Dame Maureen Diane Lipman (born 10 May 1946) is an English actress, columnist and comedian. She trained at the

London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) is a drama school located in Hammersmith, London. Founded in 1861, it is the oldest specialist drama school in the British Isles and a founding member of the Federation of Drama Schools. In ...

and her stage work has included appearances with the National Theatre and the

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and opens around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Stratf ...

. She was made a

dame ''Dame'' is a traditionally British honorific title given to women who have been admitted to certain orders of chivalry. It is the female equivalent of ''Sir'', the title used by knights. Baronet, Baronetesses Suo jure, in their own right also u ...

in the 2020 Queen's Birthday Honours for services to charity, entertainment and the arts. Lipman has been nominated for seven

Olivier Awards The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply The Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognize excellence in West End theatre, professional theatre in London. The awards were originally known as the Society of We ...

across categories commending acting in plays, musicals and comedy, winning in

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

for ''See How They Run''. On film, Lipman was BAFTA nominated for ''Educating Rita'' (1983) and has also appeared in ''The Wildcats of St Trinian's'' (1980), ''Carry On Columbus'' (1992), ''Solomon & Gaenor'' (1999) and ''The Pianist'' (2002). On television, Lipman had prominent roles in ''Agony'' (1979–1981), ''Smiley's People'' (1982), ''Eskimo Day'' (1996) and ''Ladies of Letters'' (2009–2010). Since 2018, she has starred in ''Coronation Street'' as Evelyn Plummer.

Early life and education

Lipman was born on 10 May 1946 in

Kingston upon Hull Kingston upon Hull, usually shortened to Hull, is a historic maritime city and unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It lies upon the River Hull at its confluence with the Humber Est ...

East Riding of Yorkshire The East Riding of Yorkshire, often abbreviated to the East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and west, S ...

, England, the daughter of Maurice Julius Lipman and Zelma Pearlman. Her father was a tailor; he used to have a shop between the Ferens Art Gallery and Monument Bridge. Lipman grew up

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

and found post-war Hull a welcoming place for the Jewish community. She lived in Northfield Road, Hull and attended Wheeler Primary School. Lipman then attended

Newland School for Girls Newland School For Girls is a secondary school for girls aged 11– 16, situated in the Newland, Kingston upon Hull, Newland area of Kingston upon Hull, England. History Newland School was founded in 1907 to meet the growing demand for girls' ...

in Hull, and in her youth became interested in performing. She performed in school productions, attended an early

Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

concert, and watched

Elizabeth Taylor Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was an English and American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 19 ...

's ''

Butterfield 8 ''BUtterfield 8'' is a 1960 American drama film directed by Daniel Mann, starring Elizabeth Taylor and Laurence Harvey. Taylor won her first Academy Award for her performance in a leading role. The film was based on a 1935 novel of the same ...

'' fifteen times. Her first performances at home included impersonations of

Alma Cogan Alma Angela Cohen Cogan (19 May 1932 – 26 October 1966) was an English singer of traditional pop in the 1950s and early 1960s. Dubbed the "Girl with the Giggle in Her Voice", she was the highest paid British female entertainer of her era. Ch ...

; "a nice Jewish girl, she was big in our house", and she was encouraged into an acting career by her mother, who used to take her to the

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment, generally combining gender-crossing actors and topical humour with a story more or less based on a well-known fairy tale, fable or ...

and push her onto the stage. Lipman trained at the

Career

Theatre

Lipman worked extensively in the theatre following her début in a stage production of '' The Knack'' at the

Watford Palace Theatre Watford Palace Theatre, opened in 1908, is an Edwardian Grade II listed building in Watford, Hertfordshire. The 600-seat theatre on Clarendon Road was refurbished in 2004. It houses its own rehearsal room, wardrobe, cafe and bar. History The ...

. In order to get the post, she pretended that a documentary producer wanted to follow her finding her first job – this was a lie but it seemed to work. Lipman was a member of

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier ( ; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director. He and his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud made up a trio of male actors who dominated the British stage of the m ...

