Soaps

Linda Thorson: From The Avengers to Emmerdale and Broadway

She wasn't in Emmerdale for long but she really made her mark on the village!

Linda Thorson is an internationally acclaimed actress, with a glittering television career.

She is best known for playing Tara King in the iconic sixties TV show The Avengers.

But Canadian-born Linda is also known to soap fans for her role in Emmerdale.

What was Linda Thorson in?

Linda Thorson started her life as an actress when she shot to fame as Tara King in the final series of smash-hit television show The Avengers, alongside Patrick MacNee.

Linda started her career in The Avengers in the 1960s (Credit: Studiocanal/Shutterstock)

From there she went on to star in Star Trek: The Next Generation, as well as One Life to Live, and Return of the Saint.

And Netflix fans will know her from an episode of award-winning comedy Schitt’s Creek where she played a former soap star, Gloria Gregson.

Linda is also an acclaimed theatre actress. She has trod the boards at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre several times – most recently in Gigi in 2008 – as well as appearing in the West End and on Broadway.

Who did Linda Thorson play in Emmerdale?

Linda’s Emmerdale alter-ego Rosemary King was only in the show for 18 months but she made quite a mark on the village!

Read more: 6 Emmerdale characters who would have made better Woolpack owners

She arrived with her son Alasdair, closely followed by other other son Grayson and his wife Perdita and caught the eye of local business bigwig Tom King.

Linda Thorson
Tom and Rosemary tied the knot on Christmas Day (Credit: ITV/Shutterstock)

The pair tied the knot on Christmas Day, but Tom died that same day when he was hit over the head then pushed through a window.

It was actually son Carl who struck the killer blow, but that still hasn’t been revealed to the clueless Emmerdale residents!

After Tom’s death, things got really nasty! Rosemary’s new stepsons, Carl, Jimmy and Matthew, fought her for the family business.

There was all sorts of underhand plotting, and eventually Rosemary faked her own death and framed Matthew King for the crime.

Son Grayson knew the truth but chose to keep it quiet.

Rosemary died off screen (Credit: ITV/Shutterstock)

Later, though, the police got involved and Rosemary – off screen – shot herself in Miami. Her body was brought back to Emmerdale and she was buried next to husband Tom.

And in one of the show’s more gruesome episodes, furious Matthew dug up Rosemary’s body. He then crushed his one-time stepmum in the back of a bin lorry. Urgh!

How old is Linda Thorson?

Linda was born on June 18 1947.

That makes her 74. She will turn 75 this year.

Read more: Who is leaving Emmerdale this year?

Linda played a former soap star in an episode of Schitt’s Creek (Credit: Netflix)

Where is Linda Thorson now?

Linda is still acting.

As well as her role in Schitt’s Creek, she also starred in 2020 TV series The Hardy Boys.

In 2021 she was in The Vows We Keep, a Hallmark movie about an event planner organising the perfect wedding for her sister.

In 2022 she can be seen in Lion Versus the Little People, which is still in production.

So Want more spoilers from Emmerdale? Entertainment Daily has a dedicated Emmerdale spoilers section for you to get your fix before the latest episodes air.

Emmerdale usually airs weeknights at 7pm on ITV, with an extra episode at 8pm on Thursdays.

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Kerry Barrett
Freelance Soap Writer