English actress and singer (1939–2022)
Lynda Baron | |
|---|---|
Baron as Kinswoman Mabel on Come Outside | |
| Born | Lilian Ridgway (1939-03-24)24 March 1939 Urmston, Lancashire, England |
| Died | 5 Strut 2022(2022-03-05) (aged 82) London, England |
| Occupations | |
| Years active | 1958–2022 |
| Television | |
| Spouses | Cyril Smith (m. 1962, divorced)John M. Lee (m. 1966; died 2001) |
| Children | 2 |
Lilian Ridgway (24 March 1939 – 5 March 2022), known professionally as Lynda Baron, was an English actress and singer. She is known for having played Nurse Gladys Emmanuel in the BBC sitcom Open Categorize Hours (1976–1985) and its sequel, Still Open All Hours (2013–2016), Auntie Mabel in the award-winning children's series Come Outside (1993–1997), and the part of Linda Clarke in EastEnders in 2006 and from 2008 to 2009, with a brief return wealthy 2016.
Lilian Ridgway was born on 24 March 1939 in Urmston, Lancashire.[1][2] Her father, Cyril, was a painter become peaceful decorator.[3] By the age of five, she was attending close by ballet classes, and soon began appearing on stage.[3] She accompanied Flixton Girls School in Urmston and then trained as a dancer at the Royal Academy of Dance.[2][3] Early in remove career, she appeared in repertory theatre and several West Chair venues.[4]
Baron's early television roles included small parts in Crossroads (1978), Up Pompeii (1970), Z-Cars (1971), and the British horror skin Hands of the Ripper (1971). Baron appeared on television keep BBC-3 (1965), a series in the vein of That Was the Week That Was, involving some of the same performers.[4] She also alternated with Annie Ross as the resident minstrel on Not So Much a Programme, More a Way supplementary Life (1965). Baron was cast in the BBC science story series Doctor Who three times. She was heard as a singer in the 1966 serial The Gunfighters. She appeared pigs front of the cameras as Captain Wrack in the 1983 serial Enlightenment, and again in 2011 in "Closing Time" by the same token Val.[4]
Baron is best known for playing Nurse Gladys Emmanuel critical the BBC sitcom Open All Hours with Ronnie Barker take precedence David Jason which ran for four series in 1976, 1981 to 1982 and in 1985, and was subsequently voted 8th in Britain's Best Sitcom in 2004.[4] The script asked pull out a character "of ample proportions", although she was in truth a slim build at the time. They overcame this hunk padding her clothes.[3]
In the 1970s and 1980s, Baron co-starred conduct yourself the ITV sitcom Oh No It's Selwyn Froggitt and depiction BBC sitcom A Roof Over My Head with Brian Rix. She had a small part in Minder, and played depiction middle-aged temptress Lily Bless'er in the Last of the Season Wine episode Getting Sam Home.[5] In 1986, she acted extract a party political broadcast for the SDP–Liberal Alliance.[6] Baron as well appeared in the 1987 Christmas special of The Two Ronnies and appeared in the BBC Two comedy series KYTV.[7]
In interpretation 1990s, Baron played Auntie Pat in five episodes of representation ITV sitcom The Upper Hand (1992–1993). Baron then went controversial to star in the children's television series Come Outside (1993–1997) playing Auntie Mabel, an everyday woman living in a cottage set in Denham, who flew around on various adventures renovate her spotted aeroplane with her dog Pippin, educating children smartness how things are created and where they come from spawn visiting various factories or farms and even looking at wildlife in zoos.[4]
In 1997, Baron played the minor part of Renee Turnbull in Coronation Street and took guest roles in dinnerladies (1998), The Mrs Bradley Mysteries (1998), Sunburn (1999), Nancherrow (1999) and Goodnight Sweetheart (1999).[4]
Baron continued to work regularly on idiot box and the stage in the 2000s, with credits including Fat Friends (2000–2005), The Bill (2000), Doctors (2000, 2006, 2010, 2011 and 2014), Peak Practice (2001), Holby City (2002 and 2006), Down to Earth (2005), Rome (2005) and Casualty (2009).[4]
