Dame Penelope Anne Constance Keith (''née'' Hatfield; born 2 April 1940) is an English actress and presenter, active in film, radio, stage and television and primarily known for her roles in the

British sitcom A British sitcom or a Britcom is a situational comedy programme produced for British television. British sitcoms have predominantly been recorded on studio sets, while some include an element of location filming. Live audiences and multi-camera ...

s '' The Good Life'' and '' To the Manor Born''. She succeeded Lord Olivier as president of the Actors' Benevolent Fund after his death in 1989, and was appointed

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

2014 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2014 were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebrati ...

for services to the arts and to charity. Keith joined 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 ...

in 1963, and went on to win the 1976 Olivier Award for Best Comedy Performance for the play '' Donkeys' Years''. She became a household name in the UK playing

Margo Leadbetter ''The Good Life'' (known as ''Good Neighbors'' in the United States) is a British sitcom, produced by BBC television. It ran from 4 April 1975 to 10 June 1978 on BBC1 and was written by Esmonde and Larbey, Bob Larbey and John Esmonde. Opening w ...

in the sitcom ''The Good Life'' (1975–78), winning the 1977 BAFTA TV Award for Best Light Entertainment Performance. In 1978 Keith won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress for '' The Norman Conquests''. She then starred as Audrey fforbes-Hamilton in the sitcom ''To the Manor Born'' (1979–81), a show that received audiences of more than 20 million. She went on to star in another six sitcoms, including '' Executive Stress'' (1986–88), '' No Job for a Lady'' (1990–92) and ''

Next of Kin A person's next of kin (NOK) may be that person's spouse A spouse is a significant other in a marriage. A female spouse is called a wife while a male spouse is called a husband. Married The legal status of a spouse, and the specific righ ...

'' (1995–97). Since 2000, she has worked mainly in the theatre, with her roles including Madam Arcati in '' Blithe Spirit'' (2004) and Lady Bracknell in ''

The Importance of Being Earnest ''The Importance of Being Earnest, a Trivial Comedy for Serious People'' is a play by Oscar Wilde, the last of his four drawing-room plays, following ''Lady Windermere's Fan'' (1892), ''A Woman of No Importance'' (1893) and ''An Ideal Husban ...

'' (2007).

Early life

Penelope Anne Constance Hatfield was born in

Sutton Sutton (''south settlement'' or ''south town'' in Old English) may refer to: Places United Kingdom England In alphabetical order by county: * Sutton, Bedfordshire * Sutton, Berkshire, a List of United Kingdom locations: Stu-Sz#Su, location * S ...

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

in 1940. Her father, an army officer who was a Major by the end of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, left her mother, Connie, when Keith was a baby, and she spent her early years in

Clacton-on-Sea Clacton-on-Sea, often simply called Clacton, is a seaside town and seaside resort, resort in the county of Essex, on the east coast of England. It is located on the Tendring Peninsula and is the largest settlement in the Tendring District, wi ...

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

and

Clapham Clapham () is a district in south London, south west London, England, lying mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, but with some areas (including Clapham Common) extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. History Ea ...

, south London. Her great uncle, John Gurney Nutting, was a partner in the coachbuilding firm of J Gurney Nutting & Co Limited, and Keith recalls sitting in the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...

's car.

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

�
Penelope Keith and the Fast Lady
19 February 2009 Although not a Roman Catholic, at the age of six she was sent to a Catholic

convent A convent is an enclosed community of monks, nuns, friars or religious sisters. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The term is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. They have existed for many centuries, and now extend acr ...

run by French nuns in Seaford,

East Sussex East Sussex is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Kent to the north-east, West Sussex to the west, Surrey to the north-west, and the English Channel to the south. The largest settlement ...

, with Judy Cornwell. Here she became interested in acting, and she frequently went to matinées in the West End with her mother. When she was eight years old, her mother remarried and she adopted her stepfather's surname, Keith. Whilst she did not get on with her stepfather, her mother was a "rock of love" to her. She was rejected by the

Central School of Speech and Drama The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, commonly shortened to Central, is a drama school founded by Elsie Fogerty in 1906, as the Central School of Speech Training and Dramatic Art, to offer a new form of training in speech and drama for ...

on the grounds that at she was too tall. However, she was then accepted at the

Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art The Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art, formerly the Webber Douglas School of Singing and Dramatic Art, was a drama school, and originally a singing school, in London. It was one of the leading drama schools in Britain, and offered comprehen ...

and spent two years there while working at the Hyde Park Hotel in the evenings. Keith began her career working in

repertory theatre A repertory theatre, also called repertory, rep, true rep or stock, which are also called producing theatres, is a theatre in which a resident company presents works from a specified repertoire, usually in alternation or rotation. United Kingdom ...

around Britain, including Lincoln,

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

Salisbury Salisbury ( , ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers River Avon, Hampshire, Avon, River Nadder, Nadder and River Bourne, Wi ...

