Liz Smith (actress)
Betty Gleadle MBE (11 December 1921 – 24 December 2016), known by the stage name Liz Smith, was an English character actress, known for her roles in BBC sitcoms, including as Annie Brandon in I Didn't Know You Cared (1975–1979), the sisters Bette and Belle in 2point4 Children (1991–1999), Letitia Cropley in The Vicar of Dibley (1994–1996) and Norma Jean Speakman ("Nana") in The Royle Family (1998–2000, 2006). She also played Zillah in Lark Rise to Candleford (2008) and won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for the 1984 film A Private Function.
Liz Smith | |
|---|---|
| Born | Betty Gleadle 11 December 1921 Crosby, Lincolnshire, England |
| Died | 24 December 2016 (aged 95) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1969–2013 |
| Spouse | Jack Thomas (m. 1945; div. 1959) |
| Children | 2 |
Early life
Liz Smith was born Betty Gleadle[2] in 1921 in the Crosby area of Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire.[3] Her mother died when she was two.[4] Her father walked out of her life shortly afterwards, when his new wife did not wish him to have any contact with his previous life.[4] She was brought up by her widowed grandmother and attended Crosby Junior School[5] and the Scunthorpe Modern and Day Commercial Schools in Cole Street.[6] During the Second World War, she served in the Women's Royal Naval Service of the Royal Navy.[7]
Career
Early roles
In 1971, aged 49, she had a career breakthrough when she appeared as the downtrodden mother in Mike Leigh's film Bleak Moments:
The moment that my life transformed was when I was standing in Hamleys one Christmas, flogging toys and I got a message from this young director named Mike Leigh. I was nearly 50 at the time, but he wanted a middle-aged woman to do improvisations. I went to an audition and I got the job of the mother in this improvised film – Bleak Moments, his first film – and it changed my life.
Smith starred in It's a Lovely Day Tomorrow, written by Bernard Kops and directed by John Goldschmidt, which depicted the real-life drama of the Bethnal Green Tube Disaster during World War II. A role in Hard Labour followed. After that she appeared in Emmerdale Farm (as Hilda Semple), Last of the Summer Wine, Bootsie and Snudge, Crown Court, I Didn't Know You Cared and The Sweeney. She also appeared as Madame Balls in The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976), but her scenes were deleted and remained unseen until Trail of the Pink Panther in 1982. She was seen in Curse of the Pink Panther (1983), and later Son of the Pink Panther (1993) in the same role.[citation needed]
In the 1970s and 1980s, Smith appeared in many UK television programmes, including The Duchess of Duke Street, Within These Walls, In Loving Memory, The Gentle Touch, Agatha Christie's Partners in Crime, The Life and Loves of a She-Devil, One by One as Gran Turner and The Lenny Henry Show. In 1984, Liz Smith received a BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as the mother of Maggie Smith's character in A Private Function.
In 1980, Smith won a role in Sir Henry at Rawlinson End as Lady Philippa of Staines. She later appeared in the thriller, Apartment Zero, which was featured in the 1988 Sundance Film Festival. Smith played the role of one of two eccentric characters (the other is Dora Bryan) described by The Washington Post as two "... tea-and-crumpet gargoyle-featured spinsters who snoop the corridors."[8]
1990s
Smith started the 1990s by appearing in 2point4 Children (as "Aunt Belle" and "Bette"), Bottom, The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles and Lovejoy. In 1994, she played the lead role in the Children's BBC series Pirates and the supporting role of Letitia Cropley for seven episodes in The Vicar of Dibley. In the 1996 Easter Special episode the character died.
In November 1995, she made a guest appearance in the BBC1 medical drama series Casualty. In 1998, she starred in another sitcom, The Royle Family. This aired until 2000, but came back for a special episode in 2006 when her character, Nana, died. In the meantime, she had appeared in The Queen's Nose, The Bill and Secrets & Lies. In 1999, Smith was featured in A Christmas Carol as Mrs Dilber. She portrayed that same character in the 1984 version and also appeared as Miss Lory in Alice in Wonderland.
