Caroline John was a classically trained actress who achieved significant and prestigious stage work, but is best remembered for her role as Dr. Elizabeth Shaw in the British television series Doctor Who.
Born to an actor and a dancer, John was trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London before making her stage debut with the Royal Court Theatre. She then acted in repertory and had a three-and-a-half year stint with the National Theatre Company under the artistic direction of Laurence Olivier, performing in plays such as "Othello", "The Master Builder", and "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead".
John joined Lambda in the late 1960s, touring through Italy, Yugoslavia, and Romania with D.H. Lawrence's play "Daughter-in-Law".
She successfully auditioned for the role of Dr. Liz Shaw, a super-intelligent and independent character who helped the new Doctor and shared his moral principles. Her strong personality contrasted with the stereotype of the screaming, helpless companion prevalent throughout much of the series.
John was given leeway to ad lib if it helped to liven up a scene, but script editor Terrance Dicks, new producer Barry Letts, and Jon Pertwee all disliked the character of Liz Shaw, considering her too clever and grown-up to be relatable to the younger members of the audience. They dropped her from the show at the end of the season in favour of Katy Manning's Jo Grant.
Although she was dropped from the show, John was cast in Barry Letts' BBC version of The Hound of the Baskervilles in 1982. She occasionally reprised her role of Liz Shaw for direct-to-video spin-offs, an audio series, and for the 1983 reunion special The Five Doctors.
Post-Doctor Who, John had a regular spot on Harry Enfield's Television Programme and guested in shows such as Poirot, Silent Witness, and Midsomer Murders. She maintained a steady flow of theatrical engagements and was latterly noted for her solo tour-de-force as Mildred Asher in "Nightingale", a play written by Lynn Redgrave, which ran at the New End Theatre in London and at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles in 2006.
