Elisabeth Croft (22 September 1907 – 13 January 2003) was an English actress, known for playing Edith Tatum in the ITV soap opera '' Crossroads''. She is not to be confused with another English actress, Elizabeth Croft.

Personal life

Croft was born on 22 September 1907 in

Windermere Windermere (historically Winder Mere) is a ribbon lake in Cumbria, England, and part of the Lake District. It is the largest lake in England by length, area, and volume, but considerably smaller than the List of lakes and lochs of the United Ki ...

. Withdrawn as a child, she nonetheless chose to be an actress. In the 1930s she landed roles in repertory theatre and co-starred with Seymour Hicks in '' Vintage Wine'' in the Daly's Theatre, 1934. She was married and had a son and a daughter. Croft died on 13 January 2003; on that day a new version of '' Crossroads'' was released.

Career

In 1966, Croft landed her first television role, a part in the ITV soap opera '' Crossroads'', playing Miss Tatum. The soap originally featured actress Beryl Johnstone as postmistress Kitty Jarvis, sister of the series lead, motel owner Meg Richardson (

Noele Gordon Joan Noele Gordon (25 December 1919 – 14 April 1985) was an English actress and television presenter, of Scottish descent. She played the role of Meg Mortimer (originally Richardson, later Ryder) in the long-running British soap opera ''Crossr ...

). Following Johnstone's death in 1969, the role of Miss Tatum was increased and she was coaxed from her life as a recluse and took over the running of the shop from Kitty, becoming one of the show's leading peripheral characters as the location increasingly became a focal point in stories. Croft later summed up her character: "Miss Tatum didn't suffer fools gladly and was a bit sharp at times, but she was a wonderful character". The role of Miss Tatum was quietly phased out following producer Reg Watson's departure. Croft left the series by 1979. Croft said of the show, "I suppose you would call it a quiet, humdrum show". In 1940, Croft began working for

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 ...

Stratford-upon-Avon Stratford-upon-Avon ( ), commonly known as Stratford, is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon (district), Stratford-on-Avon district, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands region of Engl ...

. She appeared in many plays whilst there, such as ''

Romeo and Juliet ''The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet'', often shortened to ''Romeo and Juliet'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare about the romance between two young Italians from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's ...

'' and '' The Merry Wives of Windsor''. She appeared in the '' Armchair Thriller'' production ''The Limbo Connection''. Her last appearance in television was in the

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 ...

award winning ''The Dress'' in 1984, her last role before a long retirement. Whilst in the cast for ''The Dress'', it won a

award in 1984.

Filmography

;Television ;Film ;Stage/Theatre

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Croft, Elisabeth 20th-century English actresses English television actresses English stage actresses English soap opera actresses 1907 births 2003 deaths People from Windermere, Cumbria