Dora May Broadbent (7 February 1923 – 23 July 2014), known as Dora Bryan, was an English actress of stage, film and television."Feted Brighton actress Dora, 90, to make rare public appearance"
''The Argus'', 2 September 2013. Retrieved 6 September 2013. She won the BAFTA Award for Best British Actress for ''A Taste of Honey'' (1961) and the

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

1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...

for ''The Birthday Party''.

Early life

Bryan was born in

Southport Southport is a seaside resort, seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. It lies on the West Lancashire Coastal Plain, West Lancashire coastal plain and the east coast of the Irish Sea, approximately north of ...

, Lancashire. Her father was a salesman and she attended Hathershaw County Primary School in

Oldham Oldham is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers River Irk, Irk and River Medlock, Medlock, southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative cent ...

, Lancashire. Her career began in

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 ...

before the Second World War, during which she joined

ENSA The Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA) was an organisation established in 1939 by Basil Dean and Leslie Henson to provide entertainment for British armed forces personnel during World War II. ENSA operated as part of the Navy, ...

in Italy to entertain British troops.

Career

Stage

Bryan made her stage debut as a child in a pantomime in

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

, and encouraged by her mother, joined the Oldham Repertory while still a teenager. After spending six years honing her craft there, she moved to London to develop her stage career, becoming a regular performer in the West End. Cast in a production of Noël Coward's ''

Private Lives ''Private Lives'' is a 1930 comedy of manners in three acts by Noël Coward. It concerns a divorced couple who, while honeymooning with their new spouses, discover that they are staying in adjacent rooms at the same hotel. Despite a perpetuall ...

'', the actress was encouraged to adopt a stage name by Coward himself. She opted for Dora Bryant, which she often said was inspired by a box of

Bryant and May Bryant & May was a British match manufacturer, which today exists only as a brand name owned by Swedish Match. The company was formed in the mid-19th century as a dry goods trader, with its first match works, the Bryant & May Factory, located ...

matches that were lying on the table, but a typographical error left off the last letter on the theatre credits and she became Dora Bryan. In 1955, Bryan made her debut in West End musical comedy with her performance as Lily Bell in a production of A.P. Herbert's '' The Water Gipsies''. Singing the show's hit songs, "Why Did You Call Me Lily?", "You Never Know with Men", and "It Would Cramp My Style", such was her personal success that the billing outside the theatre was changed after the first night to "Dora Bryan in A.P. Herbert's ''The Water Gipsies''. Throughout her career, she continued to perform on the stage, often appearing in musicals such as '' Gentleman Prefer Blondes'' (1962) and '' Hello, Dolly!'' (1966–1968). She also headlined a number of stage revues such as ''The Dora Bryan Show'' (1966), "My Name Is Dora" (1967) and ''An Evening with Dora Bryan and Friends'' (1968). She made her Broadway debut as Mrs. Pierce in '' Pygmalion'' (1987), starring

Peter O'Toole Peter Seamus O'Toole (; 2 August 1932 – 14 December 2013) was an English actor known for his leading roles on stage and screen. His numerous accolades include the Academy Honorary Award, a BAFTA Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and four Golde ...

and

Amanda Plummer Amanda Michael Plummer (born March 23, 1957) is an American actress. She is known for her work on stage and for her film roles, including '' Joe Versus the Volcano'' (1990), ''The Fisher King'' (1991), ''Pulp Fiction'' (1994), and '' The Hunge ...

. Other credits include her first Shakespearean role,

Mistress Quickly Mistress Nell Quickly is a fictional character who appears in several plays by William Shakespeare. She is an inn-keeper, who runs the Boar's Head Tavern, at which Sir John Falstaff and his disreputable cronies congregate. The character app ...

in ''

The Merry Wives of Windsor ''The Merry Wives of Windsor'' or ''Sir John Falstaff and the Merry Wives of Windsor'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare first published in 1602, though believed to have been written in or before 1597. The Windsor of the play's title is a ref ...

