Actress not recognisable as unhappy Mary

Press, 6 October 1987, Page 15

Actress not recognisable as unhappy Mary

With her bovver boy boots, ripped tights and spiky hair which changes colour with the seasons, Mary Smith in “EastEnders” is a walking advertisement for youth in confusion. But the waifish unmarried mother radiates sadness, not rebellion, and her thick black-and-white make-up is a mask which hides a vulnerable young woman in a dangerous world. Linda Davidson, the woman behind Mary Smith, does not have to worry about being mobbed by fans when she goes out. Her skin has a healthy glow and her reddish-blonde hair frames her face, instead of looking as if it's trying to escape it. She is not recognisable as the unhappy Mary, whose small daughter has recently been taken from her by well-meaning grandparents.

Davidson speaks of her character like a friend she has supported through lean times.

“Mary is a Northerner, like me, but she has come to London to make a fresh start. Now she has the tremendous responsibility of a small baby, no home and no money. From being a rebel at home, she is very much alone and terrified.”

Davidson may describe herself as a Northerner, but she was in fact bom in Canada (in 1964) coming to live in England with her family as a toddler.

Her mother had been a soloist with the Ballet Rambert, so Davidson took up dance from an early age. She started acting as a teenager, taking drama classes and joining the Southport Youth Theatre. She left school at 15 and studied dancing full-

time at Liverpool Theatre School, supporting herself by dancing in cabaret shows at night. In 1980, Davidson came south to study drama at the Italia Conti Stage Academy. She remembers her three years there as very happy ones.

“I learnt a lot and played a wide variety of roles, from Oberon in a sixties-style production of Shakespeare’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ to Beattie in ‘The Matchgirls,’ ” she says. Before landing the role of Mary, Davidson did an assortment of TV work, including guest appearances on the crime show “Bulman” and the satirical comedy series “Who Dares Wins” (currently screening Wednesday nights on One).

“East Enders screens Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights at 7.30 on Two.