Patricia Ann Hodge, OBE (born 29 September 1946) is an English actor. She is known on-screen for playing Phyllida Erskine-Brown in '' Rumpole of the Bailey'' (1978–1992), Jemima Shore in ''

Jemima Shore Investigates ''Jemima Shore Investigates'' is a British mystery television series which originally aired in twelve episodes in 1983. It is based on a series of novels by Antonia Fraser about Jemima Shore, a crime-solving television presenter.Brunsdale p.361- ...

'' (1983), Penny in '' Miranda'' (2009–2015) and Mrs Pumphrey in '' All Creatures Great and Small'' (2021–present). Hodge made her West End debut in 1972 and the next year starred in the West End production of '' Pippin'' directed by

Bob Fosse Robert Louis Fosse (; June 23, 1927 – September 23, 1987) was an American actor, choreographer, dancer, and film and stage director. He directed and choreographed musical works on stage and screen, including the stage musicals ''The Pajam ...

. Hodge has received two nominations for the

Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical The Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical is an annual award presented by the Society of London Theatre in recognition of achievements in commercial London theatre. The awards were established as the Society of West End Theatre Awar ...

, and in 2000, she won the Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the play ''

Money Money is any item or verifiable record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts, such as taxes, in a particular country or socio-economic context. The primary functions which distinguish money ar ...

''. Her other screen credits include the 1983 film ''

Betrayal Betrayal is the breaking or violation of a presumptive contract, trust, or confidence that produces moral and psychological conflict within a relationship amongst individuals, between organizations or between individuals and organizations. ...

'', the 1986 TV adaptation of '' The Life and Loves of a She-Devil'', and the TV film '' Hotel du Lac'' (1986). For her role in ''Hotel du Lac'', Hodge received a nomination for the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress.

Early life

Hodge was born in

Cleethorpes Cleethorpes () is a seaside town on the estuary of the Humber in North East Lincolnshire, England with a population of 38,372 in 2020. It has been permanently occupied since the 6th century, with fishing as its original industry, then develo ...

, Lincolnshire. The daughter of Eric and his wife Marion (née Phillips), the manager and manageress of the Royal Hotel in

Grimsby Grimsby or Great Grimsby is a port town and the administrative centre of North East Lincolnshire, Lincolnshire, England. Grimsby adjoins the town of Cleethorpes directly to the south-east forming a conurbation. Grimsby is north-east of L ...

, Hodge attended Wintringham Girls' Grammar School in Weelsby Avenue in Grimsby and then St Helen's School, Northwood,

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbour ...

, before attending Maria Grey College in

Twickenham Twickenham is a suburban district in London, England. It is situated on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames since 1965, and the boro ...

(later becoming part of

Brunel University London Brunel University London is a public research university located in the Uxbridge area of London, England. It was founded in 1966 and named after the Victorian engineer and pioneer of the Industrial Revolution, Isambard Kingdom Brunel. In Ju ...

), to train as a teacher. She taught English and drama at Russell County Primary School in

Chorleywood Chorleywood is both a village and a civil parish in the Three Rivers District, Hertfordshire, on the border with Buckinghamshire, approximately northwest of Charing Cross. The village is adjacent to the Chiltern Hills Area of Outstanding Natu ...

, Hertfordshire, while also applying to 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. It is the oldest specialist drama school in the British Isles and a founding member of the Federation of Drama Schools. LAMDA's Principal is ...

. She started at LAMDA when she was 22, and was awarded the Eveline Evans Award for Best Actress on graduation.

Career

Hodge made her professional stage debut in the

Howard Barker Howard Barker (born 28 June 1946) is a British playwright, screenwriter and writer of radio drama, painter, poet, and essayist writing predominantly on playwriting and the theatre. The author of an extensive body of dramatic works since the 197 ...

play ''No-One Was Saved'' at the

Traverse Theatre The Traverse Theatre is a theatre in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was founded in 1963 by John Calder, John Malcolm, Jim Haynes and Richard Demarco. The Traverse Theatre company commissions and develops new plays or adaptations from contemporary p ...

, Edinburgh in 1971. She made her West End debut in '' Rookery Nook'' in 1972, and worked with

in 1973 on '' Pippin''. However, when applying for television work she found she had become classed as a theatre actress. Having made the breakthrough in the role of Phyllida (Trant) Erskine-Brown in '' Rumpole of the Bailey'', she found when trying to make the occasional return to theatre work that she had been classed as a television actress. She has appeared in roles as diverse as in '' The Naked Civil Servant'' opposite

John Hurt Sir John Vincent Hurt (22 January 1940 – 25 January 2017) was an English actor whose career spanned over five decades. Hurt was regarded as one of Britain's finest actors. Director David Lynch described him as "simply the greatest actor in t ...