's National Theatre Company at the

Old Vic Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England *Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Mai ...

from 1971 to 1973 and of the

for its 1973 Stratford season. Lipman has continued to work in the theatre for more than fifty years, playing, among other roles, Aunt Eller in the National Theatre's ''

Oklahoma! ''Oklahoma!'' is the first musical theater, musical written by the duo of Rodgers and Hammerstein. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs's 1931 play, ''Green Grow the Lilacs (play), Green Grow the Lilacs''. Set in farm country outside the town of ...

''. From November 2005 to April 2006 she played Florence Foster Jenkins in the Olivier Award-nominated show ''Glorious!'' at the Duchess Theatre in London's West End. From October 2010 to February 2011, Lipman starred in a production of J.B. Priestley's '' When We Are Married'' at the Garrick Theatre. In 2012, she directed and appeared in a production of '' Barefoot in the Park'' on tour and starred in ''

Old Money Old money is a social class of the rich who have been able to maintain their wealth over multiple generations, in contrast with new money whose wealth has been acquired within its own generation. The term often refers to perceived members of th ...

'' at

Hampstead Theatre Hampstead Theatre is a theatre in South Hampstead, in the London Borough of Camden. It specialises in commissioning and producing new writing, supporting and developing the work of new writers. History The original ''Hampstead Theatre Clu ...

. In 2013, she starred in ''Daytona'' at the Park Theatre followed by a tour, and in 2014 a season at the

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

. In 2015, she starred with James Dreyfus in Mary Chase's play '' Harvey'' at

Birmingham Repertory Theatre Birmingham Repertory Theatre, commonly called Birmingham Rep or just The Rep, is a producing theatre based on Centenary Square in Birmingham, England. Founded by Barry Jackson, it is the longest-established of Britain's building-based theatre ...

, on tour and at the Theatre Royal Haymarket. In 2016, she starred in '' My Mother Said I Never Should'' at the St. James Theatre. In 2017, she starred with

Felicity Kendal Felicity Ann Kendal (born 25 September 1946) is an English actress, working principally in television and theatre. She has appeared in numerous stage and screen roles over a more than 70-year career, including as Barbara Good in the television ...

in a revival of '' Lettice and Lovage'' at the Menier Chocolate Factory. In 2018, she starred with Martin Shaw in '' The Best Man'' at the Playhouse Theatre, as well as returning to the

Edinburgh Festival Fringe The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as the Edinburgh Fringe, the Fringe or the Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest performance arts festival, which in 2024 spanned 25 days, sold more than 2.6 million tickets and featur ...

for the first time in fifty years with a one-woman show of jokes and storytelling called ''Up For It''.

Television

After early appearances in the sitcoms '' The Lovers'', and '' Doctor at Large'', and a role in '' The Evacuees'' (1975), Lipman first gained prominence on television in the situation comedy '' Agony'' (1979–81), in which she played an agony aunt with a troubled private life. In her role as Stella Craven in '' Smiley's People'' (1982), Lipman appeared with

Alec Guinness Sir Alec Guinness (born Alec Guinness de Cuffe; 2 April 1914 – 5 August 2000) was an English actor. In the BFI, British Film Institute listing of 1999 of BFI Top 100 British films, the 100 most important British films of the 20th century ...

. She performed the

Joyce Grenfell Joyce Irene Grenfell (''née'' Phipps; 10 February 1910 – 30 November 1979) was an English diseuse, singer, actress and writer. She was known for the songs and monologues she wrote and performed, at first in revues and later in her solo show ...

monologue ''The Committee'' for the first time on '' 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 channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

in 1983.

