Jean Marsh’s legacy revealed as Upstairs, Downstairs icon leaves fortune to family and charities
Probate records show the late actress divided an estate worth more than £700,000 between relatives, close friends and charitable organisations following her death last year.
Jean Marsh left more than £700,000 to family, friends and charities in her will.
The acclaimed actress and writer, whose portrayal of Rose Buck in the landmark ITV period drama Upstairs Downstairs helped redefine British television, died in April 2025 aged 90 at her London home following complications from dementia.
Probate records now show Jean left an estate worth more than £700,000, with gifts to relatives, close friends and charitable organisations.
The actress, who also co-created The House of Elliott and appeared in several Doctor Who serials, remained one of British television’s most influential creative figures, while Upstairs, Downstairs continues to be recognised as the series that paved the way for later period dramas including Downton Abbey.
According to the probate records, Jean left £100,000 to Emergency UK, a charity supporting victims of war, poverty and landmines, and a further £100,000 to London concert venue Wigmore Hall.
The largest individual bequest was £250,000 to her sister, Yvonne, with whom Jean grew up in north London.
Jean also left £50,000 each to friends Sophie Scott, Sarah Berger and Lisa Lindsay-Hogg, the wife of filmmaker Michael Lindsay-Hogg.
Her godson, Louis Berge, received £25,000, while the executors of her estate were each left £3,000.
Michael, who was Jean’s former partner and one of the executors of her will, announced her death last year.
He said: “She was as wise and funny as anyone I ever met, as well as being very pretty and kind, and talented as both an actress and writer.
“An instinctively empathetic person who was loved by everyone who met her.
“We spoke on the phone almost every day for the past 40 years.”
Michael, whose directing credits include Let It Be for The Beatles, said Jean had “died peacefully in bed looked after by one of her very loving carers”.
Jean starred as head parlour maid Rose Buck throughout the original run of Upstairs, Downstairs between 1971 and 1975. Set in Edwardian England, the series chronicled the lives of the aristocratic Bellamy family and the servants working in their London townhouse, attracting audiences of up to 18 million and becoming one of the defining dramas of its era.
The series was co-created by Jean and fellow actress Eileen Atkins, drawing on their shared family connections to domestic service.
Jean’s performance earned seven Emmy Awards for the programme, including Outstanding Lead Actress in 1975, as well as a BAFTA.
She later returned to the role when the BBC revived Upstairs, Downstairs in 2010, with the story moving into the late 1930s.
Beyond the series that defined her career, Jean co-created the BBC drama The House of Elliott and became a familiar face to generations of science-fiction fans through several appearances in Doctor Who.
Her connection to the long-running programme also extended into her personal life through her marriage to Jon Pertwee, who later became the Third Doctor.
The couple divorced in 1960 but reportedly remained friends.
In recognition of her contribution to British television and drama, Jean was appointed an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2012 for services to drama.
