Lyn James, who rose to fame playing Helen Gordon on The Young Doctors, has sadly passed away at the age of 87.
Lyn began her acting career at a very young age and was accepted into the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London at just 16 years old.
It was there she met her husband, New Zealand-born Eric Tayler, and the two went on to have highly successful careers in the entertainment industry. They starred together in a wide range of productions (with Lyn using her stage name of Marilyn James) during their time in the West of England Theatre Company and later The Rapier Players.
Lyn also had a prolific career in television, working for the BBC in both London and Wales with credits including Misery Me, the Welsh comedy Without Vision, Poison Pen, The Druid Circle, Jinny Morgan, Precious Bane, The Stolen Miniatures, To Love And To Cherish, and Nicholas Nickleby to name a few.
On commercial television, Lyn worked on a number of productions for ATV. She played Meg Barker in Once Aboard The Lugger, was cast as Beryl Denbigh in Emergency – Ward 10, and also appeared in Call Oxbridge 2000.
In 1965, Eric and Lyn moved to Australia, where Eric kicked off an award-winning career as a producer and director with the ABC.
Lyn James.
In Australia, Lyn landed roles on Hunter, Homicide, Division 4, Matlock Police, Dynasty, Catwalk, The Emigrants, Certain Women, Contrabandits, Eden House, Silent Number, Ryan, The Evil Touch, the telemovie Tully, and Case for the Defence.
In 1976, Lyn was cast as Helen Gordon in the medical drama serial The Young Doctors. She remained with the serial for its entire run.
Following The Young Doctors, Lyn continued to act, appearing in movies such as Olive, and on television in a range of productions including The Coral Island, Bony, A Country Practice, Possession and Young Lions.
“Lyn was a very special lady with a heart of gold and it was my absolute privilege to have known her,” her manager Darren Grey says. “She enriched my life, and the lives of many others through her kindness and generosity.”
Lyn is survived by their son Nicholas, their daughter Sally (who has also enjoyed a successful acting career in programmes such as The Young Doctors, Waterloo Station and Sons & Daughters), and their grandchildren.
