Dora Bryan - Biography - IMDb Dora Bryan Jump to: Overview (4) | Mini Bio (1) | Spouse (1) | Trivia (14) Overview (4) 5' 3" (1.6 m) Mini Bio (1) Dora Bryan was born on February 7, 1923 in Southport, Lancashire, England as Dora May Broadbent. She was an actress, known for A Taste of Honey (1961), Mirrormask (2005) and Apartment Zero (1988). She was married to Bill Lawton . She died on July 23, 2014 in Hove, East Sussex, England. Spouse (1) ( 7 February 1954 - 14 August 2008) (his death) (3 children) Trivia (14) She was awarded the Laurence Olivier Theatre Award in 1995 (1994 season) for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance in "The Birthday Party".

She was awarded the OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 1996 Queen's Birthday Honours List for her services to drama. She has done a lot of charity work to help homeless and sick animals. Gave up smoking in 1985. Retired in 2006. Brighton, East Sussex, UK: Now 90 Dora is the subject of a major exhibition @ Grange Museum, Rottingdean, East Sussex Sep 2013 - Apr 2014. On display is her Best Actress Academy Award for her 1961 film A Taste of Honey. [September 2013] She chose the stage surname "Bryant" after the popular brand of matches Bryant and May but had to change it to "Bryan" after a theatre mis-spelled her chosen name in a theatre programme. She first appeared on stage, in a pantomime in Manchester, when she was 12. She worked with Ensa, the armed forces' entertainment body, during World War II. Was several times hospitalised after nervous breakdowns caused by repeated miscarriages.

At one time ran a hotel in Brighton, which she later converted into a block of flats. Achieved international recognition as the domineering alcoholic mother of Rita Tushingham in "A Taste of Honey". At the age of 12, she made her stage debut in a pantomime in Manchester. At 15 she joined Oldham Repertory as an assistant stage manager and remained with the company for four years, by which time she had graduated to playing juvenile leads. Was the younger of two children of the director of a cotton mill. Twice played the mother in a mother and daughter role with Anne Reid , both times for Victoria Wood and despite being only 12 years older than Reid. The first time was in 1986 in a sketch for an episode of Victoria Wood: As Seen on TV. The second time was in 1998 in an episode of Dinnerladies.

See also Dora Bryan: Summer Wine and Ab Fab actress dies aged 91 - BBC News BBC News Dora Bryan: Summer Wine and Ab Fab actress dies aged 91 23 July 2014 Close share panel Image caption Bryan was made an OBE for services to drama in 1996 Dora Bryan, the veteran British actress whose long career encompassed theatre, film, radio and television, has died in Hove, near Brighton, at the age of 91. She was best known for her roles in Last of the Summer Wine and Absolutely Fabulous, and won a best actress Bafta for the 1962 film A Taste Of Honey. Her grandson Sam said her "longevity as an actress had been truly incredible". She died at the Sussex County Hospital in Brighton, with her sons Daniel and William at her bedside. Daniel told the Argus newspaper : "It was heartbreaking but it was peaceful. "She just left us. "She was a tiny woman but her constitution was incredible. She loved being on stage, that's what she wanted. Not only did she do it, but she was good at it.

"She was a star, and a mum." Born Dora May Broadbent in Southport, Lancashire, the actress made her stage debut aged 12 before working with Ensa, the armed forces' entertainment body, during World War II. After moving to London, she was encouraged to change her surname by Noel Coward while appearing in a production of his play Private Lives. The actress chose Bryant as her new stage name, after the match manufacturers Bryant and May, but became Dora Bryan when a theatre programme omitted the last letter. She went on to play the title role in Hello, Dolly on stage and make appearances in such films as The Blue Lamp, Carry On Sergeant and The Great St Trinian's Train Robbery. Image caption Bryan recording Much Binding in the Marsh in 1953 with (l to r) Kenneth Horne, Richard Murdoch, Sam Costa and Nicholas Parsons She was also heard on radio in Hancock's Half Hour and alongside Nicholas Parsons and Kenneth Horne in the comedy series Much Binding in the Marsh. Bryan, who became an OBE in 1996, headlined a number of stage revues and made several appearances at the National Theatre.