Maureen Lipman performing as Joyce Grenfell

She played the lead role in the television series '' All at No 20'' (1986–87) and took on a range of diverse characters when starring in the series of comedy plays '' About Face'' (1989–91). She is known for playing

in the biographical show ''Re: Joyce!'', which she co-wrote with James Roose-Evans. In 1996 she appeared in the BBC comedy drama '' Eskimo Day'', written by husband

Jack Rosenthal Jack Morris Rosenthal (8 September 1931 – 29 May 2004) was an English playwright. He wrote 129 early episodes of the ITV (TV network), ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' and over 150 screenplays, including original television plays, featur ...

and directed by Piers Haggard, about the trials and tribulations of three young would-be students as they arrive with their families at

Queens' College, Cambridge Queens' College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Queens' is one of the 16 "old colleges" of the university, and was founded in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou. Its buildings span the R ...

, on interview day. There was a sequel, ''Cold Enough for Snow'', in 1997. She appeared as snooty landlady Lillian Spencer 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 ...

'' for six episodes in 2002. The character was employed by Fred Elliott ( John Savident) to run The Rovers Return Inn. She re-joined the cast of ''Coronation Street'' in August 2018, this time playing Evelyn Plummer, the long-lost grandmother of Tyrone Dobbs ( Alan Halsall). In 2003 she appeared in ''

Jonathan Creek ''Jonathan Creek'' is a long-running British mystery fiction, mystery crime drama series produced by the BBC and written by David Renwick. It stars Alan Davies as the title character, who works as a creative consultant to a stage magician whi ...

'' in the episode "The Tailor's Dummy". Lipman played Maggie Wych in the children's television show '' The Fugitives'', broadcast in 2005. She has narrated two television series on the subject of design, one for

UKTV UKTV Media Limited, trading as UKTV, is a British multi-channel broadcaster, which, since 2019, has been wholly owned by BBC Studios (formerly BBC Worldwide), a commercial subsidiary of the BBC. It was formed on 1 November 1992 through a join ...

about

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

and one about 20th-century design for ITV/

Sky Travel Sky Travel was a channel operated by Sky Group broadcasting travel and reality television programming. History Sky Travel launched as a weekday channel on 3 October 1994, as part of the Sky Multichannels package.It originally broadcast betwe ...

. She performed as a villain,

The Wire ''The Wire'' is an American Crime fiction, crime Drama (film and television), drama television series created and primarily written by the American author and former police reporter David Simon for the cable network HBO. The series premiered o ...

, in the 2006 series of ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

'' in the episode entitled " The Idiot's Lantern". She has also appeared on ''

Just a Minute ''Just a Minute'' is a BBC Radio 4 radio comedy panel game. For more than 50 years, with a few exceptions, it was hosted by Nicholas Parsons. Following Parsons' death in 2020, Sue Perkins became the permanent host, starting with the 87th ser ...

'', '' The News Quiz'', '' That Reminds Me'', '' This Week'' and '' Have I Got News for You''. In 2007, Lipman appeared as a celebrity contestant on '' Comic Relief Does The Apprentice'' to raise money for

Comic Relief Comic Relief is a British charity, founded in 1986 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Sir Lenny Henry in response to the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia. The concept of Comic Relief was to get British comedians to make t ...

. The show saw her helping to run a

funfair A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Fairs showcase a wide range of go ...

. Later in 2007, she made a guest appearance in '' Casualty''; this was followed by an appearance in a December 2011 episode of the ''Casualty'' spin-off ''

Holby City ''Holby City'' (stylised on-screen as HOLBY CIY) is a British medical drama television series that aired weekly on BBC One. It was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a Spin-off (media), spin-off from the established BBC medical drama '' ...

'', playing a different character. In May 2008, she appeared 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 ...

documentary series '' Comedy Map of Britain''. On Sunday 11 January 2009,

BBC Four BBC Four is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002

was devoted to a "Maureen Lipman Night". On 5 February 2009, she appeared in the third series of teen drama '' Skins'', in the episode entitled "Thomas" as Pandora Moon's Aunt Elizabeth. She played Irene Spencer in the

ITV3 ITV3 is a Television in the United Kingdom, British free-to-air television channel owned by ITV Digital Channels, a division of ITV plc. The channel was first launched on Monday 1 November 2004 at 9 pm, replacing Plus (British TV channel), Plus ...

comedy '' Ladies of Letters'', in which she starred alongside Anne Reid. The show's first series started in 2009, and it returned for a second series in 2010.

