Actress Leonie Forbes, a pivotal figure in Jamaican theatre and broadcasting, died on October 25 at the University Hospital of the West Indies in St Andrew. She was 85 years old.

At press time there were no details about the cause of death.

Forbes appeared in countless productions, including pantomimes, films, and television shows in a career that began 60 years ago. She was also one of the early workers at the Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation (JBC) as an announcer.

Playwright Basil Dawkins worked with Forbes on two of his biggest plays, Toy Boy and Champagne And Sky Juice. He remembers her as “a lady of excellence” who “refused to sell her audience short”.

Dawkins first met Forbes in the early 1980s through fellow theatre personalities — Buddy Pouyat and Charles Hyatt. He was gradually making a name as a writer/director and desperately wanted to collaborate with Forbes.

Toy Boy, in which she starred alongside Volier Johnson, was a monster hit. Champagne And Sky Juice, which co-starred Hyatt, was an even stronger box office performer.

Forbes also appeared in films such as Children of Babylon, Glory to Gloriana, and It’s A Family Affair, all directed by Lennie Little-White. He was also profuse in his praise of Forbes’ talent.

“For me, she was Jamaica’s best thespian, on par with the late Reggie Carter,” Little-White told the Jamaica Observer.

An only child, Leonie Forbes was born in Kingston. She attended Excelsior High School and after graduation worked at the University College of the West Indies where she found a mentor in playwright Barry Reckord.

It was Reckord who got her interested in theatre, and in 1962 Forbes made her debut in Busha Blue Beard, written by Lloyd Reckord. For the next three decades, along with fellow actors Louise Bennett-Coverley, Charles Hyatt, Lois Kelly-Miller, and writers Trevor Rhone and Louis Marriott, she was responsible for fashioning the golden age of Jamaican theatre.

Forbes appeared in 12 pantomimes, including Cinderella, as well as a number of plays such as Sea Mama, Old Story Time, and The Rope And The Cross.

Despite her bountiful résumé, Little-White said Forbes was the “epitome of humility”. He added that “she never saw any role as small and was the consummate professional in all her acting roles”.

In 1980 Forbes was conferred with the Order of Distinction for her work in theatre. Nine years ago she released her memoir Leonie: An Autobiography.

Forbes is survived by three of her four children.