'' (1984), Mrs. Hardcastle in '' She Stoops to Conquer'' (1985) and Carlotta Campion (singing " I'm Still Here") in the 1987 London production of the

Stephen Sondheim Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March22, 1930November26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. Regarded as one of the most important figures in 20th-century musical theater, he is credited with reinventing the American musical. He received Lis ...

-James Goldman musical '' Follies''. In 1992, she toured the UK including appearing at the Theatre Royal, Brighton, where she then lived, and starred in London's West End at the Vaudeville Theatre in Kander and Ebb's '' 70, Girls, 70'' to great acclaim. She appeared with Trevor Peacock in the National Theatre's 1994 revival of

Harold Pinter Harold Pinter (; 10 October 1930 – 24 December 2008) was a British playwright, screenwriter, director and actor. A List of Nobel laureates in Literature, Nobel Prize winner, Pinter was one of the most influential modern British dramat ...

's '' The Birthday Party''.

Screen roles and other work

Instantly recognisable from her voice, which became a trademark of her performances, Bryan followed many of her theatre contemporaries into film acting, generally playing supporting roles. She often played women of easy virtue—for example in '' The Fallen Idol'' (1948), one of her early films, and Ealing's '' The Blue Lamp'' (1950). She appeared in similarly stereotypical female roles in other films, for example '' Gift Horse'' (1952), ''

The Cockleshell Heroes ''The Cockleshell Heroes'' is a 1955 British Technicolor war film with Trevor Howard, Anthony Newley, Christopher Lee, David Lodge and José Ferrer, who also directed. The film depicts a heavily fictionalised version of Operation Frankton, t ...

'' (1955), '' The Green Man'' (1956) and '' Carry On Sergeant'' (1958). Bryan appeared in cameo on radio comedy series of which included ''

Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh ''Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh'' was a comedy show broadcast from 1944 to 1950 and 1951 to 1954 by BBC Radio and in 1950–1951 by Radio Luxembourg. It was written by and starred Richard Murdoch and Kenneth Horne as officers in a fictional RAF sta ...

'' (1951), ''

Hancock's Half Hour ''Hancock's Half Hour'' was a BBC radio comedy, and later television comedy series, broadcast from 1954 to 1961 and written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson. The radio series starred Tony Hancock, with Sidney James, Bill Kerr and,at various ...

'' an episode commonly known as "Cinderella Hancock" (1955).

British Pathe British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and cultur ...

filmed Bryan in 1957 in 'Home on Wheels', featuring her and friends in her personal caravan. She appeared in the film '' A Taste of Honey'' (1961), which won four

BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

awards, including Best Actress for Bryan and Best British Film. In 1963, she recorded the Christmas song "All I Want for Christmas Is a Beatle", which reached no. 20 on the UK charts. She played the Headmistress in '' The Great St. Trinian's Train Robbery'' (1966), and she starred in ''According to Dora'' (1968–1969), her own television series for the BBC. Bryan appeared in the UK-Argentine thriller '' Apartment Zero'' (1988). The film was directed by

Martin Donovan Martin Donovan (born Martin Paul Smith; August 19, 1957) is an American actor. He has had a long collaboration with director Hal Hartley, appearing in many of his films, such as '' Trust'' (1990), '' Surviving Desire'' (1991), '' Simple Men'' (1 ...

and starred

Hart Bochner Hart Matthew Bochner (born October 3, 1956) is a Canadian TV, film and voice actor, film director, screenwriter and producer. He has appeared in films such as '' Breaking Away'' (1979), '' Terror Train'' (1980), '' Rich and Famous'' (1981), '' The ...

and

Colin Firth Colin Andrew Firth (born 10 September 1960) is an English actor and producer. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Colin Firth, several accolades, including an Academy Award, two British Academy Film Awards, BAFTA Aw ...

. Bryan plays the role of one of two eccentric characters (the other was played by Liz Smith) described by ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' as two "tea-and-crumpet gargoyle-featured spinsters who snoop the corridors". It featured in the 1988

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...

