Stephanie A. Beacham (born 28th February 1947 in Friern Barnet, Middlesex) appeared on Coronation Street intermittently between January 2009 and December 2022 as Martha Fraser, a former flame of Ken Barlow.
She took an interest in acting at a young age, studying mime at the renowned Étienne Decroux school in Paris. Upon her return to the UK, she worked as wardrobe assistant at Liverpool's Everyman Theatre before completing her studies at RADA, graduating in 1967. She also embarked on a modelling career prior to making her television debut.
Best known for her roles of Georgina Layton in Marked Personal from 1973 to 1974, as Rose Millar in Tenko from 1981 to 1982, as Sable Colby in Dynasty and its parent show The Colbys from 1985 to 1989 and as Phyllida Oswyn in Bad Girls from 2003 to 2006, her other television credits include roles in The Queen's Traitor, Sentimental Education, Man at the Top, Prometheus: The Life of Balzac, Connie, Napoleon and Josephine: A Love Story, Cluedo, Sister Kate, Lucky Chances, To Be the Best, Seaquest DSV, Beverly Hills, 90210, No Bananas, Reston Hawk: Attorney, Mount Pleasant, Trollied, Death in Paradise, Boomers and Bucket.
Film roles include The Games, The Ballad of Tam Lin, The Nightcomers, Dracula A.D. 1972, Blue Movie Blackmail, And Now the Screaming Starts!, House of Mortal Sin, Schizo, Inseminoid, Troop Beverly Hills, The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, Wedding Bell Blues, Relative Values, Unconditional Love, Seven Days of Grace, Love and Other Disasters, The Witches Hammer, Plot 7, Moving Target, Wild Oats, Rap Grandma, Renegades, Christmas in the Caribbean, Nessie, Forever Young, Grey Matter and Duchess.
On stage, she appeared in productions of Monsieur Barnett, The Orchestra, Gaslight, Tea Party, The Basement, The Homecoming, A Doll's House, On Approval, An Audience Called Edouard, Can You Hear Me at the Back?, Terra Nova, Happy Family, Venice Preserv'd, The Rover, The Father, An Ideal Husband, Lady Windermere's Fan, Silhoutte, Equally Divided, A Busy Day, Elizabeth Rex and Dinner.
She was the special guest on the edition of This Is Your Life, transmitted on 31st January 1990.