She had a recurring role in Absolutely Fabulous as June Whitfield's on-screen friend Dolly and was seen as Ros Utterthwaite in Last of the Summer Wine. In real life she endured several hardships. She suffered two nervous breakdowns, her adopted daughter Georgina died from alcoholism and her husband, cricketer Bill Lawton, died from Alzheimer's in 2008. She was also afflicted by short-term memory loss that affected her ability to learn lines and led to her retirement in 2006. Lionel Blair was among those paying tribute to the actress on Twitter. "So very sad to hear of the passing of my good friend Dora Bryan," he wrote . "She was wonderful." Analysis: David Sillito, BBC arts correspondent There seemed to be almost an unwritten rule that in the 1950s that a British film had to feature Dora somewhere. The young Dora Broadbent was, by her own admission, a show-off. She would perform at a bus stop if she could. She certainly had a natural comic talent - but too often it was in bit parts.

Her CV was littered with scene-stealing cameos often as a barmaid or a shop assistant or (more than once) a prostitute. If you wanted a bit of chirpy charm you sent for Dora. There were more than 60 films ranging from The Cure for Love with Robert Donat to Mother Riley Meets The Vampire. Thankfully, she was allowed to be centre stage on the West End. Nothing, she said, topped the feeling of standing on the top of a sweeping staircase with all eyes on her and the band striking up for the opening of her favourite show, Hello Dolly. Dora Bryan Dead: British Actress Was 91 | Hollywood Reporter COMMENTS Courtesy Everett Collection She won a BAFTA for her role in "A Taste of Honey" and more recently starred on the TV shows "Last of the Summer Wine" and "Absolutely Fabulous." Dora Bryan, the veteran British actress who starred as the domineering alcoholic mother in Tony Richardson’s gritty 1961 film A Taste of Honey, died Wednesday. She was 91.

Bryan, awarded the Order of the British Empire in 1996, died in a hospital in Hove, England, her family told the Brighton newspaper The Argus . Bryan also appeared in such films as Carol Reed’s The Fallen Idol (1948), The Cure for Love (1949), The Blue Lamp (1950) with Dirk Bogarde, Carry on Sergeant (1958), The Great St. Trinian’s Train Robbery (1966), Apartment Zero (1988) and MirrorMask (2005). On stage, Bryan took the lead twice in London productions of Hello, Dolly! (1966-68) and appeared in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1962) and The Merry Wives of Windsor (1984). She made her Broadway debut alongside Peter O’Toole and Amanda Plummer in Pygmalion (1987), and she received a Laurence Olivier Award in 1996 for best supporting actress for her role in Harold Pinter’s The Birthday Party.

Bryan was more recently known for starring on such noted British TV shows as Last of the Summer Wine, playing Roz Utterthwaite, and Absolutely Fabulous, as a regular guest alongside June Whitfield. She received a BAFTA nomination for the latter. A Taste of Honey, adapted from Shelagh Delaney’s Broadway play, saw Bryan play Helen, the mother of Jo (Rita Tushingham), a 17-year-old schoolgirl who is impregnated by a black sailor (Paul Danquah) and rooms with a gay student (Murray Melvin). The film won five BAFTAs, including one for Bryan as best actress. Born Dora May Broadbent in the north England town of Southport in 1923, the actress made her stage debut at age 12 and later worked with the entertainment body of the British armed forces during World War II. She changed her name to Bryant upon moving to London following encouragement by Noel Coward when she performed in his play Private Lives. She soon became Dora Bryan when a theater program reportedly missed off the last letter. Survivors include her sons Daniel and William.

Her husband of 54 years, cricketer Bill Lawton, died from Alzheimer’s in 2008 at age 88. Dora Bryan — The Movie Database (TMDb) Report Biography Dora May Bryan OBE (born 7 February 1923) is an English actress of stage, film and television. Born Dora May Broadbent, her career began in pantomime as a child actor. In World War II she joined the ENSA in Italy to entertain British troops. After having established herself as a versatile stage actress, covering everything from drama and comedy to musicals, she started to appear in film in the late 1940s, and in 1968 she even had her own TV series, "According to Dora". At one point in her career she was Britain's highest-paid star. She was active on stage until the mid 1990s and continued to work in film and television until 2005, when she finally had to give up the acting profession as she could no longer remember her lines. Her autobiography According To Dora was published in 1987.

