June Whitfield: A life in pictures
- Published
Look back at memorable moments from the life of June Whitfield, the versatile and much-loved British actress.
Born in south London in 1925, June Rosemary Whitfield made her first stage appearance at the age of three.
She got her first break on radio, appearing in Take It From Here alongside Wallace Eaton, Jimmy Edwards and Dick Bentley.
Television parts soon followed, including a role as a nurse in The Blood Donor, one of Tony Hancock's most fondly remembered "half hours".
In 1968, June made her first appearance on Terry Scott's sketch show Scott On..., a programme she would appear in for the next six years.
The actors had a long and successful partnership on screen, spending five years as husband and wife in Happy Ever After and eight more in Terry and June.
From 1992 onwards, Whitfield found a whole new audience as Jennifer Saunders' mother (and Julia Sawalha's gran) in BBC sitcom Absolutely Fabulous.
In later life she could also be found in such lavish costume dramas as the BBC's adaptation of Henry Fielding's Tom Jones.
Between 2005 and 2010, Whitfield made frequent appearances in Last of the Summer Wine as Nelly.
In 2015, at the age of 89, June appeared in EastEnders as Sister Ruth, a nun with a secret.
After decades as a warm and reliable presence on British screens, she remained fabulous - and appeared in the Absolutely Fabulous movie, which came out in 2016.
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- Published29 December 2018
- Published30 December 2018
