June Brown - wikipedia June Brown This is the latest accepted revision, reviewed on 21 October 2017. This article is about the British actress. For the Australian actress, see June Browne. Not to be confused with Jewel Brown. June Brown MBE Brown at the 2009 BAFTA Awards June Muriel Brown ( 1927 - 02 - 16 ) 16 February 1927 ( age 90 ) Needham Market, Suffolk, England Years active 1952 -- present Known for Dot Cotton in EastEnders ( 1985 -- 1993, 1997 -- ) Spouse ( s ) John Garley ( m. 1950 ; d. 1957 ) Robert Arnold ( m. 1958 ; d. 2003 ) Children 6 Military career Allegiance United Kingdom Service / branch Royal Navy Years of service 1944 -- 1945 Unit Women 's Royal Naval Service Battles / wars Second World War June Muriel Brown, MBE ( born 16 February 1927 ) is an English actress, known for her role as Dot Cotton in the BBC soap opera EastEnders from 1985 onwards. In 2005, she won Best Actress at the Inside Soap Awards, and in the same year, also received the Lifetime Achievement award at the British Soap Awards. In 2009, she was nominated for the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress, but lost out to Anna Maxwell Martin. She is only the second performer to receive a BAFTA nomination for their work in a soap opera ( the first was Jean Alexander ). She was awarded the Member of the Order of the British Empire ( MBE ) in the 2008 Birthday Honours for services to Drama and Charity. Contents 1 Early life and family 2 Film and television career 2.1 EastEnders and Dot 3 Theatre roles 4 Awards and recognition 5 Acting roles 5.1 Film 5.2 Television 5.3 Theatre 6 Directed 7 References 8 External links Early life and family Brown was born in Needham Market, Suffolk in 1927, the daughter of Louisa Ann ( née Butler ) and Henry William Melton Brown. She was one of five children, although her baby brother died of pneumonia in 1932, aged 15 days, and her elder sister, Marise, died in 1934, aged eight, from a meningitis - like illness. Other than English, she has Irish, Scottish, Italian and Sephardic Jewish descent from Oran, Algeria. On her maternal grandmother 's side Brown is descended from the Jewish bare knuckle boxer Isaac Bitton. She was educated at St John 's Church of England school in Ipswich and then won a scholarship to Ipswich High School where she passed the school certificate examinations. During the Second World War, she was evacuated to Pontyates, a village in Wales. During the later years of the war, she served in the Wrens ( Royal Navy ), and was classically trained at The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. At 23, she met and married actor John Garley ; he suffered from depression and took his own life in 1957. In 1958, she married Robert Arnold, a regular in the BBC television programme Dixon of Dock Green. Brown and Arnold had six children in seven years, one of whom died in infancy. The couple were together for forty - five years, until he died in 2003 of Lewy body dementia. Since then she has lived alone in their house in Surrey. She is a supporter of the Conservative Party, and told an interviewer for The Guardian : `` I would n't vote Labour, dear, if you paid me. I vote Conservative ''. Film and television career Brown has had a long television career, with small roles in Coronation Street as Mrs Parsons ( 1970 -- 71 ) ; the Play for Today, Edna, the Inebriate Woman as Clara ( 1971 ) ; the Doctor Who story `` The Time Warrior '' as Lady Eleanor ( 1973 / 74 ) ; the medical soap Angels ; the history - of - Britain Churchill 's People ; long - running comedy drama Minder ; the police drama soap The Bill ; and cult sci - fi series Survivors. She had a bigger part as Mrs Leyton in the costume drama The Duchess of Duke Street ( 1976 ), and played Mrs Mann in Oliver Twist ( 1985 ). She has also starred in the wartime big band comedy Ai n't Misbehavin ( 1997 ), and played Nanny Slagg in the BBC 's big - budget production of Gormenghast in 2000. She had a number of small roles in several movies, appearing as the grieving mother of an undead biker in British horror flick Psychomania ( 1971 ), as well as Sunday Bloody Sunday ( 1971 ), Sitting Target ( 1972 ), The 14 ( 1973 ), Murder by Decree ( 1979 ), Nijinsky ( 1980 ), The Mambo Kings ( 1992 ) and the Mr. Bean movie spin - off Bean ( 1997 ). She also appeared as Tom Hedden 's wife in Straw Dogs ( 1971 ), although her scenes were cut from the film. In 1984, she featured in the TV mini-series Lace which starred actress Phoebe Cates. She starred in a 1968 TV film called Gentle To Nora and had her first acting role in 1952 in the film It Started In Paradise ; she played an uncredited announcer. In 2006, Brown appeared as Aunt Spiker at the Children 's Party At The Palace, an all - star event to celebrate the Queen 's 80th birthday. In 2010, Brown took part in the annual Christmas special for Strictly Come Dancing. Brown said `` I 'm terrified and apprehensive about what I 've let myself in for, I must be barmy and I 'm not sure what 's come over me... I just hope I can remember the steps to the routines. I 'm looking forward to working with the professional dancers and the other contestants. '' Her dancing partner was Vincent Simone, with whom she danced the tango. She was the oldest contestant in the show so far. In July 2012, Brown hosted a documentary for the BBC called Respect Your Elders, which looked at society 's treatment and attitudes towards the elderly. She takes part in interviews and chat shows, including The Graham Norton Show in 2013. EastEnders and Dot Brown was recommended to producers for the role of Dot Cotton in EastEnders by one of its original cast members, Leslie Grantham, who played Den Watts. Brown has played the role since 1985, with a break between 1993 and 1997. On 31 January 2008, became the first and, as of 2017, only actress to carry an entire episode single - handed, with a monologue looking back over her life, dictated to a cassette machine for her husband Jim to listen to in hospital following a stroke. The fact that co-star and close friend John Bardon ( who plays Jim ) was recovering from a stroke in real life added extra pathos to the episode. In an interview on This Morning, she said it was relatively easy, as there were no co-actors forgetting their lines. In 2009, Brown was nominated for the British Academy Television Award for Best Actress. She is the first actress to be nominated in the category for a role in a soap opera since Jean Alexander 's nomination for playing Hilda Ogden in Coronation Street in 1988. Brown 's nomination came as a result of her `` single - hander '' episode of EastEnders, the director of which she praised. On 30 April 2012, it was announced that Brown would take a six - month break from EastEnders and planned to write her autobiography during her time off. In October 2012, it was announced she had returned to filming, and she appeared on screen again in January 2013. In May 2015, Brown revealed that her eyesight is failing due to macular degeneration but claims she can not afford to retire, adding that she has prayed that her eyesight will return. Later, in 2016, a storyline for Dot where her eyesight was deteriorating was introduced. On 30 January 2016, it was reported that Brown had signed a £ 300,000 contract to stay on EastEnders until she is 90 years old in 2017. Theatre roles Brown has also been active in British theatre. In 1959, she played the role of Chica in Alun Owen 's The Rough and Ready Lot when it received its stage debut on 1 June 1959 in a production by the 59 Theatre Company at the Lyric Opera House, Hammersmith, as well as in the television adaptation which was broadcast that September. She directed Pin Money by Malcolm Needs in London, and Double D in London and Edinburgh. She played Mrs Danvers in a production of Rebecca. Other plays include An Inspector Calls, The Lion in Winter, A View from the Bridge, and numerous pantomimes including The Witches, in which her sister also performed. During her early career, she played the roles of Hedda Gabler and Lady Macbeth. In 2009, Brown played Jessie in the West End production of Calendar Girls at the Noël Coward Theatre. Also in the play were former EastEnders stars Anita Dobson ( Angie Watts ), Jack Ryder ( Jamie Mitchell ) and Jill Halfpenny ( Kate Mitchell ). Awards and recognition Year