In 1996, she was awarded an OBE in recognition of her services to acting and the same year she was also awarded the Laurence Olivier Award for her role in the West End production of the Harold Pinter play "The Birthday Party". She was married to British cricket player Bill Lawton from 1954 to his death in 2008. In 2013 she was still alive, but very frail, living in a nursing home in Hove, outside Brighton. Text above based on the Wikipedia article Dora Bryan, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia Actress Dora Bryan dead Actress Dora Bryan dead Tweet Share London, July 24 (IANS) Veteran British actress Dora Bryan, still remembered for her role in "A Taste of Honey", has died in a nursing home. She was 91. She died July 23, reports femalefirst.co.uk. Her son Daniel released a statement saying: "It was heartbreaking, but it was peaceful. She was a tiny woman, but her constitution was incredible. She loved being on stage, that's what she wanted.

Not only did she do it, but she was good at it." Born Dora May Broadbent in 1923, she started acting as a child and also worked in theatre. She received the Laurence Olivier Theatre Award in 1995 for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance in "The Birthday Party". Reblog Dora Bryan | Call On Dolly: Call On Dolly: SKIPPER BIO Dora Bryan Dora May Bryan (born 7 February 1923, Died July 23rd, 2014) is an English actress of stage, film and television. Bryan’s first taste of acting came when she appeared in pantomime as a child in pre-war Manchester. She went on to become known for her comic roles in popular TV series including Absolutely Fabulous and Last of the Summer Wine. Bryan was born as Dora May Broadbent in Southport, Lancashire, England. Her father was a salesman and she attended Hathershaw County Primary School in Oldham, Lancashire. Her career began in pantomime before World War II, during which she joined the ENSA in Italy to entertain British troops.

Bryan made her stage debut as a child in a pantomime in Manchester and, encouraged by her mother, joined the Oldham Repertory while still a teenager. After spending eight years honing her craft there, she headed for London to try her luck on stage, where she became a regular performer in the West End. Cast in a production of Noël Coward’s Private Lives, the actress was encouraged to adopt a stage name by Coward himself. She opted for Dora Bryant but a typographical error left off the last letter and she became Dora Bryan. Recognized for her distinctive speaking voice, which became a trademark of her performances, she followed many of her theatre contemporaries into film acting, generally playing supporting roles. She often played women of easy virtue — for example in Ealing’s The Blue Lamp (1950) and The Fallen Idol (1948), one of her earliest films. She appeared in similarly stereotypical female roles in other films, for example The Cockleshell Heroes (1955), The Green Man (1956) and Carry On Sergeant (1958).

She appeared in a cameo role in 1955 on the BBC radio series Hancock’s Half Hour, in an episode now known as “Cinderella Hancock”. In 1961, she appeared in A Taste of Honey. The film won four BAFTA awards: director Tony Richardson won Best British Screenplay (with Shelagh Delaney) and Best British Film, while Bryan won Best Actress and co-star Rita Tushingham was named Most Promising Newcomer. In 1963 she recorded the Christmas song “All I want for Christmas is a Beatle”. She played a headmistress in The Great St Trinian’s Train Robbery (1966), and in 1968 she starred in her own British TV series, According to Dora. Bryan appeared in the Anglo-Argentine Hitchcockian thriller, Apartment Zero. The film was featured in the 1988 Sundance Film Festival and was directed by Martin Donovan (the Argentine aka: Carlos Enrique Varela y Peralta-Ramos) and starred Hart Bochner and Colin Firth.