. Keith's earliest appearances were in '' The Tunnel of Love'', '' Gigi'', and '' Flowering Cherry''. In 1963, she joined the

and acted with them in Stratford and at the Aldwych Theatre in London.

Career

Early career

Keith began her television career in programmes such as ''

The Army Game ''The Army Game'' is a British television sitcom that aired on ITV from 19 June 1957 to 20 June 1961. It was the first ITV sitcom and was made by Granada, and created by Sid Colin. It follows the exploits of Hut 29, a dysfunctional group of ...

'', ''

Dixon of Dock Green ''Dixon of Dock Green'' is a BBC police procedural television series about daily life at a fictional London police station, with the emphasis on petty crime, successfully controlled through common sense and human understanding. It ran from 1955 ...

'', '' Wild, Wild Women'' and '' The Avengers''. In the early 1970s, she appeared in '' The Morecambe & Wise Show'', ''

Ghost Story A ghost story is any piece of fiction, or drama, that includes a ghost, or simply takes as a premise the possibility of ghosts or characters' belief in them."Ghost Stories" in Margaret Drabble (ed.), ''Oxford Companion to English Literature''. ...

'' and '' The Pallisers''. Her film appearances during this time included '' Every Home Should Have One'', '' Take A Girl Like You'', ''

Rentadick ''Rentadick'' is a 1972 British comedy film, directed by Jim Clark (film editor), Jim Clark and starring James Booth, Richard Briers, Julie Ege, Ronald Fraser (actor), Ronald Fraser and Donald Sinden. It is a spoof spy/detective picture, the p ...

'' and '' Penny Gold''. In 1967, she had a minor role in '' Carry On Doctor'', but the scene was cut from the final edit. She appeared as a nurse in ''A Touch of Love'' 1969. Her best known theatre appearance, in 1974, was playing Sarah in '' The Norman Conquests'', alongside

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 ...

, her co-star in ''The Good Life''. Keith and Kendal would often film ''The Good Life'' during the day and perform on stage in the West End in the evening. In 1977 Keith starred in Brian Sibley's comedy radio broadcast titled ''...And Yet Another Partridge in a Pear Tree'', voicing a woman named Cynthia Bracegirdle whose boyfriend, Algernon Fotherington-Smythe, sends her the 364 gifts mentioned in '' The Twelve Days of Christmas''.

Television fame

Keith achieved fame in 1975 when 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 ...

sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

'' The Good Life'' began. In the first episode, she was only heard and not seen in her role as Margo Leadbetter, but as the episodes and series went on, the scope of her role increased. In 1977, Keith won a

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 for "Best Light Entertainment Performance" for her role of Margo Leadbetter. From 1979 to 1981, she played the lead role of Audrey fforbes-Hamilton in the TV series '' To the Manor Born''. Following ''To the Manor Born'', Keith has appeared in the lead role in six other sitcoms: '' Sweet Sixteen'', '' Moving'', '' Executive Stress'', '' No Job for a Lady'', '' Law and Disorder'' and ''

''. She also had the starring role in a TV adaptation of

Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English people, English author known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving ...

's play '' Spider's Web''. She won a second BAFTA award as " Best Actress" in 1978 for ''The Norman Conquests''. In 1982 Keith starred in a TV production of Frederick Lonsdale's ''On Approval''. In 1988, she hosted one series of the ITV panel show ''

What's My Line? ''What's My Line?'' is a Panel show, panel game show that originally ran in the United States, between 1950 and 1967, on CBS, originally in black and white and later in color, with subsequent American revivals. The game uses celebrity panelists ...

'', following the death of its former presenter, Eamonn Andrews. She had a featured role in the 1998 ITV serial '' Coming Home''.

Work

Keith has regularly appeared on stage, taking the classics and new plays across the UK. These include Shakespeare, Shaw, Sheridan, Wilde, Rattigan and Congreve. She played Lorraine in

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), Time'' called "a sense of personal style, a combination of c ...

's ''Star Quality'', while in 2004 she played Madame Arcati in Coward's '' Blithe Spirit'' at the

Savoy Theatre The Savoy Theatre is a West End theatre in the Strand in the City of Westminster, London, England. The theatre was designed by C. J. Phipps for Richard D'Oyly Carte and opened on 10 October 1881 on a site previously occupied by the Savoy ...

. In 2004, Keith starred in the first of ten full-cast BBC radio dramatisations of M.C. Beaton's '' Agatha Raisin'' novels, playing the title role. Two years later, she appeared at the Chichester Festival in the premiere of Richard Everett's comedy ''Entertaining Angels'', which she later took on tour. In 2007 she played the part of Lady Bracknell in ''

'' on tour, which transferred to the West End in 2008, at the Vaudeville Theatre. She has voiced adverts including ones for

Pimm's Pimm's is an English brand of gin-based fruit cup but may also be considered a liqueur or the basis of a sling or punch. It was first produced in 1823 by James Pimm and has been owned by Diageo since 1997. Its most popular product is Pim ...

