuka was born in London, England, the daughter of Letitia Alice Annie (née Francis), a tailor, and Joseph Cuka, a process engraver. On stage, she created the role of Jo in Shelagh Delaney
Shelagh Delaney
Shelagh Delaney, FRSL was an English dramatist and screenwriter, best-known for her debut work, A Taste of Honey ....
's play A Taste of Honey
A Taste of Honey
A Taste of Honey is the first play by the British dramatist Shelagh Delaney, written when she was 18. It was initially intended as a novel, but she turned it into a play because she hoped to revitalize British theatre and to address social issues that she felt were not being presented...
in 1958. Subsequent television roles included Adam Adamant Lives, The Champions
The Champions
The Champions is a British espionage/science fiction/occult detective fiction adventure series consisting of 30 episodes broadcast on the UK network ITV during 1968–1969, produced by Lew Grade's ITC Entertainment production company...
and Minder
Minder (TV series)
Minder is a British comedy-drama about the London criminal underworld. Initially produced by Verity Lambert, it was made by Euston Films, a subsidiary of Thames Television and shown on ITV...
. She also appeared as Doll Tearsheet in the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
TV version of Henry IV, Part II. She had recurring roles in the soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
s Crossroads and Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
. Film roles have included Scrooge (as Bob Cratchit
Bob Cratchit
Robert "Bob" Cratchit is a fictional character who is the abused, underpaid clerk of Ebenezer Scrooge in the Charles Dickens story A Christmas Carol...
's wife) and Henry VIII and his Six Wives
Henry VIII and His Six Wives
Henry VIII and His Six Wives is a 1972 film version of the famous BBC television series The Six Wives of Henry VIII, it was written by Ian Thorne and directed by Waris Hussein.-Description:...
(as Catherine of Aragon
Catherine of Aragon
Catherine of Aragon , also known as Katherine or Katharine, was Queen consort of England as the first wife of King Henry VIII of England and Princess of Wales as the wife to Arthur, Prince of Wales...
).
From 2006 to 2009, she played the recurring role of a troublesome tramp called Mrs Bassey in the popular medical drama Casualty
Casualty (TV series)
Casualty, stylised as Casual+y, is a British weekly television show broadcast on BBC One, and the longest-running emergency medical drama television series in the world. Created by Jeremy Brock and Paul Unwin, it was first broadcast on 6 September 1986, and transmitted in the UK on BBC One. The...
. Her final appearance was in September 2009, when her character died from severe burns after being involved in an explosion at a shopping centre.
In 2010, she played Lady Bracknell for Logos Theatre Company at Upstairs at the Gatehouse
Upstairs at The Gatehouse
Upstairs at The Gatehouse is a pub theatre in Highgate in the London Borough of Camden.The venue is a refurbished 1895 auditorium, upstairs from the Gatehouse pub, that has served over the years as a music hall, cinema, Masonic lodge, and a jazz and folk music club that once hosted a performance by...
, in the unusual four-act version of The Importance of Being Earnest
The Importance of Being Earnest
The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People is a play by Oscar Wilde. First performed on 14 February 1895 at St. James's Theatre in London, it is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious personae in order to escape burdensome social obligations...
.
In March and April, 2011, she appeared in two episodes of the first series of Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
sitcom Friday Night Dinner
Friday Night Dinner
Friday Night Dinner is a British television sitcom written by Robert Popper and starring Tamsin Greig, Paul Ritter, Simon Bird, Tom Rosenthal and Mark Heap. The first series aired from February 2011 on Channel 4. A second series has been commissioned by Channel 4. The series began airing in the U.S...
, titled The Curtains and The Mercedes, as the grandma of the characters played by Simon Bird
Simon Bird
Simon Antony Bird is an actor, writer and comedian. He is best known for playing Will McKenzie in E4’s BAFTA-winning TV comedy The Inbetweeners.-Early life:...
and Tom Rosenthal
Tom Rosenthal
Thomas Alan S. Rosenthal is an English comedian. He is the son of sports commentator, Jim Rosenthal.-Biography:After attending Reading Blue Coat School, he studied philosophy at King’s College London and has done voice-over work for Comedy Central and other clients in the film and television...
.
Selected filmography
- Oliver TwistOliver Twist (2005 film)Oliver Twist is a 2005 British drama film directed by Roman Polanski. The screenplay by Ronald Harwood is based on the 1838 novel of the same title by Charles Dickens....
(2005) - Swimming PoolSwimming Pool (film)Swimming Pool is a 2003 thriller film directed by François Ozon and starring Charlotte Rampling and Ludivine Sagnier. The plot focuses on a British crime novelist, Sarah Morton, who travels to her publisher's upscale summer house in Southern France for solitude to work on her next book...
(2003) - Snow White: A Tale of TerrorSnow White: A Tale of TerrorSnow White: A Tale of Terror is a 1997 horror film based on the Snow White fairy tale. It stars Sigourney Weaver, Sam Neill and Monica Keena. The original music score is composed by John Ottman...
(1997) - Mountains of the MoonMountains of the Moon (film)Mountains of the Moon is a 1990 theatrical film depicting the 1857-58 journey of Richard Francis Burton and John Hanning Speke in their expedition to central Africa — the project that culminated in Speke's discovery of the source of the Nile River. The expedition led to a bitter rivalry between the...
(1990) - The Watcher in the WoodsThe Watcher in the WoodsThe Watcher in the Woods is a 1980 American-British mystery and horror film from Buena Vista Distribution Company. Based on the 1976 novel by Florence Engel Randall, it is a live action movie that, though predominantly a family oriented work, also contains elements of the mystery, thriller, horror,...
(1980) - Hide and SeekHide and Seek (1972 film)Hide and Seek is a 1972 British drama film directed by David Eady starring Peter Newby, Gary Kemp, Robin Askwith, Liz Fraser and David Lodge.-Cast:* Peter Newby as Keith* Gary Kemp as Chris* Eileen Fletcher as Beverley...
(1972) - Scrooge (1970)
- Over the OddsOver the OddsOver the Odds is a 1961 British comedy film directed by Michael Forlong and starring Marjorie Rhodes, Glenn Melvyn, Cyril Smith, Esma Cannon and Thora Hird and Wilfrid Lawson. A bookmaker struggles to cope with his two mother-in-laws...
(1961)