Brenda Rose Cowling (23 April 1925 – 2 October 2010) was an English actress from

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. Cowling wanted to be a film actress from the time she was a child; however, upon leaving school, she trained instead as a

shorthand Shorthand is an abbreviated symbolic writing method that increases speed and brevity of writing as compared to longhand, a more common method of writing a language. The process of writing in shorthand is called stenography, from the Greek ''st ...

typist.

Biography

After a time she joined the

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA; ) is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the Sena ...

, where she was a member of the same class as

Warren Mitchell Warren Mitchell (born Warren Misell; 14 January 1926 – 14 November 2015) was a British actor. He was a British Academy Television Award, BAFTA TV Award winner and twice a Laurence Olivier Award winner. In the 1950s, Mitchell appeared o ...

and

Jimmy Perry James Perry, (20 September 1923 – 23 October 2016)Simon Morgan-Russell, "Perry, James (Jimmy) (1923–2016)", ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, Jan 202available online Retrieved 25 August 2020. was an Engli ...

. While there, she made her film debut in a small role in

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

's ''

Stage Fright Stage fright or performance anxiety is the anxiety, fear, or persistent phobia which may be aroused in an individual by the requirement to perform in front of an audience, real or imagined, whether actually or potentially (for example, when per ...

'' (1950). Much of her early acting work was in repertory, before she began her television career. She also appeared in films, such as ''

The Railway Children ''The Railway Children'' is a children's book by Edith Nesbit, originally serialised in ''The London Magazine'' during 1905 and published in book form in the same year. It has been adapted for the screen several times, of which the 1970 fil ...

'' (1970), '' Please Sir!'' (1971), '' Carry On Girls'' (1973), '' Carry On Behind'' (1975). '' International Velvet'' (1978), ''

Oliver Twist ''Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress'', Charles Dickens's second novel, was published as a serial from 1837 to 1839, and as a three-volume book in 1838. Born in a workhouse, the orphan Oliver Twist is bound into apprenticeship with ...

'' (1982) and ''

Octopussy ''Octopussy'' is a 1983 spy film and the thirteenth in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions. It is the sixth to star Roger Moore as the MI6 agent James Bond. It was directed by John Glen and the screenplay was written by G ...

'' (1983). Television serials in which she appeared include '' Follyfoot'', ''

Miss Marple Miss Marple is a fictional character in Agatha Christie's crime novels and short stories. Jane Marple lives in the village of St. Mary Mead and acts as an amateur consulting detective. Often characterized as an elderly spinster, she is one of ...

'' in '' They Do It With Mirrors'' as Mrs Rodgers in 1991, ''

Fawlty Towers ''Fawlty Towers'' is a British television sitcom written by John Cleese and Connie Booth, broadcast on BBC2 in 1975 and 1979. Two series of six episodes each were made. The show was ranked first on a list of the 100 Greatest British Television ...

'' as a nurse in "

The Germans "The Germans" (named on some releases as "Fire Drill") is the sixth episode of the BBC sitcom '' Fawlty Towers''. In the episode, while suffering the effects of concussion, Basil Fawlty repeatedly offends some German guests. Despite warning ...

", '' Only When I Laugh'' as the matron nurse in " Last Tango" in 1980, ''

Are You Being Served? ''Are You Being Served?'' is a British sitcom created and written by executive producer David Croft (Croft also directed some episodes) and Jeremy Lloyd, with contributions from Michael Knowles and John Chapman, for the BBC. Set in London, ...

'' as a customer in " The Erotic Dreams of Mrs Slocombe", The Bill (1989), Jonathan Creek, Gorgons Wood as Mrs Thrimpson (2004), ''

Dad's Army ''Dad's Army'' is a British television British sitcom, sitcom about the United Kingdom's Home Guard (United Kingdom), Home Guard during the World War II, Second World War. It was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft (TV producer), David Crof ...

'' as Mrs Prentice in " All is Safely Gathered In", ''

It Ain't Half Hot Mum ''It Ain't Half Hot, Mum'' is a BBC television sitcom about a Royal Artillery concert party based in Deolali in British India and the fictional village of Tin Min in Burma, during the last months of the Second World War. It was written by Jimm ...

'' in "

The Last Roll Call ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...

" as the WVS Lady, '' The Famous Five'', three episodes of '' Hi-De-Hi'', as a VoiceOver role as a station announcer in " Together Again", a camper in " Raffles", and a maid in " Wedding Bells", and '' The Legacy of Reginald Perrin''. One of her better known roles was as the cook, Mrs. Lipton, in '' You Rang, M'Lord?''.

Later life and death

Cowling retired in 2006 after suffering a stroke. She died on 2 October 2010, at the actors' retirement home,

Denville Hall Denville Hall is a historic building in Northwood, a town in the London Borough of Hillingdon, England, which is used as a retirement home for professional actors, actresses and members of other theatrical professions. The present building inc ...

, aged 85.Obituary in ''The Guardian''
/ref>

Selected filmography

*''

'' (1950) – Plump RADA Girl (uncredited) *'' The Silken Affair'' (1956) – Minor Role (uncredited) *''Bindle (One of Them Days)'' (1966) – Martha Hearty *''Up in the Air'' (1969) – Lady Pennyweight *''

'' (1970) – Mrs. Viney *'' Please Sir!'' (1971) – Mrs. Duffy *''

Young Winston ''Young Winston'' is a 1972 British biographical adventure drama war film covering the early years of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, based in particular on his 1930 book, ''My Early Life''. The first part of the film covers Churchil ...

'' (1972) – Mrs. Dewsnap (uncredited) *'' Carry On Girls'' (1973) – Matron *'' The Black Windmill'' (1974) – Pleasant Secretary (uncredited) *'' Carry On Behind'' (1975) – Wife (uncredited) *''

Jabberwocky "Jabberwocky" is a nonsense poem written by Lewis Carroll about the killing of a creature named "the Jabberwock". It was included in his 1871 novel '' Through the Looking-Glass'', the sequel to ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (1865). The ...

'' (1977) – Mrs. Fishfinger *'' The Black Panther'' (1977) *'' International Velvet'' (1978) – Alice *''

'' (1982) – Mrs. Bedwin *''

Pink Floyd – The Wall ''Pink Floyd – The Wall'' is a 1982 British live-action/animated psychological musical drama film directed by Alan Parker, based on Pink Floyd's 1979 album of the same name. The screenplay was written by Pink Floyd vocalist and bassist Roge ...

'' (1982) – Teacher *''

'' (1983) – Schatzi *'' Dream Lover'' (1986) – Hotel Manager *''

Greenfingers ''Greenfingers'' is a 2000 British comedy film directed and written by Joel Hershman. It is loosely based on the true story about the award-winning prisoners of HMP Leyhill, a minimum-security prison in the Cotswolds, England, a story publishe ...

'' (2000) – Book Shop Customer *''Room to Rent'' (2000) – Church Lady

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cowling, Brenda 1925 births 2010 deaths English film actresses English television actresses Alumni of RADA Actresses from London People from Islington (district) 20th-century English actresses 21st-century English actresses 20th-century British businesspeople