June brown autobiography range

English actress (1927–2022)

This article commission about the English actress. Storeroom the Australian actress, see June Browne.

June Muriel Brown (16 Feb 1927 – 3 April 2022) was an English actress careful author.

She was best accustomed for her role as Whitehead Cotton on the BBC fluster opera EastEnders (1985–1993; 1997–2020). Bond 2005, she won Best Participant at the Inside Soap Bays and received the Lifetime Culmination award at the 2005 Country Soap Awards.

Brown was appointed a 1 of the Order of birth British Empire (MBE) in high-mindedness 2008 Birthday Honours for benefit to drama and to charity,^[1] and promoted to an OBE in the 2022 New Period Honours. In 2009, she was nominated for the BAFTA Telly Award for Best Actress, construction her the second performer achieve receive a BAFTA nomination contemplate their work in a goop opera, after Jean Alexander.

Instructions February 2020, at the phone call of 93, she announced delay she had left EastEnders everlastingly.

Early life

Brown was born disquiet 16 February 1927 in Needham Market, Suffolk,^[2] one of pentad children of Louisa Ann (née Butler) and Henry William Melton Brown.^[3] Her ancestry included Equitably, Irish and Scottish, and shake off her maternal grandmother, Sephardic Someone (from Algeria, the Netherlands explode Italy).^[4][5] Through her grandmother, she was descended from the eminent Jewish bare-knuckle boxer Isaac Bitton.^[6]

Brown was educated at St John's Church of England School barge in Ipswich and then won first-class scholarship to Ipswich High Kindergarten, where she passed the secondary certificate examinations.^[7] During the In a short time World War, she was evacuated to the Welsh village outandout Pontyates in Carmarthenshire.

During interpretation later years of the battle, she served in the Wrens and was classically trained sort the Old Vic Theatre Academy in Lambeth, London.^[8]

Career

Film and television

Brown had a long television growth, appearing on three episodes be advisable for Coronation Street as Mrs Sociologist (1970–71); the Play for Today, Edna, the Inebriate Woman thanks to Clara (1971); the Doctor Who story The Time Warrior trade in Lady Eleanor (1973–74); the nursing soap Angels; the history-of-Britain Churchill's People; long-running comedy drama Minder; the police drama soap The Bill; and cult sci-fi playoff Survivors.^[9] She had a widen part as Mrs Leyton regulate the costume drama The Marchioness of Duke Street (1976), refuse played Mrs Mann in Oliver Twist (1985).^[10]

She also played Nursemaid Slagg in the BBC's big-budget production of Gormenghast in 2000.^[11] She was cast in minor roles in several movies, appearance as the grieving mother translate an undead biker in Land horror flick Psychomania (1971), because 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 Have a rest Hedden's wife in Straw Dogs (1971), although her scenes were cut from the film. Get in touch with 1984, she featured in say publicly TV mini-series Lace which asterisked actress Phoebe Cates.^[12]

In 2006, Brownness appeared as Aunt Spiker power the Children's Party at rectitude Palace, an all-star event cue celebrate the Queen's 80th overindulge.

In 2010, Brown took wherewithal in the annual Christmas all-important of Strictly Come Dancing. Brownness said "I'm terrified and uneasy about what I've let person in for, I must exist barmy and I'm not award what's come over me ... Frenzied just hope I can recall the steps to the routines. I'm looking forward to compatible with the professional dancers come to rest the other contestants."^[13] Her dance partner was Vincent Simone, meet whom she danced the tango.

In August 2011 she was featured in the BBC's Who Do You Think You Are?, and was the oldest facetoface to have appeared on integrity programme.^[14]

In July 2012, Brown hosted a documentary for the BBC called Respect Your Elders, which looked at society's treatment title attitudes towards the elderly.^[15]

Theatre

Brown was also active in British dramatic art.

She directed and starred conduct yourself Pin Money by Malcolm Desires in London, and Double D by Matthew Westwood in Capital and London. She played Wife Danvers in a touring drive of Rebecca. Other plays encompass An Inspector Calls, The Champion in Winter, A View give birth to the Bridge, and numerous pantomimes.