2000s and 2010s
Smith continued to act until ill-health beset her in 2009, appearing in such TV programmes as Trial & Retribution V and Doctors. In 2005, she played Grandma Georgina in the film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and provided the voice of Mrs. Mulch in Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, as well as small roles in Oliver Twist and Keeping Mum.[citation needed] In 2001, she appeared as herself in Lily Savage's Blankety Blank.[9]
In 2006, Smith published her autobiography Our Betty[10] and around the same time, moved to a retirement home in Hampstead, London. In 2007, she published a series of short stories entitled Jottings: Flights of Fancy and appeared in the Little Man Tate music video "This Must Be Love".[11] On 5 December 2007, Smith won the Best Television Comedy Actress at the British Comedy Awards for her role in The Royle Family.[12]
In 2006, she made a cameo appearance in Kenneth Branagh's film The Magic Flute, a version in English of the Mozart opera. However, her role did not require her to sing. She portrayed Old Papagena who, later on in the film, magically transforms into Young Papagena (played by soprano Silvia Moi) and marries the birdcatcher Papageno (played by baritone Benjamin Jay Davis).
In 2008, she starred in the first series of the period drama Lark Rise to Candleford. That same year she was a castaway on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs and was in the film City of Ember, which was released in October 2008. In July 2009, she featured in a one-hour BBC Four documentary called Liz Smith's Summer Cruise, where she joined a group of like-minded individuals on a cruise from Croatia to Venice. That same month, having suffered a series of strokes a few months earlier, she announced her retirement from acting at the age of 87.[13]
Smith was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours.[14][15]
In 2010, she took part in the BBC television programme The Young Ones, in which six celebrities in their 70s and 80s attempted to overcome some of the problems of ageing by harking back to the 1970s.[16]
Personal life and death
In 1945, she married Jack Thomas, whom she met while on service in India. They had two children but divorced in 1959. Smith brought up her son and daughter on her own. She described this as an extremely difficult period in her life, as she struggled against financial problems and social disapproval of her status as a divorcee.[17]
Smith died on 24 December 2016 at her home in Worthing, West Sussex,[1] shortly after her 95th birthday.[18] Shane Allen, controller of BBC comedy commissioning, said that Smith had "brilliantly captured the grandparent in everyone's family" as Nana in The Royle Family. Mike Leigh said "She was a complete breath of fresh air... she was not your bog standard middle-aged actress."[19] The final episode of the lockdown edition of The Vicar of Dibley ended with a tribute just before the closing credits reading, "In loving memory of Liz, John, Emma and Roger", paying tribute to her and also three other deceased Dibley cast members (John Bluthal, Emma Chambers and Roger Lloyd-Pack).
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Leo the Last | Raving Tenant (uncredited) |
| 1971 | Bleak Moments | Pat's Mother |
| 1976 | It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet | Mrs. Dodds |
| 1977 | The Duellists | Fortune Teller |
| 1977 | The Stick Up | Hotel Manageress |
| 1979 | Agatha | Flora |
| 1980 | Sir Henry at Rawlinson End | Lady Phillipa of Staines |
| 1981 | The Monster Club | Villager (uncredited) |
| 1981 | The French Lieutenant's Woman | Mrs. Fairley |
| 1982 | Britannia Hospital | Maisie |
| 1982 | Crystal Gazing | Lady in Pub |
| 1982 | Give Us This Day | Landlady |
| 1983 | Fanny Hill | Mrs. Jones (uncredited) |
| 1983 | Curse of the Pink Panther | Marta Balls |
| 1984 | A Private Function | Joyce Chilvers |
| 1987 | Little Dorrit | Mrs. Bangham |
| 1988 | We Think the World of You | Millie Burney |
| 1988 | High Spirits | Lavinia Plunkett |
| 1989 | Bert Rigby, You're a Fool | Mrs. Rigby |
| 1989 | The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover | Grace |
| 1989 | Apartment Zero | Mary Louise McKinney |
| 1991 | Dakota Road | Joan Road |
| 1993 | Son of the Pink Panther | Marta Balls |
| 1993 | Piccolo grande amore | Queen Mother |
| 1995 | Haunted | Old Gypsy Woman |
| 1996 | Secrets & Lies | Cat Owner |
| 1997 | Keep the Aspidistra Flying | Mrs. Meakin |
| 1998 | Sweet Revenge | Winnie |
| 1998 | Anthrakitis (short) | Dolly |
| 1999 | Tom's Midnight Garden | Mrs. Willows |
| 1999 | Tube Tales | Old Lady (segment: "Horny") |
| 2003 | Anna Spud (short) | Gran |
| 2004 | Dead Cool | Liz |
| 2005 | Charlie and the Chocolate Factory | Grandma Georgina |
| 2005 | Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit | Mrs. Mulch (voice) |
| 2005 | Oliver Twist | Old Woman |
| 2005 | Keeping Mum | Mrs. Parker |
| 2006 | The Magic Flute | The Old Papagena |
| 2008 | Flick | Ma |
| 2008 | City of Ember | Granny Mayfleet |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Last of the Summer Wine | Housekeeper | Series 1, Episode 4 |
| 1973–80 | Play for Today | Mrs. Thornley | Series 3, Episode 20 |
| Mrs. Matthews | Series 4, Episode 3 | ||
| (unknown role) | Series 5, Episode 5 | ||
| Mrs. Pritchett | Series 5, Episode 10 | ||
| Mrs. Oxfam | Series 6, Episode 5 | ||
| Keith's Granny | Series 7, Episode 12 | ||
| Elfie | Series 10, Episode 15 | ||
| 1974–76 | Crown Court | Mrs. Fowkes | Series 3, Episode 7 |
| Kitty Ross | Series 4, Episodes 15 & 17 | ||
| Mrs. Flynn | Series 5, Episodes 39, 40 & 41 | ||
| 1974 | Bedtime Stories | Miss Long | Series 1, episode 4 |
| 1974 | Comedy Playhouse | (unknown role) | Series 15, Episode 14 |
| 1974 | Seven Faces of Woman | Madge | Series 1, Episode 4 |
| 1974 | Village Hall | Mrs. Whalley | Series 1, Episode 2 |
| 1974 | Omnibus | Mrs. Smith | Series 8, Episode 3 |
| 1974 | Bootsie and Snudge | Mrs. Partridge | Series 4, Episode 3 |
| 1974 | No, Honestly | May | Series 1, Episode 5 |
| 1974 | South Riding | Nellie Hughins | Series 1, Episodes 1 & 9 |
| 1974 | Second City Firsts | Mrs. Murphy | Series 3, Episode 7 |
| 1974 | David Copperfield | Mrs. Heep | Miniseries (3 episodes) |
| 1975–79 | I Didn't Know You Cared | Annie Brandon | Series 1–4 (series regular, 27 episodes) |
| 1975 | The Sweeney | Mrs. Davies | Series 2, Episode 5 |
| 1975 | The Dick Emery Show | (unknown role) | Series 14, Episode 5 |
| 1975 | It's a Lovely Day Tomorrow | Vi Bell | TV movie |
| 1975 | Emmerdale Farm | Hilda Semple | Episodes 275–278 (4 episodes) |
| 1975 | The Fortune Hunters | Mrs. Eady | TV movie |
| 1976 | The Hunchback of Notre Dame | La Falourdel | TV movie |
| 1977 | The Punch Review | Various | Series 1, Episode 2 |
| 1977 | Nicholas Nickleby | Peg Sliderskew | Miniseries (2 episodes) |
| 1977 | Ripping Yarns | Mrs. Bag | Series 1, Episode 2 |
| 1977 | The Duchess of Duke Street | Nanny | Series 2, Episodes 4 & 12 |
| 1978 | Within These Walls | Tottie Dodd | Series 5, Episodes 12 & 13 |
| 1979 | Hazell | Mrs. Scropp | Series 2, Episode 12 |
| 1980 | Bernie | (unknown role) | Series 2, Episode 3 |
