Frances Hargreaves (6 January 1955 – 3 March 2017[1]) was an Australian actress, who became famous in the 1970s through her long-running role of Marilyn McDonald in soap opera Number 96.
Hargreaves was born in South Africa, of British descent and prior to Number 96 she had studied in London,[2] and began acting on the stage in the UK.
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.
Marilyn was primarily a comedy character, but her most dramatic storyline was when she discovered the identity of the infamous Number 96 pantyhose strangler.
During a subsequent visit to her native South Africa with newborn son Samuel David, she acted in theatre productions of The Sound of Music and Stop the World I Want to Get Off.