Jane Freeman ( actress ) - wikipedia Jane Freeman ( actress ) Jane Freeman 12 June 1935 Brentford, London, England 9 March 2017 ( aged 81 ) Cause of death Lung cancer Occupation Actress Years active 1962 -- 2010 Shirley Ann Pithers ( 12 June 1935 -- 9 March 2017 ), better known as Jane Freeman, was an English - born Welsh actress who was best known for her work on British television, mostly for her role as Ivy in Last of the Summer Wine. Contents 1 Biography 2 Roles 2.1 Television 2.2 Film 3 See also 4 References 5 External links Biography Freeman was born in Brentford, London, in 1935 but raised in Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales, as a child, following the death of her father in an accident when she was 9 years old and her mother 's subsequent remarriage. She graduated from the City Cardiff College of Music and Drama in 1955, and after a stay in London joined the Osiris Repertory Theatre touring company, based in Gloucestershire. She joined the Arena Theatre, Sutton Coldfield, in 1958, followed by Birmingham Rep from 1968 and 1973. Her stage appearances include Margaret More in the Welsh Theatre Company 's first production, A Man for All Seasons, at Cardiff 's New Theatre in 1962. She was best known for her role as the abrasive but ultimately kind - hearted café owner Ivy, one of the main characters in the long - running British TV comedy Last of the Summer Wine. She was one of only 2 actors to appear in all series of the show, from 1973 until 2010 ( the other being Peter Sallis, who played Norman Clegg ) : however, unlike Sallis, Freeman did not appear in all of the episodes. Freeman died in March 2017 at the age of 81 from lung cancer. Her age was often incorrectly reported as being 96 at the time of her death, but official birth records prove that she was born in 1935. Roles Television Year Title Role 1964 Diary of a Young Man Nurse 1964 Crossroads Emily Burrell 1972 The Fishing Party ( Play for Today ) Audrey 1973 to 2010 Last of the Summer Wine Ivy 1973 Play for Today Housing Official 1973 Trinity Tales Cashier 1973 Play for Today Housing Official Within These Walls Madge Boyle Play for Today Martha Paisley 1976 Within These Walls Ethel Cumberpatch 1978 Play for Today Mrs. Scully 1978 Touch and Go Mrs. Meighan 1979 Prince Regent Lady de Clifford 1980 Hannah Lilla Spencer - Smith 1980 ITV Playhouse Mrs. Allen 1981 BBC2 Playhouse Aunt Anna The Hard Word Labour candidate The Black Adder Mrs Applebottom 1984 Letty Florence Jones Film Year Title Role 1979 All Day on the Sands Mrs. Cattley 1980 Dark Water Managers 's Wife 1982 Scrubbers Sister 1982 Ghost in the Water Mrs. Willets 1985 Silas Marner : The Weaver of Raveloe Mrs. Kimble See also Recurring characters in Last of the Summer Wine Jane Freeman at Find a Grave References ^ Jump up to : Quinn, Michael ( 12 April 2017 ). `` Obituary : Jane Freeman ''. Archived from the original on 12 April 2017. Retrieved 12 April 2017. Jump up ^ Witherow, John, ed. ( 14 April 2017 ). `` Jane Freeman ''. The Times ( 72197 ). p. 58. ISSN 0140 - 0460. External links Jane Freeman on IMDb Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jane_Freeman_(actress)&oldid=795517609 '' Categories : 1935 births 2017 deaths Welsh stage actresses Welsh television actresses Deaths from lung cancer Deaths from cancer in Wales Hidden categories : Articles with hCards Talk Contents About Wikipedia Polski Simple English Edit links This page was last edited on 14 August 2017, at 19 : 02. About Wikipedia

Question: who played ivy in last of the summer wine
Answer: Shirley Ann Pithers