Soap Opera and Theater Actress Yvonne Brewster Has Died

Jamaican-born actress Yvonne Brewster has died. She was 87.

The actress, known for working across theatre, television, radio, and film, died just one week after her 87th birthday.

She broke barriers as the first Black woman to study drama in college in the United Kingdom in 1956, and again when she founded Jamaica’s first theatre company in 1965—known as The Barn—before returning to the UK to create the Talawa Theatre Company. Talawa was one of the country’s best and most significant independent theatre groups.

Brewster is best known for her starring role in the long-running BBC drama Doctors, as well as a guest role in the even longer BBC drama EastEnders.

She also directed plays all over the world, including in New York City, Ireland, and Italy.

In a report mourning her death, the outlet Our Today wrote that Brewster was a “cultural visionary who helped shape modern Caribbean theatre.”

A statement from Nekeisha Burchell, minister of creative industries, culture, and information for the People’s National Party in Jamaica, described her as “one of the builders of modern Jamaican theatre and a bridge between our island and the wider world.”

“She helped prove that Jamaican stories, told in our language and from our perspective, belong on every stage,” she said. “Her legacy reminds us that culture is not only who we are, but also how we grow.”

Brewster received great recognition for her work throughout her lifespan, including when she was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1993 and named as one of the BBC’s 100 Women in 2013.

She is survived by her husband.