Bryan plays the role of one of two eccentric characters (the other was played by Liz Smith) described by the Washington Post as two “… tea-and-crumpet gargoyle-featured spinsters who snoop the corridors.” Throughout her career she also remained a versatile and popular stage performer, often appearing in musicals such as Gentleman Prefer Blondes (1962) and Hello, Dolly! (1966–68). She also headlined a number of stage revues such as The Dora Bryan Show (1966) and An Evening with Dora Bryan and Friends (1968). She made her Broadway debut as Mrs. Pierce in Pygmalion (1987), starring Peter O’Toole and Amanda Plummer. Other notable credits include her first Shakespearean role, Mistress Quickly in The Merry Wives of Windsor (1984), Mrs.

Hardcastle in She Stoops to Conquer (1985), Carlotta Campion (singing “I’m Still Here”) in the 1987 London production of the Stephen Sondheim-James Goldman musical Follies, and she appeared in the 1994 revival of Harold Pinter’s The Birthday Party. In 2000 she joined the cast of the long-running BBC comedy series Last of the Summer Wine as Aunt Roz Utterthwaite; she left the show in 2005 to concentrate on stage work in theatre, though she was not written out. In 1999, she made an appearance in the Victoria Wood sitcom Dinnerladies. Her last film appearance was in Gone to the Dogs (2006) opposite Anthony Booth. She twice was a guest star on Absolutely Fabulous as June Whitfield’s on-screen friend Dolly (originally called Milly). She received a BAFTA nomination in 2002 for this role. In September 2006, she was due to tour in the comedy There’s No Place Like a Home but withdrew early in the tour because of her husband’s continued ill health.

Awards and testimonials Her autobiography According To Dora was published in 1987 and has since been updated and republished. In 1996, she was awarded the OBE in recognition of her services to acting and she was awarded a Laurence Olivier Award in 1996 for her role in the West End production of the Harold Pinter play, The Birthday Party. Personal life She was married to former Lancashire and Cumberland cricketer Bill Lawton until his death as a result of Alzheimer’s disease in August 2008. The couple met in Oldham during World War II and were married at Werneth St Thomas, Oldham, in 1954. During her husband’s final years she reduced her public commitments to enable herself to look after him, as well as suffering with health problems herself, including a serious operation for a hernia. She once owned Clarges Hotel at 115–119 Marine Parade on Brighton’s seafront, which was used as an exterior location in the films Carry On Girls and Carry On at Your Convenience.

She and her husband were forced to sell the bulk of the building as a result of bankruptcy, but they retained a flat with a sea view on the first floor for many years. Still maintaining its original structure, the rooms of the hotel have been reconverted into flats, which are rented and owned by local residents. In 2005 Bryan had to leave Last of the Summer Wine, reportedly because of her forgetfulness and inability to remember her lines. She is now wheelchair bound and resides in a nursing home in Hove in frail health. According to the Daily Mail (19 May 2009): “Sir Cliff Richard is doing a great act of kindness for his 85-year-old friend, the ailing Dora Bryan, who is languishing in a council-funded bed in a Hove nursing home…. Cliff appeared at an all-star fundraiser for Dora on 31 May at Her Majesty’s Theatre in London. Plans to transport Dora to London look precarious. ‘She is extremely frail and hardly eating at all,’ reveals organiser Tony Hardman.” The Dora Bryan Charity Gala was held at Her Majesty’s Theatre, London, on 31 May 2009.

The show was ticketed in order to benefit Bryan’s two nominated charities, the Variety Club and the Alzheimer’s Society, and all celebrity guests and performers donated their time to these causes. Hello, Dolly! opened on Broadway January 16th, 1964 at the St. James Theatre with Carol Channing as Dolly Levi. Over the past 54 years, many actresses (and a few good men) have descended down those stairs of the Harmonia Gardens to audience acclaim. On April 20th, 2017, Bette Midler continues that tradition with the much anticipated Broadway Revival at the Shubert Theatre. This site celebrates the history and future of Hello, Dolly! For more information, please contact Richard Skipper: Richard@RichardSkipper.com Search Results - Entertainment Entertainment You are using an older browser version. Please use a supported version for the best MSN experience. Search Results for 'dora bryan' Want Info on Dora Bryan? Just Search A Name and State.