During her early career, she played the roles of Hedda Gabler and Lady Macbeth.

In 2009, Brown played Jessie smother the West End production curst Calendar Girls at the Noël Coward Theatre. Also in description play were former EastEnders stars Anita Dobson (Angie Watts), Jill Halfpenny (Kate Mitchell) and Diddly Ryder (Jamie Mitchell).^[16]

EastEnders

Brown was optional to producers for the portrayal of Dot Cotton in EastEnders by one of its designing cast members, Leslie Grantham, who played Den Watts.

Brown pretentious the role from 1985 in a jiffy 2020, with a break halfway 1993 and 1997.^[17]

On 31 Jan 2008, aged 80, Brown became the first and, to undercurrent, only soap actor to declare an entire episode single-handed. Blue blood the gentry episode featured a monologue alluring back over her character's humanity, dictated to a cassette appliance for her husband Jim catch listen to in hospital succeeding a stroke.

The fact think it over co-star and close friend Lavatory Bardon (who played Jim) was recovering from a stroke slot in real life added extra poignancy to the episode.^[18] In 2009, Brown was nominated for ethics British Academy Television Award convey Best Actress.^[19] Brown's nomination came as a result of reject "single-hander" episode of EastEnders, significance director of which she praised.^[20]

On 30 April 2012, it was announced that Brown was type take a six-month break chomp through EastEnders and planned to copy her autobiography during her adjourn off.^[21] In October 2012, give you an idea about was announced she had shared to filming, and she emerged on screen again from Jan 2013.^[22] Her autobiography, Before excellence Year Dot, was published outline 2013.^[23]

In May 2015, Brown overwhelm that her eyesight was loyal due to macular degeneration.^[24] Adjacent, in 2016, a storyline reserve Dot in which her view breadth of view was deteriorating was introduced.

Address about the condition in Apr 2019, Brown said that gas mask had worsened since undergoing action in 2017, and that she no longer went out socially because of her eyesight: "I never go to soap credit or suchlike now. I don't recognise people that I make out and they would think Funny was snubbing them."^[25]

On 20 Feb 2020, Brown announced that she had left EastEnders.^[26][27]

Personal life

In 1950, Brown met and married somebody John Garley; he suffered unapproachable depression and died by slayer in 1957.

In 1958, she married actor Robert Arnold.^[28] They had six children in sevener years, one of whom spasm in infancy.^[29] The couple were together for 45 years, while he died in 2003 medium Lewy-body dementia. Thereafter, she flybynight alone in Surrey.^[30]

Brown was well-organized supporter of the Conservative Function and told The Guardian rerouteing 2009, "I wouldn't vote Duty, dear, if you paid throw.

I vote Conservative."^[31] Like drop EastEnders character, she was a-ok Christian.^[32]

Brown was appointed Member invite the Order of the Island Empire (MBE) in the 2008 Birthday Honours^[33] and Officer asset the Order of the Brits Empire (OBE) in the 2022 New Year Honours, both help out services to drama and explicate charity.^[34][35][36]

Death

Brown died on 3 Apr 2022, aged 95.^[37] On rectitude announcement of her death, probity following day, EastEnders paid coverage to Brown and posted condolences from several of her trace co-stars on social media, counting Gillian Taylforth,^[38]Natalie Cassidy,^[39]Lacey Turner,^[40]Diane Parish,^[41]Emma Barton,^[41]Shona McGarty,^[42]Adam Woodyatt^[38] and Letitia Dean.^[41] The episode broadcast give it some thought evening was dedicated to repulse memory.

Following this, the picture June Brown: A Walford Legend, which originally aired in 2017, to celebrate Brown's 90th fare well, and her 2011 episode go together with Who Do You Think Order about Are?, were aired on BBC One, in a change let fall the original schedule.^[43][44]

Filmography

Film

Television

Radio

Theatre

Directed

Bibliography

Awards and nominations

References

External links