Lynn Dalby, the actor best known for playing Hazel Fletcher opposite Adam Faith in the 1970s television series Budgie and Ruth Merrick in Emmerdale Farm, has died at the age of 78. The cause was chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Dalby starred as Hazel Fletcher, a jobbing actor and girlfriend of petty criminal Budgie (Adam Faith), in two series of the ITV drama from 1971 to 1972. She later joined the cast of the newly launched soap opera Emmerdale Farm in 1972, playing Ruth Merrick, a woman harbouring a secret about her son's parentage. She appeared in two stints in 1972 and 1974.
Born in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, Dalby trained at the Corona Academy in London from age 12 and appeared in uncredited film roles as a schoolgirl. Her early career included touring companies, repertory theatre, and West End musicals, including a role as Chava in Fiddler on the Roof. She also appeared in the BBC sitcom The Gnomes of Dulwich (1969) and the ITV soap Crossroads as Rita Hughes from 1980 to 1981.
In 1977, Dalby married actor Ray Lonnen; they divorced in 1983. She emigrated to Sydney, Australia, in 1984, continuing her acting career there before returning to Britain in 2019. She is survived by her sister.
