Scottish actress Lillias Frances Walker was born in Longforgan, Perth and Kinross, Scotland during 1930. Tragically her mother died whilst giving birth and Lillias was subsequently raised between her father, grandmother and her aunt Elspeth. Her father, Colin, was a farmer and the young Lillias alternated periods between a rural upbringing with her father and in more comfortable urban surroundings with her grandmother.
Amongst her first professional engagements as an actor was a stint with the Birmingham Repertory Theatre during April and May 1951 in The Princess of Pandemonia, the play Release written by Alfred Shaughessy and The Cocktail Party during September 1952. She married fellow actor Peter Burton in 1952 and had twin daughters, Alex and Vicki[1], but the marriage was later dissolved. Burton later quit acting to become a male model. She remarried in January 1966 to the character actor Peter Vaughan and remained in wedlock until his death in 2016. The couple met whilst they were both performing in reportory theatre. Vaughan had previously been married to the actress Billy Whitelaw.From 1959 until 1961 she was a member of the Dundee Repertory Company and had roles in a wide variety of stage productions including Blithe Spirit, The Chalk Garden and the comedy Man for the Job in August 1961. This would be her final appearance for the company. Walker was then attached to Glasgow’s Citizens Theatre with substantial credits in Arms and the Man and Uncle Vanya at the end of 1962. During October 1963 she appeared in a production of Friedrich Durrenmatt’s play The Physicists where she appeared in the role of the hunchbacked Fraulein Doctor. Her work for the Citizens Theatre ended in 1964 with a production of Six Characters in Search of an Author during February and March. She relocated to London and was rapidly cast in the religious fantasy Mr Brown Comes down the Hill at the Westminster Theatre during June 1964. In the role of the Harlot she was noted as “an actress of exceptional talent.[2]” The play was such a success that plans were quickly made to produce a film version.
The same year Walker also broke into television at the same time playing the role of Myra in an 'Old Man’s Fancy', an episode of Armchair Theatre, and with the role of Sonia Fordyce in the Public Eye episode 'You Have To Draw The Line Somewhere' (24th April 1965). She then returned to theatre work with The Marriage of Mr Mississippi presented by Hampstead Theatre Club September and October 1965 and a production of Shaw’s Getting Married at the Cambridge Arts Theatre over November 1965. Her next screen appearance was in 'The Golden Key to Knowledge' (24th June 1966), an episode of the BBC series This Man Craig. Walker appeared as a school mistress. Another episode of Armchair Theatre was next with an appearance as Miss Gudgeon in 'Pretty Polly' (23rd July 1966) adapted from a Noel Coward play. Lillias then took time off from acting as she had become pregnant. She gave birth to a son, David, in January 1967. David did not follow in his parent’s career paths as an actor, but has carved out a career as a notable jazz drummer.
Lillias returned to the screen with a part in the anthology series Sir Arthur Conan Doyle for the BBC. The series televised the non-Sherlock Holmes stories by Conan Doyle. Walker appeared in 'Playing With Fire' (23rd April 1967) as Mrs Bunn which was directed by Piers Haggard, who would make a considerable contribution to the folk horror movement when he directed the film Blood On Satan’s Claw a few years later. Walker then guest starred as the character Mary in 'The Target Man' (12th July 1967), an episode of the second season of the BBC crime thriller Vendetta. This was followed with the role of Mrs Baker in two episodes of the BBC soap The Newcomers (15th and 16th August 1968). The latter episode was the 300th edition of the series.
Her first work for the director Don Leaver, who would later cast her in 'The Dummy', came with the Armchair Theatre play 'A Very Fine Line' (9th March 1968). She then made a return to the espionage series Vendetta in the episode 'The Twelve Year Old Man' (8th July 1968. After a few years of taking a handful of television roles Walker had a bumper year during 1969. The year began in style with a third season episode of the BBC science fiction drama anthology series Out of the Unknown. 'The Last Lonely Man' (21st January 1969) featured George Cole and Peter Halliday in the lead roles with Walker as Mary in a tale of mind swapping. The episode was directed by Douglas Camfield who would utilise Lillias in several productions over the coming years.
Next was the role of Lady Sunderland in episodes six, eight and nine of the BBC folly Churchill’s People; 'The Protestant Wind' (14th February 1969), 'The Queen Commands' (28th February 1969) and 'Reconciliation' (7th March 1969). Then, in the winter of 1969, Walker took a role in the TV play The Mark II Wife (15th October 1969) as Mrs Badanski and rounded off the year with a small role as Eleanor Capell in 'The Man Who Wasn’t There' (21st December 1969) a first season episode of Paul Temple. The episode was directed by Douglas Camfield.