Film

Lipman made an early film appearance in '' Up the Junction'' (1968). She played the title character's mother in

Roman Polanski Raymond Roman Thierry Polański (; born 18 August 1933) is a Polish and French filmmaker and actor. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Roman Polanski, numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, three Britis ...

's film '' The Pianist'' (2002). In the 1999 film '' Solomon & Gaenor'', the character she played spoke

Yiddish Yiddish, historically Judeo-German, is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated in 9th-century Central Europe, and provided the nascent Ashkenazi community with a vernacular based on High German fused with ...

throughout.

Advertising

In 1987, she was cast as the character "Beatrice Bellman" ("Beatie/BT"), a Jewish grandmother in a series of television commercials for British Telecom, a role which became sufficiently well known to launch a book ''You Got An Ology'' in 1989, and which was still referred to 25 years later by politicians.

Books, newspapers and magazines

After her husband died in May 2004 she completed his autobiography ''By Jack Rosenthal'', and played herself in her daughter's four-part adaptation of the book, ''Jack Rosenthal's Last Act'', on

BBC Radio Four BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of Talk radio, spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at B ...

in July 2006. Her anthology, ''The Gibbon's In Decline But The Horse Is Stable'', is a book of animal poems that is illustrated by established cartoonists, including Posy Simmonds and

Gerald Scarfe Gerald Anthony Scarfe (born 1 June 1936) is an English satirical cartoonist and illustrator. He has worked as editorial cartoonist for ''The Sunday Times (UK), The Sunday Times'' and illustrator for ''The New Yorker''. Scarfe’s other work in ...

, to raise money for Myeloma UK, to combat the cancer to which she lost her husband. She also wrote a monthly column for '' Good Housekeeping'' magazine for more than ten years, which formed the basis for several autobiographical books, including ''How Was It For You?'', ''Something To Fall Back On'', ''Thank You For Having Me'', ''You Can Read Me Like A Book'' and ''Lip Reading''. Lipman has also contributed a weekly column in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' in the newspaper's ''G2'' section. She writes for ''

The Oldie ''The Oldie'' is a British monthly magazine written for older people "as a light-hearted alternative to a press obsessed with youth and celebrity", according to its website. The magazine was launched in 1992 by Richard Ingrams, who was its edit ...

'' and is on the editorial advisory board of '' Jewish Renaissance'' magazine.

Personal life

Lipman is

. She lives in

Muswell Hill Muswell Hill is a suburban district of the London Borough of Haringey, north London. The hill, which reaches over above sea level, is situated north of Charing Cross. Neighbouring areas include Highgate, London, Highgate, Hampstead Garden ...

north London North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames and the City of London. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshi ...

and has two children, writers Amy and Adam Rosenthal. She was married to dramatist

from 1974 until his death in 2004, and has had a number of roles in his works. Retired computer expert Guido Castro, an Egyptian Jew, was her partner from 2008 until his death in January 2021. In August 2024, Lipman became engaged to David Turner, co-founder of gym chain LA Fitness (now owned by

PureGym PureGym Limited is a British chain of no-frills health clubs, headquartered in Leeds. It is Britain's largest gym chain by membership, with over 1,900,000 members registered to their gyms. PureGym also operate gyms in 8 more countries and have ...

Political views

Burma

Lipman supports the work of the Burma Campaign UK, Europe's largest NGO regarding

Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...

(Burma). Lipman supports the process of democratisation in the country. Lipman also supports the work of Prospect Burma, a non-political charity that offers Burmese students the opportunity to study at university overseas. Lipman spoke on behalf of Prospect Burma in the BBC Radio 4 Appeal, broadcast in September 2009.