Result Award Film or series Character 1999 Nominated National Television Awards Most Popular Actress EastEnders Dot Cotton 2000 Nominated National Television Awards Most Popular Actress EastEnders Dot Cotton Nominated British Soap Awards Best Actress EastEnders Dot Cotton Nominated British Soap Awards Best Single Episode - Ethell 's Emotional Death EastEnders Dot Cotton Nominated British Soap Awards Best On Screen Partnership - shared with Gretchen Franklin EastEnders Dot Cotton Won TV Quick and Choice Awards Best Actress EastEnders Dot Cotton Nominated National Television Awards Most Popular Actress EastEnders Dot Cotton Nominated British Soap Awards Best Actress EastEnders Dot Cotton Nominated British Soap Awards Best Dramatic Performance EastEnders Dot Cotton Nominated British Soap Awards Hero of the Year EastEnders Dot Cotton Nominated British Soap Awards Best Storyline - Dot 's Schizophrenia Plot EastEnders Dot Cotton Won Inside Soap Awards Best Actress EastEnders Dot Cotton Won Inside Soap Awards Best Storyline - Dot 's Schizophrenia Plot EastEnders Dot Cotton Nominated TV Quick and Choice Awards Best Actress EastEnders Dot Cotton 2002 Nominated National Television Awards Most Popular Actress EastEnders Dot Cotton Nominated British Soap Awards Best Actress EastEnders Dot Cotton Won British Soap Awards Best On Screen Partnership - shared with John Bardon EastEnders Dot Cotton Nominated British Soap Awards Best Actress EastEnders Dot Cotton 2005 Nominated National Television Awards Most Popular Actress EastEnders Dot Cotton Nominated British Soap Awards Best Actress EastEnders Dot Cotton Won British Soap Awards Best On Screen Partnership - shared with John Bardon EastEnders Dot Cotton Won British Soap Awards Lifetime Achievement Award EastEnders Dot Cotton Won Inside Soap Awards Best Actress EastEnders Dot Cotton Won Inside Soap Awards Best Couple - shared with John Bardon EastEnders Dot Cotton Nominated TV Quick and Choice Awards Best Actress EastEnders Dot Cotton Nominated TV Quick and Choice Awards Best Soap Storyline - Dot 's Cancer EastEnders Dot Cotton 2007 Nominated National Television Awards Most Popular Actress EastEnders Dot Cotton 2008 Nominated TRIC Awards Best TV Personality EastEnders Dot Cotton 2009 Nominated National Television Awards Serial Drama Performance EastEnders Dot Cotton Nominated BAFTA Awards Actress in a Leading Role EastEnders Dot Cotton Acting roles Film Sunday Bloody Sunday ( 1971 ) Straw Dogs ( 1971 ) ( scenes deleted ) Sitting Target ( 1972 ) Psychomania ( 1972 ) The 14 ( 1973 ) Murder by Decree ( 1979 ) Nijinsky ( 1980 ) Misunderstood ( 1984 ) The Mambo Kings ( 1992 ) Bean : The Movie ( 1997 ) Margery and Gladys ( 2003 ) Second Wind ( 2012 ) Spidarlings ( 2016 ) Television Coronation Street ( 1970 -- 71 ) as Mrs. Parsons Edna, the Inebriate Woman ( 1971 ) Doctor Who serial The Time Warrior ( 1973 -- 1974 ), as Lady Eleanor of Wessex South Riding ( 1974 ), as tragic Lily Sawdon Angels ( 1974 episode ) Churchill 's People ( 1975 ) Survivors ( 1975 ) The Sweeney ( 1975 ) Series 1, episode 1 `` Ringer '' The Duchess of Duke Street ( 1976 -- 1977 ) Sorry ( 1980 ) one - off BBC play Lace ( 1984 ) TV miniseries Minder ( 1984 ) Series 5, episode 7 `` Hypnotising Rita '' The Bill ( 1984 ) Oliver Twist ( 1985 ) EastEnders ( 1985 -- 1993, 1997 -- present ), as Dot Cotton Gormenghast ( 2000 ), as Nanny Slagg Heading Out ( 2013 ) June Brown at 90 : A Walford Legend ( 2017 ) TV special Theatre Magnolia Street Story An Inspector Calls Nightshade The Lion in Winter Hedda Gabler A Day Forever Rebecca Laura Absolute Hell Macbeth Calendar Girls ( play ) Directed Double D ( play ) References Jump up ^ `` BBC News - Profile : June Brown ''. BBC Online. Retrieved 4 June 2014. Jump up ^ June Brown - Family History - Genes Reunited Blog - Genes Reunited Jump up ^ `` Who Do You Think You Are : June Brown ''. Jump up ^ `` June Brown : ' I 'm like a mongrel ! ' ''. What 's on TV. Jump up ^ Rajan, Amol ( 11 August 2011 ). `` Last Night 's TV : Who Do You Think You Are ? / BBC1 Village SOS / BBC1 ''. London : The Independent. Jump up ^ June Brown Interview in The Independent. Retrieved 3 January 2013 Jump up ^ June Brown Biography at entertainmentscene 360. Retrieved 11 January 2014 Jump up ^ `` Robert Arnold ''. IMDb. Jump up ^ `` BBC Radio 4 - Desert Island Discs, June Brown ''. BBC iPlayer. 