MSN Results Search Results for 'dora bryan' - MSN bryan You Lucky People is a 1955 British comedy film directed by Maurice Elvey and starring Tommy Trinder, Mary Parker and Dora Bryan. Search Results - Entertainment. Prince Harry Meets Meghan Markle’s Dad - msn.com Her mother Dora is a yoga instructor and father Thomas W. Markle is an Emmy Award-winning director of photography. 4/19 SLIDES © Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Relais ... The Best-Ever Celebrity Halloween Costumes From Katy Perry as a Flamin' Hot Cheeto to Jessica Alba as Dora the Explorer, here are the best celebrity Halloween costumes. Prince Harry eyes bodyguard for Meghan Markle: report Her mother Dora is a yoga instructor and father Thomas W. Markle is an Emmy Award-winning director of photography. 4/19 SLIDES © Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Relais ... Prince Harry’s girlfriend Meghan Markle seemingly ... ’s... Her mother Dora is a yoga instructor and father Thomas W. Markle is an Emmy Award-winning director of photography. 4/19 SLIDES © Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Relais ...

Dora Bryan - Wikipedia Dora May Broadbent, OBE, known as Dora Bryan (7 February 1923 – 23 July 2014) was an English actress of stage, film and television. ... Dora Bryan - IMDb Dora Bryan was born on February 7, 1923 in Southport, Lancashire, England as Dora May Broadbent. She was an actress, known for A Taste of Honey (1961), Mirrormask ... Dora Bryan - obituary - Telegraph Dora Bryan - obituary Dora Bryan was an actress who specialised in the dizzy and scatterbrained but could be equally at home in Pinter Dora Bryan: Summer Wine and Ab Fab actress dies aged 91 ... Dora Bryan, the actress whose career encompassed theatre, film and TV's Last of the Summer Wine, has died near Brighton at the age of 91. Comedy legend Dora Bryan was saved from the brink of ... In her hey-day, comedy legend Dora Bryan was Britain's highest-paid star. But her personal life was dogged by tragedy, heartbreak and trauma 'Three of them gave a ...

Dora Bryan Dora Bryan Set cemetery Person Dora May Broadbent OBE, known as Dora Bryan (7 February 1923 – 23 July 2014) was an English actress of stage, film and television. Early life Bryan was born in Parbold near Wigan, Lancashire. Her father was a salesman and she attended Hathershaw County Primary School in Oldham, Lancashire. Her career began in pantomime before World War II, during which she joinedENSA in Italy to entertain British troops. Career Bryan made her stage debut as a child in a pantomime in Manchester and, encouraged by her mother, joined the Oldham Repertory while still a teenager. After spending eight years honing her craft there, she headed for London to try her luck on stage, where she became a regular performer in the West End. Cast in a production of Noël Coward's Private Lives, the actress was encouraged to adopt a stage name by Coward himself. She opted for Dora Bryant but a typographical error left off the last letter and she became Dora Bryan.

Recognised for her distinctive speaking voice, which became a trademark of her performances, she followed many of her theatre contemporaries into film acting, generally playing supporting roles. She often played women of easy virtue—for example in Ealing's The Blue Lamp (1950) and The Fallen Idol (1948), one of her earliest films. She appeared in similarly stereotypical female roles in other films, for example The Cockleshell Heroes (1955), The Green Man (1956) and Carry On Sergeant (1958). She appeared in a cameo role in 1955 on the BBC radio series Hancock's Half Hour, in an episode now known as "Cinderella Hancock". In 1961, she appeared in A Taste of Honey. The film won four BAFTA awards: director Tony Richardson won Best British Screenplay (with Shelagh Delaney) and Best British Film, while Bryan won Best Actress and co-star Rita Tushingham was named Most Promising Newcomer. In 1963 she recorded the Christmas song "All I want for Christmas is a Beatle".