Pro-Israel activism

Lipman supported

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

's cause during the 2006 Israel–Hezbollah conflict. On 13 July 2006, in a debate on the BBC's '' This Week'', she argued that "human life is not cheap to the Israelis, and human life on the other side is quite cheap actually, because they strap bombs to people and send them to blow themselves up." These comments were condemned by columnist Yasmin Alibhai-Brown who said "Brutally straight, she sees no equivalence between the lives of the two tribes". Lipman responded to Alibhai-Brown's accusation of racism by arguing that the columnist had deliberately misrepresented Lipman's comments as generalisations about Muslims rather than specific comments about terrorists. Australian scholar and journalist John Pilger characterized Lipman as a "promoter of selective good causes" who is "allowed to say, without serious challenge" that human life on the other side is cheap. In ''

The Jewish Chronicle ''The Jewish Chronicle'' (''The JC'') is a London-based Jewish weekly newspaper. Founded in 1841, it is the oldest continuously published Jewish newspaper in the world. Its editor () is Daniel Schwammenthal. The newspaper is published every Fri ...

'', Lipman argued that media reporting of the conflict was "heavily distorted": In May 2015, Lipman joined pro-Israel groups, including the Zionist Federation, in a protest against the Palestinian play '' The Siege'' in its London premiere at

Battersea Arts Centre The Battersea Arts Centre ("BAC") is a performance space specialising in Theater, theatre productions. Located near Clapham Junction railway station in Battersea, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, it was formerly Battersea Town Hall. It is a ...

. In a 2016 interview, she ridiculed the Palestinians' "so-called" right to return, arguing that nobody "in history has ever had the right to return," and dismissed any United Nations' resolutions censuring Israel for its no-return policy, saying "This is all voted by people who don't allow women to drive and make them cover their heads with black bags." In an interview to ''

'', on 18 August 2020, Lipman inaccurately asserted that

Hezbollah Hezbollah ( ; , , ) is a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and paramilitary group. Hezbollah's paramilitary wing is the Jihad Council, and its political wing is the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc party in the Lebanese Parliament. I ...

had claimed responsibility for the

2020 Beirut explosion On 4 August 2020, a major explosion occurred in Beirut, Lebanon, triggered by the ignition of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate. The chemical, confiscated in 2014 from the cargo ship and stored at the Port of Beirut without adequate safety me ...

, stating: "I'm very grateful that Hezbollah said they did it". She also stated she would not be prepared to work alongside pro-Palestinian actors, citing

Maxine Peake Maxine Peake (born 14 July 1974) is an English actress and narrator. She is known for her roles as Twinkle in ''Dinnerladies (TV series), dinnerladies'', a sitcom on BBC One (1998–2000), as List of Shameless (British TV series) characters#Vero ...

and

Miriam Margolyes Miriam Margolyes ( ; born 18 May 1941) is a British and Australian actress. Known for her work as a character actor across film, television, and stage, she received the BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Mrs. Mingott in Marti ...

as examples. In 2024, during the war in Gaza, Lipman said that protests against Israel are "close to

fascism Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hie ...

". She stated: "These bleeding, heartless liberals care so deeply for the Palestinians? That they espouse their cause at the expense of every other oppressed people of the world ... Shame. Shame. Shame on every one of you."

Antisemitism

In a January 2015 interview on LBC Radio, Lipman said she was considering emigrating to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

or Israel in response to what she perceived as increasing

antisemitism in the United Kingdom British Jews have experienced antisemitism – discrimination and persecution as Jews – since a Jewish community was first established in England in 1070. They experienced a series of massacres in the Medieval period, which culminated in th ...

. In November 2023 Lipman joined a march against antisemitism in London alongside prominent celebrities including Vanessa Feltz, Robert Rinder, Tracy-Ann Oberman, Elliot Levey, Rachel Riley, Eddie Marsan, and David Baddiel.

The Labour Party

At the 2005 general election, Lipman supported the Labour Party, but declared in October 2014 that she could no longer do so due to leader

Ed Miliband Edward Samuel Miliband (born 24 December 1969) is a British politician who has served as Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero since July 2024. He has been Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for D ...