| 1980 | Madhouse | Various | Series 1 (7 episodes) |
| 1980–82 | In Loving Memory | Hilda Pardoe | Series 2, Episode 1 & Series 3, Episode 8 |
| 1981 | The Other 'Arf | Nora | Series 2, Episode 4 |
| 1981 | Love Story: A Chance to Sit Down | Mrs. Barker | Series 1, Episode 3 |
| 1982 | The Gentle Touch | Edna Slater | Series 3, Episode 10 |
| 1982 | Russian Night… 1941 | Frosya | TV movie |
| 1983 | Mr. Right | Gran | Series 1, Episodes 1, 2, 3 & 4 |
| 1983 | Separate Tables | Miss Meacham | TV movie |
| 1983–84 | Now and Then | Gran | Series 1 & 2 (series regular, 13 episodes) |
| 1983 | The All Electric Amusement Arcade | Gran | Series 1 (series regular, 7 episodes) |
| 1983 | Agatha Christie's Partners in Crime | Hannah Macpherson | Miniseries (1 episode) |
| 1984 | One by One | Gran Turner | Series 1 (series regular, 10 episodes) |
| 1984 | The Lenny Henry Show | Various | Series 1, Episode 2 |
| 1984–2002 | The Bill | Maggie | Series 1, Episode 6 |
| Mrs. West | Series 7, Episode 30 | ||
| Edna Finch | Series 14, Episode 78 | ||
| Harriet 'Tatsie' Wright | Series 18, Episodes 51 & 52 | ||
| 1984 | A Christmas Carol | Mrs. Dilber | TV movie |
| 1985 | Doctors' Dilemmas | Edna Bryant | Series 2, Episode 5 |
| 1985 | Mann's Best Friends | Mrs. Anstruther | Series 1 (series regular, 5 episodes) |
| 1985 | Rainbow | Auntie Liz | Series 14, Episode 40 |
| 1986 | Harem | Mrs. Pendleton | TV movie |
| 1986 | King and Castle | Mrs. Chalmers | Series 1, Episode 4 |
| 1986 | The Life and Loves of a She-Devil | Mrs. Fisher | Miniseries (3 episodes) |
| 1987–90 | Screen Two | Mrs. Slatterthwaite | Series 3, Episode 13 |
| Gran | Series 5, Episode 4 | ||
| Agent | Series 6, Episode 3 | ||
| 1987–88 | Valentine Park | Mrs. Giles | Series 1 & 2 (series regular, 12 episodes) |
| 1987 | Imaginary Friends | Milly Munger | Miniseries (3 episodes) |
| 1987 | Worlds Beyond | Mrs. Watts | Series 1, Episode 10 |
| 1987 | Bust | Brenda Walsh | Series 1, Episode 5 |
| 1987 | When We Are Married | Mrs. Northrop | TV movie |
| 1988 | All in Good Faith | Annie Freeman | Series 3, Episode 2 |
| 1988 | Jake's Journey | Witch | TV pilot |
| 1989 | Young Charlie Chaplin | Mrs. Greenwood | Series 1, Episode 4 |
| 1989 | Singles | Mrs. Phelps | Series 2, Episode 6 |
| 1989 | All Change | Aunt Mary | Series 1, Episode 5 |
| 1990–91 | Making Out | Muriel | Series 2, Episode 4 & Series 3, Episode 6 |
| 1990 | A Bit of Fry & Laurie | Woman Returning Suits | Series 2, Episode 4 |
| 1990 | Dunrulin | Mrs. Trodd | TV movie |
| 1991 | El C.I.D. | Mildred | Series 2, Episode 4 |
| 1991–99 | 2Point4Children | Bette | Series 1–8 (recurring, 11 episodes) |
| Aunt Belle | Series 3, Episode 1 & Series 6, Episode 3 | ||
| 1991 | Bottom | Fortune Teller | Series 1, Episode 4 |
| 1991 | Performance | Anyula | Series 1, Episode 3 |
| 1992 | The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles | Delfina | Series 2, Episode 4 |
| 1993 | Lovejoy | Florence | Series 4, Episode 8 |
| 1993 | Cluedo | Mrs. Blanche White | Series 4 (series regular, 6 episodes) |
| 1993 | Without Walls | Maid | 1 episode |
| 1994 | New Voices | Nana | 1 episode |
| 1994 | Takin' Over the Asylum | Harriet | Miniseries (1 episode) |
| 1994–96 | Pirates | Abigail Blood | Series 1–3 (3 episodes) |
| 1994 | Screen One | Mrs. Thompson | Series 6, Episode 7 |
| 1994–96 | The Vicar of Dibley | Letitia Cropley | Series 1 (series regular, 6 episodes) |
| Easter special (final episode) | |||
| 1995 | Crapston Villas | Delia (voice) | 20 episodes |
| 1995 | Casualty | Tillie | Series 10, Episode 9 |
