Judy Valerie Cornwell (born 22 February 1940) is an English actress and writer. She is best known for her role as Daisy in the successful British sitcom Keeping Up Appearances (1990–1995). She also played Anya Claus in Santa Claus: The Movie (1985). In her later years she became known for playing Miss Marple in many stage productions, including A Murder is Announced between 2015 and 2016.[1]
Judy Cornwell | |
|---|---|
| Born | Judy Valerie Cornwell 22 February 1940 Hammersmith, London, England |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1959–present |
| Notable work | Keeping Up Appearances |
| Spouse |
John Kelsall Parry (m. 1960) |
| Children | 1 |
Biography
editCornwell's father served in the RAF and she grew up in Britain, where she attended a convent school, with Penelope Keith. She later attended Saint Michael Boarding school in Heacham, Norfolk, before moving to Australia with her family. She has written about her childhood experiences in her autobiography Adventures of a Jelly Baby. She later returned to Britain and became a professional dancer and comedian in her teens, working her act between the nudes at Dhurjati Chaudhury's Irving Theatre Club, on Irving Street, off Leicester Square, London,[2][3][4][5] before becoming an actress. Her career includes roles in radio's The Navy Lark, the play Oh! What A Lovely War,[6] her own TV comedy series Moody and Pegg,[6] and a season with the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Films and television
editCornwell's film roles include Santa Claus: The Movie (as Anya Claus) and Mad Cows. On television she has appeared in Dixon of Dock Green, Cakes and Ale, Bergerac, Doctor Who (the serial Paradise Towers), several episodes of Farrington of the F.O., The Famous Five, The Bill, Heartbeat, The Royal, Miss Marple, Midsomer Murders and The Devil's Lieutenant. Cornwell also appeared in BBC soap opera EastEnders as Queenie Trott, the mean tyrant mother of lovable loser Heather Trott. In 1987, she appeared as the English spinster Rosemary Tuttle in the episode "Rumpole and the Official Secret" from Season 4 of Rumpole of the Bailey.
She is best known, however, for her portrayal of lovable working-class housewife Daisy in all 44 episodes of the sitcom Keeping Up Appearances, which ran for 5 series from 1990 to 1995.
She also appeared in an episode of Birds of a Feather in 2014.
Published works
editCornwell's books include her autobiography Adventures of a Jelly Baby (ISBN 0-283-07001-3) published in 2005 which describes her childhood growing up in Britain during the war, and then in Australia where her family emigrated.
She has also published several novels, including Cow and Cow Parsley in 1985, Fishcakes at the Ritz in 1989, The Seventh Sunrise in 1994, and Fear and Favour in 1996.
Personal life
editCornwell married John Kelsall Parry on 18 December 1960 and they have one son together. The couple reside in Brighton.[7] There, Parry was a reporter for The Argus.
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Friends and Neighbours | 4th Girl | |
| 1965 | Dr. Terror's House of Horrors | Nurse | (segment Disembodied Hand), uncredited |
| 1967 | Two for the Road | Pat | |
| Jules Verne's Rocket to the Moon | Lady Electra | ||
| 1968 | The Wild Racers | Pippy | |
| 1969 | Can Heironymus Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness? | Filigree Fondle | |
| Cry Wolf | Stella | ||
| 1970 | Every Home Should Have One | Liz Brown | |
| Country Dance | Rosie | ||
| Paddy | Breeda | ||
| Wuthering Heights | Nelly Dean | ||
| 1971 | Whoever Slew Auntie Roo? | Clarine | |
| 1985 | Santa Claus: The Movie | Anya Claus | |
| 1987 | Cry Freedom | Receptionist | |
| 1995 | Persuasion | Mrs. Musgrove | |
| 1999 | Mad Cows | Maddy's Mother |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | The Sullavan Brothers | Helen | 1 episode |
| 1965 | The Worker (TV series) | Mary | 1 episode |
| 1972 | Man of Straw | Guste Daimchen | 4 episodes |
| 1974–1976 | Moody and Pegg | Daphne Pegg | 12 episodes |
| 1976 | Cakes and Ale | Rosie | 3 episodes |
| 1977 | Supernatural | Margaret Graham | Episode: Viktoria |
| 1980–1981 | The Good Companions | Elizabeth Trant | 9 episodes |
| 1982 | Look and Read | Mrs Watson | Episode: Fairground |
| 1983 | Jane Eyre | Mrs Reed | 2 episodes |
| Rumpole of the Bailey | Miss Tuttle | Season 4 Episode 3 | |
| Good Behaviour | Mrs. Brock | 1 episode | |
| 1984 | The Devil's Lieutenant | Rose von Siebert | TV film |
| 1985 | There Comes a Time | Vanessa James | 7 episodes |
| 1987 | Doctor Who | Maddy | 3 episodes: Paradise Towers |
| Dorothy L. Sayers Mysteries | Miss Booth | Episode: Strong Poison | |
| Bergerac | Belle Young | Episode: The Memory Man | |
| 1990–1995 | Keeping Up Appearances | Daisy | Main role; 44 episodes |
| 1992 | Nice Town | Aunt Peggy | 3 episodes |
| The Mirror Crack'd | Heather Badcock | TV film | |
| 1994 | Under the Hammer | 'Batty' | 1 episode |
| 1996 | Famous Five | Mrs Baker | Episode: Five on a Hike Together |
| 1997 | The Memoirs of Hyacinth Bucket | Daisy | TV film |
| 1998 | Midsomer Murders | May Cuttle | Episode: Death in Disguise |
| 1998 | The Life and Crimes of William Palmer | Mrs Palmer | 2 episodes |
| 1999 | Heartbeat | Isabelle Sheba Christie | Episode: Shotgun Wedding |
| 2000 | David Copperfield | Peggotty | TV film |
| 2007–2008 | EastEnders | Queenie Trott | 8 episodes |
| 2008 | Keeping Up Appearances: Life Lessons from Onslow | Daisy | (archive footage only) |
| 2014 | Birds of a Feather | Annie | Episode: You Can't Always Get What You Want |
| 2020 | Pointless | Herself | Contestant |
| 2023 | Keeping Up Appearances - 30 Years Of Laughs | Herself/Daisy | Documentary |
References
edit- ^ "Keeping Up Appearances star reveals she will retire from touring after Miss Marple". The Argus (22 April 2016). Retrieved 1 June 2024.
- ^ Ference, Ian (18 December 2020). "The Irving Theatre: VistaScreen's rarest set shows London's first strip joint". Brooklyn Stereography. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
- ^ Lloyd, Matthew. "St. Martin's Theatre, West Street, London WC2". ArthurLloyd.co.uk. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
The Irving Theatre name was eventually used for a small review Theatre nearby in Leicester Square which opened in 1951 as an art gallery by day and a Theatre at night, closing in 1964.
- ^ "Vues from Revues – Souvenir Magazine of the Irving Theatre (Club) – Autumn 1958 (Shows the featured artists in their various non-costumes)". Priory Antiques. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
- ^ "The Irving Theatre Club — Revues with Vues". Pamela Green. 9 May 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
- ^ a b Jones, Alison (29 October 2001). "Judy's latest touch of fate; Historic events run hand in hand with Judy Cornwell's career". The Birmingham Post. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
- ^ "Actress Judy Cornwell and husband John Parry celebrate their Golden Wedding". Sussex Life. 19 January 2011. Retrieved 2 January 2014.