Frances Hargreaves

Frances Hargreaves (6 January 1955 – 3 March 2017) was an Australian actress, who became famous in the 1970s through her long-running role of Marilyn McDonald in soap opera Number 96. Biography Hargreaves was born in South Africa, of British descent and prior to Number 96 she had studied in London, and began acting on the stage in the UK. After marrying Australian actor and singer David Gilchrist, they settled in Australia in 1973. Their daughter Amelia was born in 1989. In January 1974, Hargreaves scored the role of rebellious Marilyn McDonald at the last-minute when the original actress, Judy McBurney, had to withdraw due to peritonitis after only six episodes. Hargreaves had to re-shoot all of McBurney's scenes. Marilyn was the adopted daughter of Edie and Reg (Mike Dorsey and Wendy Blacklock), whom she always called "Mummy and Daddy". Marilyn was primarily a comedy character, but her most dramatic storyline was when she discovered the identity of the infamous Number 96 pantyhose strangler.