| 1996 | Karaoke | Mrs. Baglin | Miniseries (3 episodes) |
| 1996–99 | The Queen's Nose | Grandma | Series 2 & 3 (7 episodes) |
| 1998 | V.I.P. | Gossip Columnist | Series 1, Episode 1 |
| 1998–2006 | The Royle Family | Norma Speakman | Series 1–3 (recurring, 10 episodes) |
| 2006 special (final episode) | |||
| 1998 | The Canterbury Tales | The Hag | Series 1, Episode 1 |
| 1999 | Alice in Wonderland | Miss Lory | TV movie |
| 1999 | The Ruth Rendell Mysteries | Lena Finn | Series 11, Episodes 8 & 9 |
| 1999 | A Christmas Carol | Mrs. Dilber | TV movie |
| 1999 | Oliver Twist | Sally | Miniseries (2 episodes) |
| 2000 | City Central | Megan Roberts | Series 3, Episode 2 |
| 2000 | Donovan Quick | Granny | TV movie |
| 2000 | A Christmas Carol | Joyce | TV movie |
| 2001 | The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby | Peg Sliderskew | TV movie |
| 2002 | Animated Tales of the World | Third Aunt | Series 2, Episode 12 |
| 2002 | Trial & Retribution | Mrs. Dorothy Norton | Series 5, Episodes 1 & 2 |
| 2003 | Doctors | Agatha Clifford | Series 5, Episode 142 |
| 2003 | Between the Sheets | Audrey Delany | Series 1 (series regular, 6 episodes) |
| 2004 | Nero | Soothsayer | TV movie |
| 2007 | The Abbey | Elsie | TV pilot |
| 2008 | Lark Rise to Candleford | Zillah | Series 1 (series regular, 10 episodes) |
| 2009 | The Antiques Rogue Show | Olive Greenhalgh | TV movie |
| 2009 | The All Star Impressions Show | Queen Elizabeth II | TV special |
| 2013 | Common Ground | Colin's Mum | Series 1, Episode 7 |
| 2013 | The Tunnel | Harriet Stone | Series 1, Episodes 2 & 3 |
References
- ^ a b Wynn-Davies, Stephen (27 December 2016). "Tributes paid to Worthing resident Liz Smith". Worthing Herald. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
- ^ "FreeBMD Entry Info".
- ^ Liz Smith gets MBE, This Is Scunthorpe, 14 July 2009.
- ^ a b Kenny, Ursula (21 October 2007). "This much I know". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 11 May 2010.
- ^ Star Pupils Revealed at Scunthorpe Telegraph 1 November 2015 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Liz Gets MBE at Scunthorpe Telegraph 3 January 2014 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Barker, Dennis (26 December 2016). "Liz Smith obituary". The Guardian.
- ^ "Apartment Zero' (R)". The Washington Post. 3 November 1989. Retrieved 11 May 2010.
- ^ Lily Savage's Blankety Blank. 22 April 2001. ITV.
- ^ Smith, L. (2006), Our Betty – Scenes from my Life, London: Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4165-1161-8
- ^ . Gigwise.com. 1 March 2007. Archived from the original on 3 March 2007.
- ^ Osborn, Michael (6 December 2007). "Smith wins for Royle performance". BBC News website.
- ^ Staff (5 July 2009). "Actress Liz Smith to quit acting". BBC News website. Retrieved 5 July 2009.
- ^ "No. 58929". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2008. p. 22.
- ^ Smyth, Chris (31 December 2008). "Terry Pratchett lost for words as he receives knighthood". The Times. London.
- ^ "The Young Ones – BBC One".
- ^ . BBC Radio 4. BBC. 9 March 2008. Archived from the original on 13 April 2019. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
- ^ Press Association 2019 (27 December 2016). "Royle Family star Liz Smith dies at 95". Kidderminster Shuttle. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
- ^ "'Royle Family' actress Liz Smith dies". BBC News Online. BBC News. BBC. 26 December 2016. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
External links
- Liz Smith at IMDb
- at the TCM Movie Database
- Obituary: Liz Smith From BBC News