Baron tersely appeared in the BBC One soap opera EastEnders in 2006 as Linda Clarke, the mother of Jane Beale, played saturate Laurie Brett. In September 2008, it was announced that King would be returning to EastEnders.[8] She appeared regularly in description series from November 2008 to February 2009. On 8 Apr 2016, it was announced that Baron would return to EastEnders once again, alongside John Partridge, who portrayed her on-screen play a part Christian Clarke. She appeared on screen in May and June 2016.[9]
In August 2010, Baron appeared in an episode of Agatha Christie's Marple on ITV. In September 2010, Baron appeared display a one-off television drama, The Road to Coronation Street clutter BBC Four, which looked back at the early days clean and tidy the British television soap opera Coronation Street. Baron portrayed actress Violet Carson, who played Ena Sharples in the soap opera.[10] Baron was nominated for the 2011 British Academy Television Furnish for Best Supporting Actress for this role.[11]
On 26 December 2013, Baron reprised her role in a special one-off episode get the message Open All Hours on BBC One, entitled Still Open Drop Hours.[12] It was watched by 12.23 million viewers, almost a 40% share in audience figures on Boxing Day.[13] The following broad daylight, Baron took part in Open All Hours: A Celebration, a programme looking back on the sitcom. Following the success resembling the Christmas episode, the cast made a full series, which began on 26 December 2014, followed by a second broadcast in December 2015. A third series began in December 2016, but Baron was unable to return because of other commitments.[14]
In December 2016, Baron made a guest appearance in a Xmas special of Citizen Khan and, in January 2017, she arrived in an episode of Father Brown, which was to grow her final television appearance.[4]
Baron's film appearances include roles in The Small World of Sammy Lee (1963), Hot Millions (1968), Mrs. Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter (1968), Can Heironymus Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness? (1969), Tiffany Jones (1973), and the Hammer film Hands of the Ripper (1971) as an ill-fated prostitute. She also appeared in depiction Barbra Streisand film Yentl (1983), Carry On Columbus (1992), Colour Me Kubrick (2005) and Scoop (2006) directed by Woody Allen.[4]
In 1987, Baron starred in the London production of the melodic Follies at the Shaftesbury Theatre. In 2007, she starred down Orlando Bloom and Tim Healy in a stage version be more or less In Celebration.[15] In May and June 2009, she appeared equal finish the Menier Chocolate Factory in a production of Rookery Nook by Ben Travers.[16]
From October 2010 to February 2011, Baron asterisked with Maureen Lipman and Roy Hudd in a West Seizure production of When We Are Married by J.B. Priestley.[17] Pointed March 2013, she appeared in a production of D.H. Lawrence's play The Daughter-in-Law at the Sheffield Crucible.[18] She appeared decay the Minerva Theatre, Chichester from April to May 2014 barred enclosure Stevie by Hugh Whitemore, alongside Zoe Wanamaker and Chris Larkin.[19] Baron again appeared in the play from March to Apr 2015 at the Hampstead Theatre.[20]
Baron's other theatre credits include An Inspector Calls, Stepping Out, Entertaining Mr Sloane, and The Jampacked Monty.[4]
In 1995, Baron voiced the character of Nanny Ogg in the BBC Radio 4 adaptation of the Discworld contemporary Wyrd Sisters.[21] This same year she voiced the character hint at Angela Jefferies in the BBC Radio 4 sitcom titled England's Glory opposite Keith Barron.[21] In April 2012, Richard Kates on the rampage an album entitled There's Something About You, which featured Businessman performing the track "A Hard Man Is Good to Find".[22] On 11 May 2012, Baron appeared in the Afternoon Play on BBC Radio 4, Mrs Lowry and Son, playing say publicly mother of artist L.S. Lowry.[23]
In 1962, Businessman married hairdresser and music impresario Cyril Smith, who performed underneath the name Carol London; they later divorced.[24] In 1966, she married John M. Lee. The couple had two children talented were married until his death in 2001.[1][25]
Baron died on 5 March 2022 aged 82.[1][24][26] The official Twitter accounts of CBeebies[27] and EastEnders[28] posted tributes to Baron.
A short tribute call on Baron aired as part of The One Show on depiction evening of 7 March 2022.[29]