17 February 2017. Retrieved 14 March 2017. Jump up ^ Cole Moreton ( 27 January 2008 ). `` June Brown : All alone in Dot 's kitchen ''. The Independent. Jump up ^ Aitkenhead, Decca ( 20 April 2009 ). `` Decca Aitkenhead meets June Brown, EastEnders ' Dot Cotton ''. The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2009 - 05 - 23. Jump up ^ `` BBC - Press Office - BBC announces Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special ''. BBC Online. BBC Press Office. 18 November 2010. Retrieved 19 November 2010. Jump up ^ `` EastEnders star June Brown signs up for Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special ''. Mail Online. London : Daily Mail. 18 November 2010. Retrieved 19 November 2010. Jump up ^ `` BBC One - June Brown : Respect Your Elders ''. Bbc.co.uk. 2012 - 08 - 31. Retrieved 2014 - 01 - 10. Jump up ^ Moreton, Cole ( 27 January 2008 ). `` June Brown : All alone in Dot 's kitchen ''. The Independent. London. Retrieved 7 May 2010. Jump up ^ EastEnder legend June Brown 's rise from the stage to the Square - Mirror.co.uk Archived 3 February 2008 at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ `` Television Awards Nominations 2009 ''. British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Archived from the original on 27 March 2009. Retrieved 24 March 2009. Jump up ^ Fletcher, Alex ( 24 March 2009 ). `` Santer hails ' remarkable ' June Brown ''. Digital Spy. Retrieved 24 March 2009. Jump up ^ `` ' EastEnders ' June Brown taking six - month break ''. Digital Spy. 2012 - 04 - 30. Retrieved 2014 - 01 - 10. Jump up ^ `` ' EastEnders ' : Dot Branning makes return in January - EastEnders News - Soaps ''. Digital Spy. 2012 - 10 - 20. Retrieved 2014 - 01 - 10. Jump up ^ White, Stephen ( 17 May 2015 ). `` EastEnders legend June Brown is losing her sight but still has to work due to financial crisis ''. The Daily Mirror. Retrieved 19 May 2015. Jump up ^ Edward Roberts ( 30 January 2016 ). `` EastEnders legend June Brown ' signs HUGE contract to play Dot Branning until she 's 90 ' ''. Daily Mirror. Jump up ^ Owen, Alun ( 1960 ). The Rough and Ready Lot : A play in Three Acts. Cover design by Elisabeth Frink ( First ed. ). London : Encore Publishing Co. Ltd. p. 4. Jump up ^ `` The Rough and Ready Lot '', Radio Times, London ( 1871 ), p. 19, 18 September 1959, retrieved 6 April 2016 Jump up ^ https://www.flickeringmyth.com/2017/06/tromas-lgbt-horror-musical-spidarlings-to-premiere-in-july/ Jump up ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/eastenders/entries/6e237093-6f82-4127-a08d-546015cc2ca2 External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to June Brown. June Brown on IMDb `` List of performances ''. Theatre Collection. University of Bristol. VIAF : 46404344 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=June_Brown&oldid=806297182 '' Categories : 1927 births Living people English television actresses English stage actresses English soap opera actresses Members of the Order of the British Empire Royal Navy personnel of World War II People from Needham Market English people of Irish descent English people of Scottish descent English people of Jewish descent English Jews People educated at Ipswich High School English people of Algerian descent English people of Italian descent Conservative Party ( UK ) people 20th - century English actresses 21st - century English actresses Actresses of Italian descent Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links Wikipedia pending changes protected pages ( level 1 ) Articles with hCards All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from September 2017 Articles with unsourced statements from March 2009 Use dmy dates from June 2011 Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Español עברית Polski Svenska Edit links This page was last edited on 21 October 2017, at 01 : 39. 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Question: how old is dot from eastenders in real life
Answer: 90)