, shortly after she featured in the BBC's 1975 Christmas production ''Great Big Groovy Horse'', a rock opera based on the story of the Trojan Horse shown on BBC2 starring

Julie Covington Julie Covington (born 11 September 1946) is an English singer and actress, best known for recording the original version of " Don't Cry for Me Argentina", which she sang on the 1976 concept album Evita. Early life Julie Covington was born in ...

Bernard Cribbins Bernard Joseph Cribbins (29 December 1928 – 27 July 2022) was an English actor and singer whose career spanned over seven decades. During the 1960s, Cribbins became known in the UK for his successful novelty records " The Hole in the Groun ...

and Paul Jones. It was later repeated on BBC1 in 1977. She featured as Myra Arundel in the 1984 BBC version of

Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time'' magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and ...

's ''

Hay Fever Allergic rhinitis, of which the seasonal type is called hay fever, is a type of inflammation in the nose that occurs when the immune system overreacts to allergens in the air. Signs and symptoms include a runny or stuffy nose, sneezing, red, i ...

'', as

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was the first female British prime ...

in '' The Falklands Play,'' and in 2007 as Betty, the wife of tycoon

Robert Maxwell Ian Robert Maxwell (born Ján Ludvík Hyman Binyamin Hoch; 10 June 1923 – 5 November 1991) was a Czechoslovak-born British media proprietor, Parliament of the United Kingdom, member of parliament (MP), suspected spy, and fraudster. Early i ...

, in the BBC TV drama ''Maxwell'' opposite

David Suchet Sir David Courtney Suchet''England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916–2007'' ( ; born 2 May 1946) is an English actor known for his work on British stage and television. He portrayed Edward Teller in the television serial '' Oppen ...

. She took the female lead in the 1983 film, ''

'' (based on

Harold Pinter Harold Pinter (; 10 October 1930 – 24 December 2008) was a British playwright, screenwriter, director and actor. A Nobel Prize winner, Pinter was one of the most influential modern British dramatists with a writing career that span ...

's play ''

''), a

roman à clef ''Roman à clef'' (, anglicised as ), French for ''novel with a key'', is a novel about real-life events that is overlaid with a façade of fiction. The fictitious names in the novel represent real people, and the "key" is the relationship be ...

derived from the playwright's affair with broadcaster

Joan Bakewell Joan Dawson Bakewell, Baroness Bakewell, (''née'' Rowlands; born 16 April 1933), is an English journalist, television presenter and Labour Party peer. Baroness Bakewell is president of Birkbeck, University of London; she is also an author a ...

. She was nominated for a BAFTA for her role in a television adaptation of Anita Brookner's '' Hotel du Lac'' in 1987, and was awarded the Laurence Olivier Theatre Award in 2000 for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the production of ''Money'' at the National Theatre. She bought the rights of the book ''

Portrait of a Marriage ''Portrait of a Marriage: Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson'' is the 1973 biography of writer and gardener Vita Sackville-West compiled by her son Nigel Nicolson from her journals and letters. Synopsis The book relates to Sackville-West ...

'' and is credited with developing a TV series of the same name in association with the BBC in 1990 adapted by writer Penelope Mortimer. She co-starred with Dame

Judi Dench Dame Judith Olivia Dench (born 9 December 1934) is an English actress. Regarded as one of Britain's best actresses, she is noted for her versatile work in various films and television programmes encompassing several genres, as well as for her ...

in the 1995 London revival of

Stephen Sondheim Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March 22, 1930November 26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. One of the most important figures in twentieth-century musical theater, Sondheim is credited for having "reinvented the American musical" with sho ...

's ''

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 ...

'', at the National Theatre, as Countess Charlotte Malcom. In 2003, Hodge featured in ''His Dark Materials'', one of

Nicholas Hytner Sir Nicholas Robert Hytner (; born 7 May 1956) is an English theatre director, film director, and film producer. He was previously the Artistic Director of London's National Theatre. His major successes as director include '' Miss Saigon'', ''T ...

