Marjorie Yates was born on April 13, 1941 in Birmingham, Warwickshire. She is an actress known for playing Carol Fisher in the UK version of Shameless.
Majorie was born in Birmingham, Warwickshire, and studied at the Bournville College of Art. An early TV role was in Colin Welland's 1972 BBC1 Play for Today Kisses at Fifty alongside Bill Maynard, followed in 1973 with a role in Putting on the Agony in which she starred as Marilyn. The role was followed throughout the 70s with minor parts in a number of television productions including Z-Cars in 1974 and The Sweeney in 1976. She continued her acting career on stage and television throughout the 80s and 90s including minor parts in Great Expectations, Boon, The Ruth Rendell Mysteries, Village Hall, Crown Court and Wycliffe and a leading role in A Very British Coup. During this period, she landed the female lead in the Peter Sellers film The Optimists of Nine Elm and starred alongside David Swift in Couples, a long running, twice weekly day time drama on UK ITV about a marriage guidance counselling service.
In 1992 Marjorie appeared in the Terence Davies film The Long Day Closes.
In 2001, Marjorie appeared onstage in London's West End in Noel Coward's Star Quality, playing opposite Penelope Keith and Una Stubbs.
Marjorie has had parts in Where the Heart Is in 1997 and Heartbeat in 2000. She has also appeared in The Bill in 1990, 1996 and twice in 2002.
Marjorie won an initially small role in Channel 4 drama Shameless playing the role of Carol Fisher, mother of Veronica in 2004, originally for one episode. After a minor role in No Angels Marjorie was invited back to Shameless on a permanent basis . She starred Carol from season 2 in December 2004 to the end of sason 4 in February 2007. She left the show after three seasons, when it was decided to axe the Fishers from the show in 2006, following the departure of Maxine Peake. She departed off screen and her character's absence was explained very briefly.
Marjorie has since been starring in theater productions in Britain.
In July 2008 she appeared in the BBC series Casualty as Val Barnaby in the episode The Things We Do For....
Marjorie was married for a time to Michael Freeman, a former parliamentary candidate for the Labour Party in Finchley and a councillor on Barnet Council. They had two children, but divcorced in the 80s.
In January 2010 it was revealed Marjorie would once again team up with ex-Shameless co-star Maxine Peake in the film Edge. Filming began the same month.