Diane Langton (born 31 May 1947) is an English actress and singer, known for playing Marlena "Nana" McQueen in ''

Hollyoaks ''Hollyoaks'' is a British soap opera which began airing on Channel 4 on 23 October 1995. It was created by Phil Redmond, who had previously conceived the soap opera '' Brookside''. Since 2005, episodes have been aired on sister channel E4 a d ...

'' from 2007 to 2009 and 2012 onwards.

Career

Langton has appeared in numerous television series. In the 1980s, she appeared in ''

Only Fools and Horses ''Only Fools and Horses....'' is a British television sitcom created and written by John Sullivan. Seven series were originally broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom from 1981 to 1991, with sixteen sporadic Christmas specials aired until t ...

'' as June Snell, a former girlfriend of

Del Boy Derek Edward Trotter, more commonly known as Del Boy, is a fictional character from the BBC sitcom ''Only Fools and Horses'' and one of the main characters of its spinoff series, '' Rock & Chips''. He was played by David Jason in the original s ...

. She also appeared in ''

The Rag Trade ''The Rag Trade'' is a British television sitcom broadcast by the BBC between 1961 and 1963 and by LWT between 1977 and 1978. Although a comedy, it shed light on gender, politics and the "class war" on the factory floor. The scripts were writ ...

'' as Kathy Roberts, ''

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...

'' as

Cindy Beale Cindy Beale (also Williams) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Michelle Collins. She first appeared 10 May 1988 and originally departed on 27 December 1990, before returning as one of the show's central a ...

's mother,

Bev Williams The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' in 1990, by order of first appearance. Harry Osborne In January 1990, a mysterious old man (John Boswall) is seen lingering around Albert Square. ...

, in '' Heartbeat'' as Ruby Rowan,

Nick Berry Nicholas Berry (born 16 April 1963) is a retired English actor and pop singer. He is best known for his roles as Simon Wicks in ''EastEnders'' from 1985 to 1990, and as PC Nick Rowan in '' Heartbeat'' from 1992 to 1998. He sang UK chart sing ...

's character's mother, and as a

prostitute Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in Sex work, sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, n ...

in an episode of ''

Joking Apart ''Joking Apart'' is a BBC television sitcom written by Steven Moffat about the rise and fall of a relationship. It juxtaposes a couple, Mark ( Robert Bathurst) and Becky ( Fiona Gillies), who fall in love and marry, before getting separated and ...

''. Her other notable TV appearances have included ''

Alas Smith and Jones ''Alas Smith and Jones'' is a British comedy sketch television series starring comedy duo and namesake Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones that originally ran for four series and two Christmas specials on BBC2 from 1984 to 1988, and later as ''Smit ...

'', '' Bergerac'', ''

Minder A minder is the person assigned to guide or escort a visitor, or to provide protection to somebody, or to otherwise assist or take care of something, i.e. a person who " minds". Government-appointed persons to accompany foreign visitors are of ...

'', ''

Carry On Laughing : ''This article describes the all-original 1975 TV series. Not to be confused with the later "Carry On" film-clip compilations or the stage play of the same name''. ''Carry On Laughing'' is a British television comedy series produced in 1975 ...

'' and ''

The Bill ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, first broadcast on ITV from 16 August 1983 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, '' Woodentop'', broadcast in August 1983. The programme focused on ...

''. She also had her own special called ''Let There Be Langton''. She played Private Alice Easy in the 1976 film ''

Carry On England ''Carry On England'' is a 1976 British comedy film, the 28th release in the series of the original 30 ''Carry On'' films (1958–1978). It was released in October 1976 and featured ''Carry On'' regulars Kenneth Connor, Jack Douglas, Joan Sims ...

''. She appeared in ''The Green Tie on the Little Yellow Dog'', which was recorded 1982, and broadcast by

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service in ...

in 1983. Langton, who began her career as a dancer, is a popular theatre actress and singer, having appeared in the West End, in ''

A Chorus Line ''A Chorus Line'' is a 1975 musical with music by Marvin Hamlisch, lyrics by Edward Kleban, and a book by James Kirkwood Jr. and Nicholas Dante. Set on the bare stage of a Broadway theater, the musical is centered on seventeen Broadway dance ...

'', Pippin, I'm Getting My Act Together, ''

A Little Night Music ''A Little Night Music'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Hugh Wheeler. Inspired by the 1955 Ingmar Bergman film '' Smiles of a Summer Night'', it involves the romantic lives of several couples. Its title is a ...

'', '' Chicago'' and '' Mary Poppins''. Her long stage career began with an appearance in ''

Hair Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals. The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and fin ...

'', in 1968. In 1982 she appeared in the

Royal Variety Performance The ''Royal Variety Performance'' is a televised variety show held annually in the United Kingdom to raise money for the Royal Variety Charity (of which King Charles III is life-patron). It is attended by senior members of the British royal ...

, performing a song from ''

Show Boat ''Show Boat'' is a musical with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It is based on Edna Ferber's best-selling 1926 novel of the same name. The musical follows the lives of the performers, stagehands and dock worke ...

''. In 1987, she created the role of Angel in Kander & Ebb's '' The Rink'' at the Forum Theatre in Manchester, a role which she reprised in the 1988 West End transfer. She returned to the show in 2004, at the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry, this time playing the role of Angel's mother, Anna. In 2010, she joined the London cast of '' Billy Elliot'' as Grandma.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Langton, Diane 1947 births Living people People from Somerset English television actresses English film actresses English stage actresses