. She appeared in two episodes of series one of the BBC sitcom ''On The Up'' in 1990 as Mrs Carpenter (the mother of main character Tony, played by Dennis Waterman), but left soon after to be replaced by actress Pauline Letts for series two and three. Around this time, she joked with

Terry Wogan Sir Michael Terence Wogan (; 3 August 1938 – 31 January 2016) was an Irish radio and television broadcaster who worked for the BBC in Britain for most of his career. Between 1993 and his semi-retirement in 2009, his BBC Radio 2 weekday brea ...

and

Michael Barrymore Michael Ciaran Parker (born 4 May 1952), known by his stage name Michael Barrymore, is an English comedian, influencer and television presenter of game shows and light entertainment programmes on British television in the 1980s, 1990s and 200 ...

on their TV shows that she was aged not 70 but "sixty-several" and could still kick her leg higher than her head. In 1999, Bryan made an appearance in the

Victoria Wood Victoria Wood (19 May 1953 – 20 April 2016) was an English comedian, actress, musician, screenwriter, and director. Wood wrote and starred in dozens of sketches, plays, musicals, films and sitcoms over several decades, and her live comedy act ...

sitcom '' dinnerladies''. In 2000, she joined the cast of the long-running BBC comedy series ''

Last of the Summer Wine ''Last of the Summer Wine'' is a British sitcom set in Yorkshire created and written by Roy Clarke and originally broadcast by the BBC from 1973 to 2010. It premiered as an episode of ''Comedy Playhouse'' on 4 January 1973, and the first seri ...

'' as Aunt Ros Utterthwaite, and in 2001 she was a guest star on ''

Absolutely Fabulous ''Absolutely Fabulous'' (often shortened to ''Ab Fab'') is a British television sitcom created and written by Jennifer Saunders, which premiered in 1992. It is based on the 1990 '' French and Saunders'' sketch " Modern Mother and Daughter", cr ...

'' as

June Whitfield Dame June Rosemary Whitfield (11 November 1925 – 29 December 2018) was an English radio, television and film actress. Whitfield's big break was a lead in the radio comedy '' Take It from Here'', which aired on the BBC Light Programme ...

's on-screen friend Dolly (originally called Milly). She received a BAFTA nomination in 2002 for this role. A few years later in 2005 her role in ''Last of the Summer Wine'' came to an end. At about the same time, she stopped making films. Her last screen appearance was in the short film '' Gone to the Dogs'' (2006) with Antony Booth. In 2006, she intended to appear both in the comedy ''Rock-a-Hula Rest Home'' at a pub theatre in Brighton and in the comedy '' There's No Place Like a Home'', but she had to withdraw because of her inability to memorise her lines.

Awards and testimonials

Her autobiography ''According to Dora'' was published in 1987. In 1996, she was awarded the OBE in recognition of her services to acting and the same year she was awarded a

Laurence Olivier Award 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 ...

for her role in the West End production of the

play '' The Birthday Party''. She was the subject of '' This Is Your Life'' on two occasions, in April 1962 when she was surprised by

Eamonn Andrews Eamonn Andrews, (19 December 1922 – 5 November 1987) was an Irish radio and television presenter, employed primarily in the United Kingdom from the 1950s to the 1980s. From 1960 to 1964 he chaired the Radio Éireann Authority (now the RTÉ ...

at her home in Brighton, and in January 1989 when

Michael Aspel Michael Terence Aspel (born 12 January 1933) is an English retired television presenter and newsreader. He hosted programmes such as '' Crackerjack!'', '' Ask Aspel'', ''Aspel & Company'', '' Give Us a Clue'', '' This Is Your Life'', '' Strange ...

surprised her on the stage of the

Opera House An opera house is a theater building used for performances of opera. Like many theaters, it usually includes a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, backstage facilities for costumes and building sets, as well as offices for the institut ...

at the curtain call of ''Hello, Dolly!''. An exhibition about Bryan opened on 13 September 2013 at Rottingdean Museum.

Personal life

Dora was married for 54 years to former

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

and

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is an area of North West England which was historically a county. The county was bordered by Northumberland to the north-east, County Durham to the east, Westmorland to the south-east, Lancashire to the south, and the Scottish ...

cricketer Bill Lawton until his death in August 2008. The couple met in Oldham during World War II and were married at Werneth St Thomas, Oldham in 1954. During her husband's final years, she reduced her public commitments to enable her to look after him, and she suffered with her health, including a serious operation for a hernia. Bryan once owned Clarges Hotel at 115–119 Marine Parade on Brighton's seafront, which was used as an exterior location in the films ''

Carry On Girls ''Carry On Girls'' is a 1973 British comedy film, the 25th release in the series of 31 ''Carry On'' films (1958–1992). The film features regulars Sid James, Barbara Windsor, Joan Sims, Kenneth Connor, Bernard Bresslaw and Peter Butter ...

'' and '' Carry On at Your Convenience''. She and her husband lived there for more than 40 years but were forced to sell the bulk of the building because of bankruptcy, but they retained a flat with a sea view on the first floor for many years. Still maintaining its original structure, the rooms of the hotel have been reconverted into flats. By 2013, she was a wheelchair user and resided in a nursing home in Hove in frail health. On 31 May 2009, ''Dora – A Gala Charity Show'' was held at Her Majesty's Theatre in London to raise funds for two charities nominated by Bryan: the Variety Club Children's Charity and the Alzheimer's Society. Sir Cliff Richard was the star performer, and among the performers and celebrity guests were old friends and colleagues, including

, Rita Tushingham, and

Joanna Lumley Dame Joanna Lamond Lumley (born 1 May 1946) is an Indian-born British actress, presenter, author, television producer, activist and former model. She has won two BAFTA TV Awards for her role as Patsy Stone in the BBC sitcom ''Absolutely Fabulo ...

. Bryan managed to attend.

Death

Bryan died on 23 July 2014 at the age of 91. Her funeral service was held on 6 August 2014 at St George's Church, Brighton, where she had regularly attended services.

Selected filmography

* ''

Odd Man Out ''Odd Man Out'' is a 1947 British film noir directed by Carol Reed, and starring James Mason, Robert Newton, Cyril Cusack, and Kathleen Ryan. Set in Belfast, Northern Ireland, it follows a wounded Nationalist leader who attempts to evade pol ...

'' (1947) - Girl in Telephone Kiosk (uncredited) * '' The Fallen Idol'' (1948) - Rose * '' No Room at the Inn'' (1948) - Spiv's Girlfriend (uncredited) * '' Once Upon a Dream'' (1949) - Barmaid * '' Now Barabbas'' (1949) - Winnie * '' Adam and Evelyne'' (1949) - Blonde Sales Assistant (uncredited) * '' Don't Ever Leave Me'' (1949) - Beautician (uncredited) * '' The Interrupted Journey'' (1949) - Waitress * '' The Cure for Love'' (1949) - Jenny Jenkins * '' The Blue Lamp'' (1950) - Maisie * '' Traveller's Joy'' (1950) - Eva * '' No Trace'' (1950) - Maisie Phelps * '' Something in the City'' (1950) - Waitress * ''

Files from Scotland Yard ''Files from Scotland Yard'' is a 1951 British crime film directed by Anthony Squire and starring John Harvey (actor), John Harvey, Moira Lister and Louise Hampton. It was made as a second feature on a very low-budget, and the production company w ...

'' (1951) - Minnie Robinson * '' The Quiet Woman'' (1951) - Elsie * ''

Circle of Danger ''Circle of Danger'' (also known as ''White Heather'') is a 1951 British thriller film directed by Jacques Tourneur starring Ray Milland, Patricia Roc, Marius Goring, Hugh Sinclair and Naunton Wayne. The screenplay was by Philip MacDonald ...

