Kathy Staff - wikipedia Kathy Staff Kathy Staff Kathy Staff Minnie Higginbottom ( 1928 - 07 - 12 ) 12 July 1928 Dukinfield, Cheshire, England 13 December 2008 ( 2008 - 12 - 13 ) ( aged 80 ) Ashton - under - Lyne, Lancashire, England Cause of death Brain tumour Other names Katherine Brant Occupation Actress Years active 1946 -- 2008 Spouse ( s ) John Staff ( m. 1951 -- 2008 ) Children Relatives Constance ( sister ) Kathy Staff ( 12 July 1928 -- 13 December 2008 ), born Minnie Higginbottom, was an English actress, well known for her work on British television. She is most famous for her portrayal of Nora Batty on the longest running sitcom in the world, Last of the Summer Wine. Contents 1 Last of the Summer Wine 2 Early life and career 3 Television 4 Theatre 5 Films 6 Illness and death 7 Television roles 8 References 9 Further reading 10 External links Last of the Summer Wine Born in Dukinfield, Cheshire, Staff was best known for her role as one of the main characters, Nora Batty, in the long - running BBC sitcom Last of the Summer Wine. She played Nora Batty from the pilot episode in 1973 ( though in the pilot and first series, she was referred to as Mrs. Batty ) until 2008, the year she died from a brain tumour. Shortly after the death of actor Bill Owen on 12 July 1999, coincidentally also Staff 's birthday, Staff left the show briefly. She stated in interviews that things just were n't the same since his passing, and her heart was n't in it any more. She would later return and remain with the show until her death. Early Life and career She began her acting career with touring repertory companies in 1946, changing her name to Katherine Brant. After she married John Staff in 1951, she adopted the surname as her stage name, hence Kathy Staff. She retired from the stage at this point to raise her family, but started working as an extra for Granada Television in Manchester in the 1960s. Television Staff had a regular role as Doris Luke in the popular ATV soap opera, Crossroads from 1978 to 1984 and 2001 to 2002. Her other television roles included Coronation Street as Vera Hopkins, No Frills as Molly Bickerstaff, Open All Hours as Mrs Blewitt, Dawson 's Weekly and The Benny Hill Show. She appeared in a television version of Separate Tables in 1983. She was the subject of This Is Your Life in 1984 when she was surprised by Eamonn Andrews in Harrods. She also appeared on Lily Savage 's Blankety Blank. Theatre Her theatre roles included Lady Bracknell in The Importance of Being Earnest at Birmingham Rep, Madame Arcati and Mrs Malaprop in touring productions of Blithe Spirit and The Rivals respectively and a touring production of the comedy Sailor, Beware !, as well as two West End plays : the farce Two into One and comedy When We Are Married, and many pantomimes. Films She appeared in A Kind of Loving in 1962 as Thora Hird 's neighbour, as well as The Family Way ( 1966 ), The Dresser ( 1983 ), Camille ( 1984 ), Little Dorrit ( 1988 ), and Mary Reilly ( 1996 ). Illness and death She died on 13 December 2008 at the Willow Wood Hospice in Ashton - under - Lyne, at the age of 80, with her husband John at her bedside, after a brain tumour was diagnosed earlier in the year. Her death was announced on 14 December. Her funeral took place at St Mark 's Dukinfield, where she was a lifelong member and sang in the choir. She is commemorated in a memorial screen at the church. Television roles Year Title Role 1969 Castle Haven Lorna Everitt 1970 -- 1972 Queenie 's Castle Mrs Blakely 1973 -- 2001 2002 -- 2008 Last of the Summer Wine Nora Batty 1974 -- 1975 Coronation Street Vera Hopkins 1976 -- 1981 Open All Hours Mrs Blewett 1978 -- 1985 2001 -- 2002 Crossroads Doris Luke 1983 -- 1986 The Benny Hill Show Various No Frills Molly Bickerstaff References ^ Jump up to : `` Nora : Kathy Staff ''. The Huddersfield Daily Examiner. 1 January 2000. Archived from the original on 12 May 2008. Retrieved 14 December 2008. Jump up ^ Lily Savage 's Blankety Blank. 25 March 2001. ITV. Jump up ^ `` Kathy Staff, Wrinkles and All -- My Life Story, 1997 Jump up ^ Staff, Kathy. `` Clegg and Co mourn the last of Nora Batty, actress Kathy Staff ''. Daily Mail. Retrieved 14 October 2012. Jump up ^ Dowling, Nicola ( 14 December 2008 ). `` Summer Wine 's Nora Batty dies ''. Manchester Evening News. M.E.N. Media. Retrieved 14 December 2008. Jump up ^ `` Kathy Staff ''. The Daily Telegraph. 14 December 2008. Retrieved 14 December 2008. Jump up ^ `` Summer Wine star Staff dies at 80 ''. BBC News. 14 December 2008. Retrieved 14 December 2008. Jump up ^ Chester Diocesan News, February 2011 Further reading Staff, Kathy ( 1999 ). Book of Happy Families. Staff, Kathy ( 1999 ). My Story, Wrinkles & All. External links Kathy Staff on IMDb Obituary in The Times. Retrieved 2008 - 12 - 15 Obituary in The Independent Kathy Staff 's appearance on This Is Your Life VIAF : 36536416 LCCN : no98077096 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kathy_Staff&oldid=823925297 '' Categories : 1928 births 2008 deaths People from Dukinfield 20th - century English actresses 21st - century English actresses English film actresses English stage actresses English soap opera actresses English television actresses Deaths from cancer in England Deaths from brain tumor Actors from Cheshire British comedy actresses Hidden categories : EngvarB from October 2017 Use dmy dates from October 2017 Articles with hCards Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Cymraeg Polski Suomi Edit links This page was last edited on 4 February 2018, at 07 : 12. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. 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Question: when did kathy staff leave last of the summer wine
Answer: 2008