Career
Born as Pamela J. Cowan, and originally from Leeds, before turning to an acting career she worked as a secretary on the News Chronicle and at one time also worked as a public relations officer in the fashion industry and managed theatrical artists for a period. The marriage was later dissolved. Manson"s first acting role was in 1952 following which she had a long career in the theatre.
Breaking into television, she made appearances as the Canteen Server/Bertha in four episodes of Hancock"s Half Hour (1957-1959), Rita/Irma Stevens in Dixon of Dock Green (1961-1962), Mistress
Phillips in Z-Cars (1965), René Tanner in Emergency – Ward 10 (1966), Maggie in All Gas and Gaiters (1967), Mistress Lloyd in Champion House (1967-1968), Mistress
Levy in Alexander the Greatest (1971), the Large Brim with Fruit in Are You Being Served? (1973), Sykes (1973), the NAAFI Girl in the We Know Our Onions episode of Dad"s Army (1973), Sheila in Second Time Around (1974), Sally in The Good Life (1975), Sylvia in Bar Mitzvah Boy (1976), Barmaid in The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin (1976), Jackanory (1977), Molly in The Professionals (1978), and Sybil Nunn in Sorry, I"m A Stranger Here Myself (1981-1982), Landlady in The Chinese Detective (1982), Mavis in Hi-de-Hi! (1984), Mistress Ivan in The Life and Loves of a She-Devil (1986) and the Fairy Godmother in The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole (1987), among other roles.
She also appeared with Peter Sellers.
Her film roles included Room at the Top (1959), Greek Brothel Keeper in On the Game (1974) and Mistress Bellrind in The Class of Mission MacMichael (1978), while her stage appearances included A Penny for Bread at the Almost Free Theatre as well as seasons at the Chichester Festival Theatre and the Mermaid Theatre. In 1961 the two went to the Soviet Union where they thought their products would be in demand.
Manson explained "We thought it was about time someone made the Russian women figure-conscious.
If they wear corsets at all, which we doubt, they"re probably ones which came out of the Arkansas So we"re taking our top-selling line, Beatnix, and lots of older models which were in fashion here some years ago.
Frankly, we think they will be a better sell with the Russians than modern, snazzy, sexy little garments."
Pamela Manson lived in Kensington and died in London aged 59.