She played a headmistress in The Great St Trinian's Train Robbery (1966), and in 1968 she starred in her own British TV series, According to Dora. Bryan appeared in the Anglo-Argentine Hitchcockian thriller, Apartment Zero. The film was featured in the 1988 Sundance Film Festival and was directed by Martin Donovan (the Argentine aka: Carlos Enrique Varela y Peralta-Ramos) and starredHart Bochner and Colin Firth. Bryan plays the role of one of two eccentric characters (the other was played by Liz Smith) described by the Washington Post as two "... tea-and-crumpet gargoyle-featured spinsters who snoop the corridors." Throughout her career she also remained a versatile and popular stage performer, often appearing in musicals such asGentleman Prefer Blondes (1962) and Hello, Dolly! (1966–68). She also headlined a number of stage revues such as The Dora Bryan Show (1966) and An Evening with Dora Bryan and Friends (1968). She made her Broadway debut as Mrs.

Pierce in Pygmalion (1987), starring Peter O'Toole and Amanda Plummer. Other notable credits include her firstShakespearean role, Mistress Quickly in The Merry Wives of Windsor (1984), Mrs. Hardcastle in She Stoops to Conquer(1985), Carlotta Campion (singing "I'm Still Here") in the 1987 London production of the Stephen Sondheim-James Goldman musical Follies, and she appeared in the 1994 revival of Harold Pinter's The Birthday Party. In 1999, she made an appearance in the Victoria Wood sitcom Dinnerladies. In 2000 she joined the cast of the long-running BBC comedy series Last of the Summer Wine as Aunt Roz Utterthwaite, and in 2001 she was a guest star onAbsolutely Fabulous as June Whitfield's on-screen friend Dolly (originally called Milly). She received a BAFTA nomination in 2002 for this role.

A few years later, however, her ability to remember her lines started to diminish, so in 2005 her role in Last of the Summer Wine came to an end, reportedly because her inability to remember her lines was causing too many retakes. About the same time, she stopped doing films. Her last film appearance was in Gone to the Dogs (2006) opposite Anthony Booth. In 2006 she was intended to appear both in the comedy Rock-A-Hula Rest Home at a pub theatre in Brighton, and in the comedy There's No Place Like a Home, but in both cases she had to withdraw because of her inability to memorise her lines. Awards and testimonials Her autobiography According To Dora was published in 1987 and has since been updated and republished. In 1996 she was awarded the OBE in recognition of her services to acting and she was awarded a Laurence Olivier Award in 1996 for her role in the West End production of the Harold Pinter play, The Birthday Party.

She was the subject of This Is Your Lifeon two occasions, in April 1962 when she was surprised by Eamonn Andrews at her home in Brighton, and in January 1989, when Michael Aspel surprised her on the stage of the Manchester Opera House, at the curtain call of Hello Dolly. An exhibition about Bryan opened on 13 September 2013 at Rottingdean Museum. Personal life She was married for 54 years to former Lancashire and Cumberland cricketer Bill Lawton until his death as a result of Alzheimer's disease in August 2008. The couple met in Oldham during World War II and were married at Werneth St Thomas, Oldham, in 1954. During her husband's final years she reduced her public commitments to enable herself to look after him, as well as suffering with health problems herself, including a serious operation for a hernia. She once owned Clarges Hotel at 115–119 Marine Parade on Brighton's seafront, which was used as an exterior location in the films Carry On Girls and Carry On at Your Convenience.

She and her husband were forced to sell the bulk of the building because of bankruptcy, but they retained a flat with a sea view on the first floor for many years. Still maintaining its original structure, the rooms of the hotel have been reconverted into flats, which are rented and owned by local residents. By 2013 she was wheelchair bound and resided in a nursing home in Hove in frail health. On 31 May 2009 Dora – A Gala Charity Show was held at Her Majesty's Theatre in London, in order to raise money to two charities nominated by Bryan: the Variety Club Children's Charity and the Alzheimer's Society. Sir Cliff Richard was the star performer, but among the performers and celebrity guests there were also old friends and colleagues like June Whitfield, Rita Tushingham and Joanna Lumley. Although it was uncertain until the very end, Dora Bryan also managed to attend. Death British Actress Dora Bryan Dies at 91 British Actress Dora Bryan Dies at 91 Alex Ritman Tweet Share Dora Bryan, the veteran British actress who starred as the domineering alcoholic mother in Tony Richardson&rsquos gritty 1961 film A Taste of Honey, died Wednesday.

