Barbara Dulcie Lott (15 May 1920 – 19 December 2002) was a British actress who played Phyllis Lumsden in the BBC television sitcom '' Sorry!''. She also appeared in ''

Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' (colloquially referred to as ''Corrie'') is a British television soap opera created by ITV Granada, Granada Television and shown on ITV (TV network), ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres on a cobbled, terraced ...

'', '' Rings on Their Fingers'', ''

Survivors Survivor(s) may refer to: * one who survives Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Survivors, characters in the 1997 KKnD series#Armies, ''KKnD'' video-game series * ''The Survivors'', or the ''New Survivors Foundation'', a fictional ...

'', ''

Z-Cars ''Z-Cars'' or ''Z Cars'' (pronounced "zed cars") is a British television police procedural series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police and CID detectives in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby, near Liverpool. Produced by ...

'', and as Rona's auntie Pearl in the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

television

sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

2point4 Children ''2point4 Children'' is a BBC Television sitcom that was created and written by Andrew Marshall. It follows the lives of the Porters, a seemingly average, working-class London family whose world is frequently turned upside-down by bad luck and ...

'', amongst others.

Early life

Lott was born on 15 May 1920 in

Richmond upon Thames The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames () in south-west Greater London, London, England, forms part of Outer London and is the only London boroughs, London borough on both sides of the River Thames. It was created in 1965 when three smaller ...

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

. Her father, William Lott, was an executive at

Ealing Studios Ealing Studios is a television and film production company and facilities provider at Ealing Green in west London, England. Will Barker bought the White Lodge on Ealing Green in 1902 as a base for film making, and films have been made on th ...

and Lott appeared in small roles in films as a child. She studied acting at the

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, also known by its abbreviation RADA (), is a drama school in London, England, which provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in Bloomsbury, Central London ...

, graduating in 1937 and joining

repertory theatre A repertory theatre, also called repertory, rep, true rep or stock, which are also called producing theatres, is a theatre in which a resident company presents works from a specified repertoire, usually in alternation or rotation. United Kingdom ...

. In 1940, she married

Stuart Latham Harry Stuart Latham (11 July 1912 – 31 August 1993) was an English theatre and film actor, director and television producer. Biography Latham was born in Kingston upon Thames, Surrey on 11 July 1912. After an apprenticeship in repertory theat ...

, who was later a producer of ''

''.

Career

Lott eventually made her

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

stage debut in ''

Love for Love ''Love for Love'' is a Restoration comedy written by English playwright William Congreve. It premiered on 30 April 1695 at the Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre. Staged by Thomas Betterton's company the original cast included Betterton as Valenti ...

'' at the

Haymarket Theatre The Theatre Royal Haymarket (also known as Haymarket Theatre or the Little Theatre) is a West End theatre in Haymarket, London, Haymarket in the City of Westminster which dates back to 1720, making it the third-oldest London playhouse still in ...

in 1944. Her first television appearance was as Viola in ''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night, or What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Viola an ...

'' in 1950 and she went on to appear frequently on television in small roles. In 1978, she was cast in her first major role in '' Rings on Their Fingers'', in 1981 in '' Sorry!'' and in 1992 in an occasional role in ''

''. She appeared in several films, most notably as

Ewan McGregor Ewan Gordon McGregor ( ; born 31 March 1971) is a Scottish actor. His accolades include a Golden Globe Award and a Primetime Emmy Award. In 2013, he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his services to drama and ...

's mother in ''

The Pillow Book is a book of observations and musings recorded by Sei Shōnagon during her time as court lady to Fujiwara no Teishi, Empress Consort Teishi during the 990s and early 1000s in Heian-period Japan. The book was completed in the year 1002. The wor ...

''.

Death

Lott died on 19 December 2002 in London, aged 82.

Television roles

Selected filmography

* ''

Let's Be Famous ''Let's Be Famous'' is a 1939 British comedy film directed by Walter Forde and starring Jimmy O'Dea, Betty Driver and Sonnie Hale. It was made by Associated Talking Pictures, with shooting beginning in November 1938.Wood p. 98 The film's art dir ...

'' (1939) – Sophie the telephonist (uncredited) * ''

Three Silent Men ''Three Silent Men'' is a 1940 British second feature ('B') crime film directed by Thomas Bentley and starring Sebastian Shaw, Derrick De Marney, Patricia Roc and Arthur Hambling. It was written by Jack Byrd and Dudley Leslie. The screenplay ...

'' (1940) – Nurse * '' Brighton Rock'' (1948) – (uncredited) * ''

Dilemma A dilemma () is a problem offering two possibilities, neither of which is unambiguously acceptable or preferable. The possibilities are termed the ''horns'' of the dilemma, a clichéd usage, but distinguishing the dilemma from other kinds of p ...

'' (1962) – Nun * '' The World Ten Times Over'' (1963) – Bob's PA (uncredited) * '' The Party's Over'' (1965) – Almoner * ''

Unman, Wittering and Zigo ''Unman, Wittering and Zigo'' is a 1958 radio play by the Anglo-Irish playwright Giles Cooper. Plot The play is set in a traditional boys’ boarding school. A teacher has died, apparently by accident: he fell off a cliff above the sea. John E ...

'' (1971) – Mrs. Winstanley * ''

Electric Moon ''Electric Moon'' is a 1992 Indian film directed by Pradip Krishen and written by Arundhati Roy. The film was produced by Grapevine Media for Channel 4 Television and Bobby Bedi's Kaleidoscope Entertainment and was reviewed at the International ...

'' (1992) – Mrs. Ellis * ''

'' (1996) – Jerome's Mother

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lott, Barbara English television actresses 1920 births 2002 deaths 20th-century British businesspeople Actors from the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames