Kate O'Mara (b. August 10 1939, Leicester) is an English film and television actress.

Born as Kate Carroll, the daughter of John Carroll and actress Hazel Bainbridge. She was educated at the Aida Foster School, beginning an early career as a speech therapist, but switched gears to acting.O Mara had an out of wedlock son, chris(b. 1963), whom she was forced to give up for adoption but was later reunited with him. She made her debut in a stage production of The Merchant of Venice in 1963.

Although she was one of Hammer Studio's Glamour Girls (The Vampire Lovers, The Horror of Frankenstein), O'Mara these days is best known for her work in television series. Prominent roles in dramas such as The Brothers (as Jane Maxwell), Triangle (as Katherine Laker) and Howards' Way (as Laura Wilde) has seen O'Mara carve a niche for herself as a determined "ball-breaking" female on television. She also played a recurring villainess, the Rani, in the science fiction series Doctor Who.

She played Caress Morell, sister of Alexis Colby (played by Joan Collins) on Dynasty as well as Jackie Stone, sister of Patsy Stone (played by Joanna Lumley) on Absolutely Fabulous.

On radio, O'Mara made a guest appearance in the radio comedy series Nebulous in 2006.

In March 2008 she will playing Marlene Dietrich in a new stage play entitled 'Lunch with Marlene'.

A hard-looking brunette with high cheek bones, Leicester-born actress Kate O'Mara was the daughter of actress Hazel Bainbridge and John Carroll and prodded into performing as a child. Educated at the Aida Foster School, she began an early career as a speech therapist at a Sussex Girls' School,but her attraction to acting got the best of her and she switched gears, making her debut in a stage production of "The Merchant of Venice" in 1963 at the age of 24. She continued to appear in classical works throughout the next two seasons until TV series spots started coming her way. Kate attracted gothic notice in Hammer Studio horrifics as tawdry, darkly alluring femmes in both The Horror of Frankenstein (1970) and The Vampire Lovers (1970), but her film load over the years would remain sporadic. She has remained focused on stage endeavours in the ensuing years and has appeared in many British TV series as well as various femme fatales or shady ladies. She made little leeway in America but did appear as Joan Collins equally bitchy sister for one season of "Dynasty" in 1986. She was also delightfully vindictive in episodes of "Doctor Who" and "Absolutely Fabulous" in England. She relished a standout role in the long-running British soap opera "Crossroads." In the 80s she founded and toured in a theatre company which has continued running into the millennium. She has since published two books: "When She Was Bad" in 1991 and "Good Time Girl" in 1993. She has been married and divorced three times, all to actors.