Next was the role of Lady Sunderland in episodes six, eight and nine of the BBC folly Churchill’s People; 'The Protestant Wind' (14th February 1969), 'The Queen Commands' (28th February 1969) and 'Reconciliation' (7th March 1969). Then, in the winter of 1969, Walker took a role in the TV play The Mark II Wife (15th October 1969) as Mrs Badanski and rounded off the year with a small role as Eleanor Capell in 'The Man Who Wasn’t There' (21st December 1969) a first season episode of Paul Temple. The episode was directed by Douglas Camfield.
Director Lennie Mayne cast Walker in her next role, as Martha, in 'To the Gallows Tree' (24th February 1970) an episode of the BBC period drama The Borderers which featured Ian Cuthbertson (who would appear in the Beasts episode 'Baby') in a regular role. London Weekend Television’s World War Two drama Manhunt was next with Walker guest starring as Danielle in the episode 'One Way Home' (3rd April 1970). Walker then completed her second appearance in an episode of Public Eye with the role of Miss Pritchard in the story 'Come into the Garden, Rose' (11th August 1971).
She had a small role as a secretary in the British horror film What Became of Jack and Jill (1972) directed by Bill Bain who had overseen her appearance in the series Manhunt. Her television work for the year saw her take the role of Angela Tomlins in 'The Banker' (24th June 1972), an episode of the police drama New Scotland Yard. Douglas Camfield cast her as Beryl Harkemer in 'Elected Silence' (4th October 1972) an episode of the Netherlands set detective series Van Der Valk. Her future Beasts co-star Michael Sheard was also in the cast as her husband Paul. Lillias appeared alongside her husband Peter Vaughan as Mr and Mrs Gunliffe in the period drama film Malachi’s Cove (1973) the following year, whilst on TV she took in roles in episodes of the ITV legal drama Crime of Passion, BBC’s Sporting Scenes and Softly Softly: Task Force. A further cinema credit came with the British film drama Intimate Reflections (1974) which saw Walker play Zonny opposite Anton Rodgers with her husband Peter Vaughan giving a cameo as a salesman.
Next was the BBC crime drama You’re On Your Own playing Betty Ryder in the episode 'Contract To Kill' (9th April 1975). She also had a few small film roles during 1975 with the Joseph Losey directed The Romantic Englishwoman and as a chief nurse in The Hiding Place which neatly prefigured the role she was next seen in and for which she is possibly most recalled for. Douglas Camfield was assigned to direct the Tom Baker era Doctor Who story 'Terror of the Zygons' (30th August – 20th September 1975) and he cast Walker in the role of the creepy Sister Lamont.
By 1975 her daughters had finished with their education and making their own way in the world. Alex lived in Belgium and did voice over work in English for Dutch and Belgium TV commercials whilst Vicki had become an actress working in local rep. Meanwhile, her son David made his only acting appearance, aged just nine years old, in the Thames TV single drama The Shuttlecock playing an abused child. Just prior her role in 'The Dummy' Walker appeared in the 'The Nicest Man in the World' (16th May 1976), an episode of the ITV Sunday Night Drama series. Her role of Joan Eastgate in 'The Dummy' was next.
Post-Beasts she guest starred as Jenny Rowe in 'The Mystery' (23rd October 1976), an episode of the women’s prison drama Within These Walls. Her next role was the regular role of Rosemary Cartland in the daytime drama The Cedar Tree. Lillias would appear in sixty episodes between December 1976 and September 1978. She also made a second appearance in Within These Walls with the episode 'Nemesis' (8th April 1978). After her regular Cedar Tree role ended she took the part of the Queen opposite Roy Kinnear as the King in the short film The Princess and the Pea (1978).
By the early 80s her daughter Vicki had met and settled down with a young actor called Gregor Fisher whom she had met whilst performing with the Dundee Repertory. Fisher would become famous for his comedy roles in Naked Video and as the Scottish layabout Rab C Nesbitt. Between 1986 and 1989 the couple bestowed Lillias and Peter with three grandchildren.
Walker’s final television role was as Helen Tucker in an episode of Central Television’s drama Charlie titled 'If You’re Not Part of the Solution, You’re Part of the Problem' (4th April 1984). Walker had grown disenchanted with the acting business. She had auditioned for a role in the BBC series Tenko but in the end was not cast and this only added to her disillusionment. Instead Lillias set up a boarding kennels and a cattery which she ran with input from her husband Peter for the next three years. After this the couple moved to Spain, but returned to the UK in 1999. Vaughan was still an active and hugely respected actor and so whilst he continued to take work Walker concentrated on making the family home and helping to raise her grandchildren.
Peter Vaughan’s memoir Once a Villain was published shortly before his death in December 2016. In the book it is evident that he was very much in love and in awe of his wife Lillias. He felt very much that she was a better and more talented actor than he was and that her early retirement from the business deprived audiences of some superb performances. Their son David announced on 10th August, 2023 that she had passed away peacefully that morning following a courageous fight with vascular disease.
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