's support for a parliamentary motion in favour of recognising the

State of Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

. In April 2018, Lipman criticised Labour leader

Jeremy Corbyn Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (; born 26 May 1949) is a British politician who has been Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for Islington North (UK Parliament constituency), Islington North since 1983. Now an Independent ...

for the way he had ostensibly handled antisemitism in the Labour Party and the party's reputed failure to address the issue. Lipman attended a protest outside Labour's head office and said she was there "as a disenfranchised socialist". She identified with a placard reading "Corbyn made me a

Tory A Tory () is an individual who supports a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalist conservatism which upholds the established social order as it has evolved through the history of Great Britain. The To ...

". In a 2020 interview, she described herself as a "Labour luvvie" under the tenure of

Tony Blair Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He was Leader ...

, as opposed to a "party member". She also said she would have to be "stark raving mad to support Conservative Party leader">Conservative Party (UK)">Conservative Party leader

Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (born 19 June 1964) is a British politician and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He wa ...

Filmography

Film

Television

Publications

* ''How Was It For You? Home thoughts from a broad'', Little Brown, 1986. * ''Something to Fall Back On...and other pretty colourful material'', Robson Books, 1987. * (with Richard Philips)''You Got An Ology?'', Robson Books, 1989. * ''Thank You For Having Me'', Robson Books, 1990. * ''When's It Coming Out'', Robson Books, 1992. * ''You Can Read Me Like A Book'', Robson Books, 1995. * ''Lip Reading'', Robson Books, 1999. * ''The Gibbon's in Decline But the Horse is Stable...'', Robson Books, 2006. * ''Past-it Notes'', Gardners Books, 2008. * ''I Must Collect Myself: Choice Cuts From a Long Shelf-Life'',

Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster LLC (, ) is an American publishing house owned by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts since 2023. It was founded in New York City in 1924, by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. Along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group US ...

, 2010. * ''It's a Jungle Out There: A Lipman-Agerie'', Biteback Publishing, 2016.

Awards and nominations

*In 1994, Lipman was awarded an honorary doctorate by the

University of Hull The University of Hull is a public research university in Kingston upon Hull, a city in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It was founded in 1927 as University College Hull. The main university campus is located in Hull and is home to the Hu ...

Honours

Lipman was appointed

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(CBE) in the 1999 New Year Honours and

Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(DBE) in the 2020 Birthday Honours for services to charity, entertainment and the arts. Accompanied by her son, Adam Rosenthal, she received her award from

Charles, Prince of Wales Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, a ...

Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a List of British royal residences, royal residence at Windsor, Berkshire, Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, about west of central London. It is strongly associated with the Kingdom of England, English and succee ...

on 28 October 2021.

Legacy

Her papers, and those of her husband Jack Rosenthal, are held at the

University of Sheffield The University of Sheffield (informally Sheffield University or TUOS) is a public university, public research university in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. Its history traces back to the foundation of Sheffield Medical School in 1828, Fir ...

References

External links

Green, Linda (22 December 2006). ''A short bio of Maureen Lipman''. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
*
Maureen Lipman in webTV interview talking about ''By Jack Rosenthal'' and working on ''Doctor Who''
July 2006, BBC Norfolk. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
''The Oldie'' magazine
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lipman, Maureen 1946 births Living people 20th-century British non-fiction writers 20th-century English women writers 20th-century English writers 21st-century British non-fiction writers 21st-century English women writers Actresses awarded damehoods Actresses from Kingston upon Hull Actors from the London Borough of Haringey Alumni of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art British Zionists Comedians from Kingston upon Hull Comedians from the London Borough of Haringey Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire English film actresses Jewish English writers English radio actresses English soap opera actresses English stage actresses English television actresses English women comedians The Guardian journalists Jewish English actresses Jewish English comedians Jewish women comedians Jewish women writers Labour Party (UK) people Laurence Olivier Award winners People associated with the University of Sheffield People from Muswell Hill Royal Shakespeare Company members Writers from the London Borough of Haringey