's early productions as its Artistic Director, her third role on the Olivier Theatre stage. Hodge is an Honorary Graduate (DLitt) of

Brunel University Brunel University London is a public research university located in the Uxbridge area of London, England. It was founded in 1966 and named after the Victorian engineer and pioneer of the Industrial Revolution, Isambard Kingdom Brunel. In Jun ...

and one of the founder members of the Brunel Club. From 2009 to 2015, she played a comedy role in the BBC sitcom '' Miranda'', as the mother of the eponymous main character. Hodge reprised the role alongside the rest of the cast for the 2017

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 ...

. In 2012 she toured in Christopher Luscombe's revival of '' Dandy Dick'', starring alongside Nicholas Le Provost. She is Joint President of Grimsby's Caxton Theatre and a Trustee of

LAMDA LaMDA, which stands for Language Model for Dialogue Applications, is a family of conversational neural language models developed by Google. The first generation was announced during the 2021 Google I/O keynote, while the second generation was ...

, her alma mater. In 2008, she guest starred in an episode of '' Hustle'' within the 4th series, playing the character of Veronica Powell. After the BBC commissioned the show for a 5th series in February 2008, it was planned Hodge would make an additional appearance, however due to on-set filming issues the episode her character would have appeared in was never finished, and subsequently never aired. The release of the 5th series was delayed as a result. In 2018, Hodge played Ursula, the mother of Liberal MP and party leader Jeremy Thorpe (played by

Hugh Grant Hugh John Mungo Grant (born 9 September 1960) is an English actor. He established himself early in his career as both a charming, and vulnerable romantic lead and has since transitioned into a dramatic character actor. Among his numerous a ...

) in BBC Television's '' A Very English Scandal''. In April 2021, it was announced that Hodge would play the role of Mrs. Pumphrey in the television series '' All Creatures Great and Small'' taking over from

Diana Rigg Dame Enid Diana Elizabeth Rigg (20 July 193810 September 2020) was an English actress of stage and screen. Her roles include Emma Peel in the TV series '' The Avengers'' (1965–1968); Countess Teresa di Vicenzo, wife of James Bond, in ''On H ...

who had died the previous year. Delayed for a year from autumn 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Hodge was invited by Nigel Havers to star opposite him in

's ''Private Lives'', the inaugural production of the Nigel Havers Theatre Company, directed by one of her previous collaborators Christopher Luscombe.

Personal life

Hodge married music publisher Peter Douglas Owen on 31 July 1976 in

Tonbridge Tonbridge ( ) is a market town in Kent, England, on the River Medway, north of Royal Tunbridge Wells, south west of Maidstone and south east of London. In the administrative borough of Tonbridge and Malling, it had an estimated population ...

. The couple had two sons. Douglas died in May 2016, according to Hodge, from heart complications. Hodge was appointed

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(OBE) in the

2017 Birthday Honours The 2017 Queen's Birthday Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as p ...

for services to drama.

Filmography

Film

Television

Stage

*''No-One Was Saved'', 1971 *''Rookery Nook'', 1972 *''Popkiss'', 1972 *''Two Gentlemen of Verona'', 1973 *''Pippin'', 1973 *''Hair'', 1974 *''The Beggar's Opera'', 1975 *''Pal Joey'', 1976 *''Look Back in Anger'', 1976 *''Then and Now'', 1979 *''The Mitford Girls'', 1981 *''As You Like It'', 1983 *''Benefactors'', 1984 *''Lady in the Dark'', 1988 *''Noël and Gertie'', 1989–90 *''Shades'', 1992 *''Separate Tables'', 1993 *''The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie'', 1994 *''A Little Night Music'', 1995 *''Money'', 1999–2000 *''Summerfolk'', 1999–2000 *''Noises Off'', 2000–01 *''His Dark Materials'', 2003–04 *''Dream Me a Winter'', 2006 (part of 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, Ma ...

's '24 Hour Plays') *''Boeing Boeing'', 2007 *''The Country Wife'', 2007–08 *''The Clean House'', 2008 *''Calendar Girls'', 2008–09 *''The Breath of Life'', 2011 *''Dandy Dick'', 2012 *''Relative Values'', 2013–14 *''Travels with My Aunt'', 2016 *''Copenhagen'', 2018 *''A Day in the Death of Joe Egg'', 2019 *''Private Lives'', 2021–22 *''Watch on the Rhine'', 2022–23

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hodge, Patricia 1946 births Living people People from Cleethorpes Laurence Olivier Award winners Alumni of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art People educated at St Helen's School English film actresses English stage actresses English television actresses Actresses from Lincolnshire 20th-century English actresses 21st-century English actresses Officers of the Order of the British Empire