| Marlene Kratz | |||||||||||||||
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| Neighbours character | |||||||||||||||
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| Portrayed by | Moya O'Sullivan | ||||||||||||||
| Duration | 1994–1997, 2005 | ||||||||||||||
| First appearance | 5 July 1994 | ||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | 27 July 2005 | ||||||||||||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||||||
| Introduced by | Stanley Walsh (1994) Ric Pellizerri (2005) | ||||||||||||||
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Marlene Kratz is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Moya O'Sullivan. She made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 5 July 1994. She was introduced as the estranged mother of Cheryl Stark (Caroline Gillmer). The pair often argued and Marlene constantly interferes in other people's business, but O'Sullivan believed Marlene meant well. She also described her as enormously caring, but Cheryl struggles to forgive Marlene for leaving her and her father. As she settles in, Marlene opens a bric-a-brac store and is often up for a scam or a bet. She also has a brief romance with Colin Taylor (Frank Bren). The character was written out in mid-1997 and exited the serial on 14 October 1997, when she went on a three-month cruise and never returned. O'Sullivan reprised her role for the show's 20th anniversary episode, which was broadcast on 27 July 2005. Marlene revealed that she is still sailing the seas.