Our Rose

 

She will always be remembered as "Our Rose" the youngest sister of Hyacinth Bucket on the BBC's "Keeping Up Appearances" but Mary Millar was more than a tart. She was an actress who became famous for playing a tart. Born in Sheffield to actor parents Millar didn't plan to be an actress; she wanted to become a stable hand because of her love of animals. Mary couldn't keep away from the stage and made her professional appearance in a in a Pantomime in 1952. Her first television appearance was in a 1950's program called "Those Were The Days". Millar appeared in many stage shows throughout the 1960's as well as television. She was the understudy for Julie Andrews in the 1960 production of Camelot. Her biggest Westend success was in Andrew Lloyd Weber's "Phantom of the Opera" as Madame Giry. Her voice is recorded on the original Westend soundtrack.

Millar was in her mid-fifties when she was given the chance to audition for the character of Rose on "Keeping Up Appearances". The character of Rose was orignally played by Shirley Stelfox. Millar rode the tubeto her auditon in a mini-skirt she specifally bought for "Rose".
While performing as Rose she also appeared in the Westend production on "Beauty and the Beast" as Mrs. Potts. She recorded the soundtrack shortly be fore her death. Mary Millar died in 1998 from ovarian cancer at the age of 62. The week after her death the last episode of "Keeping Up Appearances" was aired dedicated to Millar.

Rose, the tart that men loved and loved men will be how she will ultimately remembered. Always ready for love's next adventure Rose lived in the council flat with her older sister Daisy and Daisy's husband Onslow and demented father. She may not have lived the kind of life that her eldest sister prefered but Rose was loved as was Mary Millar.