'' (1951) - Bubbles Fitzgerald * '' Scarlet Thread'' (1951) - Maggie * ''

No Highway in the Sky ''No Highway in the Sky'' (also known as ''No Highway'') is a 1951 black-and-white aviation drama film directed by Henry Koster from a screenplay by R. C. Sherriff, Oscar Millard, and Alec Coppel, based on the 1948 novel '' No Highway'' by ...

'' (1951) - Rosie, Barmaid (uncredited) * '' Lady Godiva Rides Again'' (1951) - Lady in Charge of Publicity * ''

High Treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its d ...

'' (1951) - Mrs. Bowers * '' Whispering Smith Investigates'' (1952) - La Fosse * '' 13 East Street'' (1952) - Valerie * '' Gift Horse'' (1952) - Glad Flanagan * '' Mother Riley Meets the Vampire'' (1952) - Tilly * '' Time Gentlemen, Please!'' (1952) - Peggy Stebbins * '' The Ringer'' (1952) - Mrs. Hackett * '' Women of Twilight'' (1952) - Olga * '' Made in Heaven'' (1952) - Ethel Jenkins * ''

Miss Robin Hood ''Miss Robin Hood'' is a 1952 British second feature ('B') comedy film directed by John Guillermin and starring Margaret Rutherford and Richard Hearne. It was written by Val Valentine and Patrick Campbell from a story by Reed De Rouen. Plot ...

'' (1952) - Pearl * '' Street Corner'' (1953) - Prostitute at Police Station * '' The Fake'' (1953) - Barmaid * '' The Intruder'' (1953) - Dora Bee * '' You Know What Sailors Are'' (1954) - Gladys * '' Fast and Loose'' (1954) - Mary Rawlings, the maid * '' The Young Lovers'' (1954) - Switchboard Operator (uncredited) * '' The Crowded Day'' (1954) - Customer * '' Mad About Men'' (1954) - Berengaria * '' As Long as They're Happy'' (1955) - May * '' See How They Run'' (1955) - Ida * '' You Lucky People!'' (1955) - Sgt. Hortense Tipp * ''

'' (1955) - Myrtle * ''

Child in the House ''Child in the House'' is a 1956 British drama film directed and written by Cy Endfield and starring Phyllis Calvert, Eric Portman and Stanley Baker. It is based on the 1955 novel ''A Child in the House'' by Janet McNeill. A girl struggles to ...

'' (1956) - Cassie * '' The Green Man'' (1956) - Lily * '' Small Hotel'' (1957) * '' The Man Who Wouldn't Talk'' (1958) - Telephonist * '' Carry On Sergeant'' (1958) - Norah * '' Operation Bullshine'' (1959) - Pvt. Cox * '' Desert Mice'' (1959) - Gay * '' Follow That Horse!'' (1960) - Miss Bradstock * '' The Night We Got the Bird'' (1961) - Julie Skidmore * '' A Taste of Honey'' (1961) - Helen * '' The Great St. Trinian's Train Robbery'' (1966) - Amber Spottiswood * '' The Sandwich Man'' (1966) - Mrs De Vere * ''

Two a Penny ''Two a Penny'' is a 1967 British film, released nationally in 1968, directed by James F. Collier and starring Cliff Richard. It was produced by Frank R. Jacobson for Billy Graham's film distribution and production company World Wide Pictures T ...

'' (1968) - Ruby Hopkins * '' Hands of the Ripper'' (1971) - Mrs Golding * '' Up the Front'' (1972) - Cora Crumpington * '' Screamtime'' (1983) - Emma * '' Apartment Zero'' (1988) - Margaret McKinney * '' MirrorMask'' (2005) - Aunt Nan

Television roles

References

External links

* * *
Dora Bryan exhibition at Grange Museum, Rottingdean
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bryan, Dora 1923 births 2014 deaths Actresses from Southport Best British Actress BAFTA Award winners British hoteliers English film actresses English stage actresses English television actresses English women singers English Anglicans Laurence Olivier Award winners Officers of the Order of the British Empire 20th-century English actresses 21st-century English actresses 20th-century English businesspeople