Helen Burns (22 December 1916 – 23 July 2018) was a British actress mostly known for playing comedic roles. Burns is known for her performance in the 1993 production of '' The Last Yankee'' at the

Duke of York's Theatre The Duke of York's Theatre is a West End theatre in St Martin's Lane, in the City of Westminster, London. It was built for Frank Wyatt and his wife, Violet Melnotte, who retained ownership of the theatre until her death in 1935. Designed by th ...

, for which she won a Laurence Olivier Award, and for her role in the British television series ''And That's the News, Goodnight''. Burns was born in December 1916 in London. She appeared in several films including: '' The Changeling'' (1980), '' Zorro, The Gay Blade'' (1981), '' If You Could See What I Hear'' (1982), and ''

Utilities A public utility company (usually just utility) is an organization that maintains the infrastructure for a public service (often also providing a service using that infrastructure). Public utilities are subject to forms of public control and ...

'' (1983). She also appeared in the television movies '' Scarlett'' and ''Life After Life'' and made guest appearances on several television series including '' Dr. Finlay's Casebook'', '' Pulaski'', '' The Big One'', and ''

Mr. Bean ''Mr. Bean'' is a British sitcom created by Rowan Atkinson and Richard Curtis, produced by Tiger Aspect and starring Atkinson as the title character. The sitcom consists of 15 episodes that were co-written by Atkinson alongside Curtis and R ...

''. Burns' Broadway stage credits include '' The Inspector General'', ''There's One in Every Marriage'' (1957), '' The First Gentleman'', at the

Belasco Theatre The Belasco Theatre is a Broadway theater at 111 West 44th Street, between Seventh Avenue and Sixth Avenue, in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Originally known as the Stuyvesant Theatre, it was built in 1907 an ...

in New York City, and ''Catsplay'', for the latter of which she received a Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Actress in a Play. She also starred in the 1978 Canadian film adaptation '' Catsplay'', for which she won the Earle Grey Award for best television actor at the 8th ACTRA Awards in 1979. She received a Genie Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for ''The Changeling'' at the

1st Genie Awards The 1st Genie Awards were presented on March 20, 1980, and honoured films released in 1979.Jay Scott, "Changeling wins Genie as year's best movie". ''The Globe and Mail'', March 21, 1980. They were given out at a gala event at the Royal Alexandra ...

in 1980.

Jay Scott Jeffrey Scott Beaven (October 4, 1949 – July 30, 1993), known professionally by his pen name Jay Scott, was a Canadian film critic."Critic Jay Scott, 43 among world's best". ''Toronto Star'', July 31, 1993. Early life Scott was born in Lincol ...

, "Changeling leads Canadian Film Award nominees". ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'', February 8, 1980.

Personal life and death

On 8 July 1948, Burns was married to theatre director Michael Langham, the former head of both the Stratford Festival and the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most elit ...

, and is the mother of actor/writer

Chris Langham Christopher Langham (born 14 April 1949) is an English writer, actor, and comedian. He is known for playing the cabinet minister Hugh Abbot in the BBC sitcom '' The Thick of It'', and as presenter Roy Mallard in '' People Like Us'', first on B ...

. She died on 23 July 2018 at the age of 101.Helen Burns Langham obituary
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References

1916 births 2018 deaths English centenarians English film actresses English stage actresses English television actresses Laurence Olivier Award winners Women centenarians Actresses from London {{england-actor-stub