June Whitfield: Difference between revisions

'''Dame June Rosemary Whitfield''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|DBE}} (11 November 1925&nbsp;– 29 December 2018){{efn|The date of death has been consistently reported by the press as Friday 28 December 2018. However, the order of service for the funeral (pictured in the BBC source)<ref name="BBC funeral" /> clearly shows the dates "11th November 1925 – 29th December 2018", so it is understood that Whitfield died in the early hours of Saturday 29 December 2018.}} was an English radio, television, and film actress.

In 1968, Whitfield and [[Terry Scott]] began a long television partnership, which peaked with roles as husband and wife in ''[[Happy Ever After (UK TV series)|Happy Ever After]]'' (1974–1979) and ''[[Terry and June]]'' (1979–1987). From 1992 to 20122016, Whitfield played Edina Monsoon's mother in [[Jennifer Saunders]]' ''[[Absolutely Fabulous]]''. She played a regular character in ''[[Last of the Summer Wine]]'' (2005–2010) and a recurring character in ''[[The Green Green Grass]]'' (2007–2009).

In 2010, Whitfield was signed for a short appearance on ITV [[soap opera]] ''[[Coronation Street]]''. Her character, May, appeared at the funeral of [[Blanche Hunt]] and explained to Blanche's daughter, [[Deirdre Barlow|Deirdre]], how her mother had died.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://uk.tv.yahoo.com/05032010/19/june-drop-weatherfield.html |title=June to drop in on Weatherfield |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929194621/http://uk.tv.yahoo.com/05032010/19/june-drop-weatherfield.html |archive-date=29 September 2011 }}</ref> In 2011, she played [[Margaret Rutherford]] in the BBC Radio 4 play ''A Monstrous Vitality'', a radio adaption by Andy Merriman of his biography of Rutherford, ''A Dreadnought with Good Manners''.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b011p607 "A Monstrous Vitality reviewed"] 30 May 2010, BBC Radio 4 web site</ref> She reprised her role of Mother in two episodes of ''[[Absolutely Fabulous]]'' at Christmas 2011{{Snd}}New Year 2012, and for an [[2012 Summer Olympics|Olympic]] special on 23 July 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/290811abfab |title=BBC One celebrates 20th anniversary of Absolutely Fabulous |date=29 August 2011 |website=bbc.co.uk |publisher=BBC Media Centre |access-date=30 December 2020}}</ref> In 2013, Whitfield became the inaugural recipient of the [[Aardman Animations|Aardman]] [[Slapstick Festival|Slapstick]] Comedy Legend Award,<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.slapstick.org.uk/awards/comedy-legend-award/|title=Aardman Slapstick Comedy Legend Award – Slapstick {{!}} Bristol's Silent Comedy Festival.|newspaper=Slapstick {{!}} Bristol's Silent Comedy Festival.|access-date=21 February 2017}}</ref> a recognition of her lifetime's contribution to the world of comedy. In 2014, she made a second appearance in ''Midsomer Murders'', and appeared in ''[[Jonathan Creek]].'' andFrom 2014 to 2016 she appeared in the sitcom ''[[Boomers (TV series)|Boomers]]'' as the mother of [[Stephanie Beacham]]'s character. In 2015, she played Granny Wallon in a BBC One adaptation of [[Laurie Lee]]'s novel ''[[Cider with Rosie]]''.

In May 2015, Whitfield made a guest appearance in the BBC soap ''[[EastEnders]]'' as a nun called [[Sister Ruth]]<ref name="EastEnders">{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2015/may/01/june-whitfield-joins-eastenders-for-a-night-do-soap-guest-stars-work | title=June Whitfield joins EastEnders for a night – do soap guest stars work? | work=[[The Guardian]] | date=1 May 2015 | access-date=2 May 2015 | author=Verdier, Hannah}}</ref> and returned to the show in January 2016 to complete a storyline.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2015-10-25/june-whitfield-returns-to-eastenders-as-sister-ruth---will-she-reveal-the-truth-about-kats-secret-son | title=June Whitfield returns to EastEnders as Sister Ruth – will she reveal the truth about Kat's secret son? | work=[[Radio Times]] | date=25 October 2015 | access-date=8 December 2015 | author=Brown, David}}</ref> In October 2015, it was confirmed that she would reprise her role of Mother in ''[[Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie]]'' which was released in July 2016.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://jezebel.com/the-absolutely-fabulous-movie-is-finally-filming-heres-1737319237 | title=The ''Absolutely Fabulous'' Movie Is Finally Filming: Here's Photographic Proof | work=[[Jezebel.com]] | date=19 October 2015 | access-date=8 December 2015 | author=Crosley Coker, Hillary}}</ref> She made a guest appearance as God in the [[Sky 1]] series ''[[You, Me and the Apocalypse]]'', which was broadcast in November 2015.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2015-11-25/god-is-a-woman-and-she-looks-very-much-like-june-whitfield-according-to-you-me-and-the-apocalypse | title=God is a woman and she looks very much like June Whitfield according to You, Me and the Apocalypse | work=[[Radio Times]] | date=25 November 2015 | access-date=8 December 2015 | author=Dowell, Ben}}</ref> In 2018, in one of her final roles, she played Mrs Mayhew in the 9-story audio series "Father Gilbert," produced by Focus on the Family.

*''Like They've Never Been Gone'' (20011998–2002)<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/a3489b2672e24d7da1b97280f216b060|title=Like They've Never Been Gone|date=10 May 2001|work=Radio Times|access-date=30 December 2018|issue=4028|page=129|language=en-GB|issn=0033-8060}}</ref>

| rowspan="3" | TV movie

| rowspan="2" | TV movie

| Prince Bibulov's Wife<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.timeout.com/london/film/romance-with-a-double-bass#tab_panel_2|title=Romance with a Double bass review|website=Time Out London|date=10 September 2012 |access-date=30 December 2018}}</ref>

| rowspan="2" | TV movie

| rowspan="2" | Dot (voice)

| rowspan="2" | various characters

| "[[The End of Time (Doctor Who)|''Doctor Who: The End of Time'']]"

[[Category:Alumni of RADAthe Royal Academy of Dramatic Art]]

[[Category:Actors from Streathamthe London Borough of Lambeth]]