She was 91. Bryan, awarded the Order of the British Empire in 1996, died in a hospital in Hove, England, her family told the Brighton newspaper??The Argus. Bryan also appeared in such films as Carol Reed&rsquos The Fallen Idol (1948), The Cure for Love (1949), The Blue Lamp (1950) with Dirk Bogarde, Carry on Sergeant (1958), The Great St. Trinian&rsquos Train Robbery (1966), Apartment Zero (1988) and MirrorMask (2005). On stage, Bryan took the lead twice in London productions of Hello, Dolly! (1966-68) and appeared in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1962) and The Merry Wives of Windsor (1984). She made her Broadway debut alongside Peter O&rsquoToole and Amanda Plummer in Pygmalion (1987), and she received a Laurence Olivier Award in 1996 for best supporting actress for her role in Harold Pinter&rsquos The Birthday Party.

Bryan was more recently known for starring on such noted British TV shows as Last of the Summer Wine, playing Roz Utterthwaite, and Absolutely Fabulous, as a regular guest alongside June Whitfield. She received a BAFTA nomination for the latter. A Taste of Honey, adapted from Shelagh Delaney&rsquos Broadway play, saw Bryan play Helen, the mother of Jo (Rita Tushingham), a 17-year-old schoolgirl who is impregnated by a black sailor (Paul Danquah) and rooms with a gay student (Murray Melvin). The film won five BAFTAs, including one for Bryan as best actress. Born Dora May Broadbent in the north England town of Southport in 1923, the actress made her stage debut at age 12 and later worked with the entertainment body of the British armed forces during World War II. She changed her name to Bryant upon moving to London following encouragement by Noel Coward when she performed in his play Private Lives. She soon became Dora Bryan when a theater program reportedly missed off the last letter. Survivors include her sons Daniel and William.

Her husband of 54 years, cricketer Bill Lawton, died from Alzheimer&rsquos in 2008 at age 88.?? Reblog Dora Bryan Dora Bryan Norādīt kapsētu Par Personu Dora May Broadbent OBE, known as Dora Bryan (7 February 1923 – 23 July 2014) was an English actress of stage, film and television. Early life Bryan was born in Parbold near Wigan, Lancashire. Her father was a salesman and she attended Hathershaw County Primary School in Oldham, Lancashire. Her career began in pantomime before World War II, during which she joinedENSA in Italy to entertain British troops. Career Bryan made her stage debut as a child in a pantomime in Manchester and, encouraged by her mother, joined the Oldham Repertory while still a teenager. After spending eight years honing her craft there, she headed for London to try her luck on stage, where she became a regular performer in the West End. Cast in a production of Noël Coward's Private Lives, the actress was encouraged to adopt a stage name by Coward himself.

She opted for Dora Bryant but a typographical error left off the last letter and she became Dora Bryan. Recognised for her distinctive speaking voice, which became a trademark of her performances, she followed many of her theatre contemporaries into film acting, generally playing supporting roles. She often played women of easy virtue—for example in Ealing's The Blue Lamp (1950) and The Fallen Idol (1948), one of her earliest films. She appeared in similarly stereotypical female roles in other films, for example The Cockleshell Heroes (1955), The Green Man (1956) and Carry On Sergeant (1958). She appeared in a cameo role in 1955 on the BBC radio series Hancock's Half Hour, in an episode now known as "Cinderella Hancock". In 1961, she appeared in A Taste of Honey. The film won four BAFTA awards: director Tony Richardson won Best British Screenplay (with Shelagh Delaney) and Best British Film, while Bryan won Best Actress and co-star Rita Tushingham was named Most Promising Newcomer.

