Frances Cuka

Who is Frances Cuka?

Frances Cuka is a British actress, principally on television, whose career has spanned nearly fifty years.

Cuka was born in London, England, the daughter of Letitia Alice Annie, a tailor, and Joseph Cuka, a process engraver. The family subsequently moved to Hove. As a child she appeared on the radio, BBC's Children's Hour. She trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

After the Guildhall she joined the Theatre Workshop, where she performed in Macbeth and then in 1958 created the role of Jo in Shelagh Delaney's play A Taste of Honey, continuing in the role when the play moved to the West End and Broadway. In between runs of A Taste of Honey she appeared in several plays at the Royal Court, including Endgame and Live Like Pigs. In 1963 she played Becky Sharp in the musical Vanity Fair, alongside George Baker and Sybil Thorndike.

Cuka then moved into television. Subsequent television roles included Adam Adamant Lives, Hammer Horror - "Charlie Boy", The Champions and Minder. She also appeared as Doll Tearsheet in the BBC TV version of Henry IV, Part II. She had recurring roles in the soap operas Crossroads and Coronation Street. Film roles have included Scrooge as Bob Cratchit's wife, and Henry VIII and his Six Wives as Catherine of Aragon.