Catherine Crewe dies

Catherine and her husband, actor and company manager Michael Rooney, were young matinee idols with Peggy Paige and Richard Burnett's fondly remembered resident "rep" company the Penguin Players, later Theatre South East.

Such was the popularity of the Penguins and their leading lady and leading man that the same dedicated followers bought the same seats week after week.

Weekly repertory was a hard taskmaster but an invaluable training for for countless careers. Players such as Catherine and Michael would be reading one play while learning a second for the coming week '“ and all this while performing in the current week's production.

Canadian-born Catherine, who died at the age of 66 in Michael's arms in the couple's Western Road home on Saturday after a long time of increasing frailty, brought a freshness and vitality to every role she undertook.

And these were many and immensely varied.

She possessed the born actress' ability to absorb and project the spirit of the character she was portraying to such a degree that she was always totally convincing '“ no matter that, throughout the repertory season, the same faithful followers had seen her in a totally different role the week before...

Catherine was born in Toronto where her father was a clergyman. The family moved to Montreal and to villages in Quebec before he took a living in New York State.

It was there that Catherine went to college. She worked in repertory in Ohio, auditioned successfully at the Stratford on Avon Memorial Theatre in Ontario and was given a scholarship to train at RADA.

Soon Catherine and Michael were to meet when with a company in Devon. Their first job together was touring with Tony Robinson with the Vanbrough Theatre Company.

The pair went to Runcorn to help establish a theatre company for the new town being created there and presented plays such as Beauty And The Beast and Rattle Of A Simple Man in venues in Liverpool.

After a season in repertory in Crewe, they returned to London. During the course of about 18 months they did a great many television commercials and voice-overs.

Michael recalled this week: "In those days we were silly enough to call it bread-and-butter money!"

Catherine did a pilot for a television commercial for Flash cleaner, playing the troubled young housewife to Mollie Weir's "voice of experience."

Sadly, although the Flash advertisement series went on to become classics of their time, when the company needed Catherine to do follow-up advertisements she was committed to repertory work in Scotland.

Catherine and Michael were married by Catherine's father in New York in November 1968 the day after Richard Nixon was elected President.

On their return to the UK, Catherine gained a part in On A Clear Day, filming with Barbra Streisand at the Royal Pavilion in Brighton. Michael recalled: "Cecil Beaton wanted five girls of the same height '“ Catherine was 5ft 4ins '“ to wear the costumes he had designed."

Barbra Streisand was often late on set. The film went over-budget. Most of Catherine's footage ended up on the cutting room floor.

The couple travelled widely in repertory, playing theatres as far apart as Sidmouth and Ayr.

Catherine gained a part as a nurse in Raging Moon at the Liverpool Playhouse with Brian Forbes. Other credits included the BBC drama Summer and Smoke with Lee Remick and a spot on Des O'Connor's TV show.

It was in 1973 that the couple found that at 30 weeks the Penguin Players enjoyed the longest repertory season in the country.

"It was Easter to November with a six-week break until they did pantomime at the De La Warr Pavilion."

The pair started a happy association with Peggy and Dickie which lasted through the transition from Penguin Players to Theatre South East and endured until 1975 when Charles Vance's theatre company took over repertory in Bexhill.

Catherine's most memorable performances during this time would be the title role in Jane Ayre and Elizabeth in Pride And Prejudice.

Michael recalled: "Everyone loved working with her. She was completely generous. She gave out completely and drew people to her.

"She became completely absorbed in a role, totally convincing."

When he played the unfaithful cad to her loving wife he FELT the pain she was putting across on stage.

"She thoroughly enjoyed the Penguin pantomimes. One time she doubled as the Fairy Queen and Woof Woof the dog. She LOVED that."

After Theatre South East, the couple returned to London, and played repertory at Folkestone and Sidmouth in the Eighties.

Catherine played opposite David Jason in Charlie's Aunt at the time that David was doing Open All Hours on television.

The couple toured with Abigail's Pary with Lionel Blair. Catherine played the mother in Barefoot In The Park at Sheringham in Norfolk,

Catherine played Miss Marple at the Ashcroft Theatre in Croydon and in Leeds in 1992.

But a combination of problems including skin cancer and emphysema were gradually to wreck Catherine's health.

Both animal lovers '“ their own cat once played Pyewacket in one of their productions '“ the couple believed in living simply.

Catherine's funeral will be at Little Common Methodist Church at noon on September 11 following by interment in Bexhill Cemetery. Michael has requested that in lieu of flowers friends donate to the animal or environmental charity of their choice.