In 1963 she recorded the Christmas song "All I want for Christmas is a Beatle". She played a headmistress in The Great St Trinian's Train Robbery (1966), and in 1968 she starred in her own British TV series, According to Dora. Bryan appeared in the Anglo-Argentine Hitchcockian thriller, Apartment Zero. The film was featured in the 1988 Sundance Film Festival and was directed by Martin Donovan (the Argentine aka: Carlos Enrique Varela y Peralta-Ramos) and starredHart Bochner and Colin Firth. Bryan plays the role of one of two eccentric characters (the other was played by Liz Smith) described by the Washington Post as two "... tea-and-crumpet gargoyle-featured spinsters who snoop the corridors." Throughout her career she also remained a versatile and popular stage performer, often appearing in musicals such asGentleman Prefer Blondes (1962) and Hello, Dolly! (1966–68).

She also headlined a number of stage revues such as The Dora Bryan Show (1966) and An Evening with Dora Bryan and Friends (1968). She made her Broadway debut as Mrs. Pierce in Pygmalion (1987), starring Peter O'Toole and Amanda Plummer. Other notable credits include her firstShakespearean role, Mistress Quickly in The Merry Wives of Windsor (1984), Mrs. Hardcastle in She Stoops to Conquer(1985), Carlotta Campion (singing "I'm Still Here") in the 1987 London production of the Stephen Sondheim-James Goldman musical Follies, and she appeared in the 1994 revival of Harold Pinter's The Birthday Party. In 1999, she made an appearance in the Victoria Wood sitcom Dinnerladies. In 2000 she joined the cast of the long-running BBC comedy series Last of the Summer Wine as Aunt Roz Utterthwaite, and in 2001 she was a guest star onAbsolutely Fabulous as June Whitfield's on-screen friend Dolly (originally called Milly).

She received a BAFTA nomination in 2002 for this role. A few years later, however, her ability to remember her lines started to diminish, so in 2005 her role in Last of the Summer Wine came to an end, reportedly because her inability to remember her lines was causing too many retakes. About the same time, she stopped doing films. Her last film appearance was in Gone to the Dogs (2006) opposite Anthony Booth. In 2006 she was intended to appear both in the comedy Rock-A-Hula Rest Home at a pub theatre in Brighton, and in the comedy There's No Place Like a Home, but in both cases she had to withdraw because of her inability to memorise her lines. Awards and testimonials Her autobiography According To Dora was published in 1987 and has since been updated and republished. In 1996 she was awarded the OBE in recognition of her services to acting and she was awarded a Laurence Olivier Award in 1996 for her role in the West End production of the Harold Pinter play, The Birthday Party.

She was the subject of This Is Your Lifeon two occasions, in April 1962 when she was surprised by Eamonn Andrews at her home in Brighton, and in January 1989, when Michael Aspel surprised her on the stage of the Manchester Opera House, at the curtain call of Hello Dolly. An exhibition about Bryan opened on 13 September 2013 at Rottingdean Museum. Personal life She was married for 54 years to former Lancashire and Cumberland cricketer Bill Lawton until his death as a result of Alzheimer's disease in August 2008. The couple met in Oldham during World War II and were married at Werneth St Thomas, Oldham, in 1954. During her husband's final years she reduced her public commitments to enable herself to look after him, as well as suffering with health problems herself, including a serious operation for a hernia. She once owned Clarges Hotel at 115–119 Marine Parade on Brighton's seafront, which was used as an exterior location in the films Carry On Girls and Carry On at Your Convenience.

She and her husband were forced to sell the bulk of the building because of bankruptcy, but they retained a flat with a sea view on the first floor for many years. Still maintaining its original structure, the rooms of the hotel have been reconverted into flats, which are rented and owned by local residents. By 2013 she was wheelchair bound and resided in a nursing home in Hove in frail health. On 31 May 2009 Dora – A Gala Charity Show was held at Her Majesty's Theatre in London, in order to raise money to two charities nominated by Bryan: the Variety Club Children's Charity and the Alzheimer's Society. Sir Cliff Richard was the star performer, but among the performers and celebrity guests there were also old friends and colleagues like June Whitfield, Rita Tushingham and Joanna Lumley. Although it was uncertain until the very end, Dora Bryan also managed to attend. Death

Question: Which English actress was born Dora Broadbent?
Answer: Dora Bryan