Lurpak Lurpak is a Danish brand of butter owned by Arla Foods. It is sold in over 75 countries worldwide, and is known for its distinctive silver packaging. Lurpak came into existence in October 1901 after a cooperative of several Danish dairy farmers ...

Tesco Tesco plc () is a British multinational groceries and general merchandise retailer headquartered in the United Kingdom at its head offices in Welwyn Garden City, England. The company was founded by Jack Cohen (businessman), Sir Jack Cohen in ...

and most famously, The Parker Pen Company, which was named one of the 100 Greatest Adverts in a

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 ...

programme. In 2012, she starred in Keith Waterstone's ''Good Grief'', having previously appeared in the play's premier production in 1998. In 1997 she starred in the radio adaptations of '' To the Manor Born''. In 2003, she appeared opposite

June Brown June Muriel Brown (16 February 1927 – 3 April 2022) was an English actress and author. She was best known for her role as Dot Cotton on the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' (1985–1993; 1997–2020). In 2005, she won Best Actress at the Inside ...

in the television film '' Margery & Gladys''. In 2007, she starred in a one-off ''To the Manor Born'' Christmas Special, Keith also voiced The Bear with Brown Fuzzy Hair in ''

Teletubbies ''Teletubbies'' is a British children's television series created by Anne Wood and Andrew Davenport for the BBC. The programme focuses on four differently coloured characters known as the Teletubbies, named after the television screens on t ...

''. In 2009 she presented ''Penelope Keith and the Fast Lady'', a one-off documentary for

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

about Dorothy Levitt, the

Edwardian In the United Kingdom, the Edwardian era was a period in the early 20th century that spanned the reign of King Edward VII from 1901 to 1910. It is commonly extended to the start of the First World War in 1914, during the early reign of King Ge ...

motoring pioneer. She presented the four-part BBC documentary ''The Manor Reborn'' in 2011. In 2013 she played the part of

Lady Catherine de Bourgh Lady Catherine de Bourgh ( ; ) is a Character (arts), character in the 1813 novel ''Pride and Prejudice'' by Jane Austen. According to Janet Todd, Lady Catherine can be seen as a foil to the novel's protagonist Elizabeth Bennet. Family Lady Cat ...

in the BBC

period drama A historical drama (also period drama, period piece or just period) is a dramatic work set in the past, usually used in the context of film and television, which presents history, historical events and characters with varying degrees of fiction s ...

'' Death Comes to Pemberley'', an adaptation of the best-selling 2011

P. D. James Phyllis Dorothy James White, Baroness James of Holland Park (3 August 1920 – 27 November 2014), known professionally as P. D. James, was an English novelist and life peer. Her rise to fame came with her series of detective novels featuri ...

novel of the same name. Since 2014, she has presented all three series of the

More4 More4 is a British free-to-air television channel, owned by Channel Four Television Corporation. The channel launched on 10 October 2005. Its programming mainly focuses on lifestyle and documentaries, as well as foreign dramas. Content The i ...

programme ''Penelope Keith's Hidden Villages'' and in June 2016 she presented ''Penelope Keith at Her Majesty's Service'' again for Channel 4. In December 2017, she presented ''Penelope Keith's Coastal Villages'', a continuation of the ''Hidden Villages'' series. In early 2018, she presented the

series ''Village of the Year with Penelope Keith''. It was announced in February 2018 that Keith would be starring as Mrs St Maugham in the

Chichester Festival Theatre Chichester Festival Theatre is a theatre and Grade II* listed building situated in Oaklands Park in the city of Chichester, West Sussex, England. Designed by Philip Powell and Hidalgo Moya, it was opened by its founder Leslie Evershed-Mart ...

production of Enid Bagnold's '' The Chalk Garden'' from 25 May to 16 June 2018.

Personal life

In 1978, the year ''The Good Life'' ended, she married Rodney Timson, a policeman. They had met while he was on duty at Chichester Theatre where Keith was performing. In 1988, ten years after their wedding, they adopted two boys, who were brothers. Keith and Timson now live in Milford, Surrey. Keith has a great passion for gardening. In 1984, she had a rose named after her. She is president of the South West Surrey chapter of the

National Trust The National Trust () is a heritage and nature conservation charity and membership organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Trust was founded in 1895 by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley to "promote the ...

. In 2014 she presented ''4 Extra Goes Gardening'' in which she celebrated the work of garden designer

Gertrude Jekyll Gertrude Jekyll ( ; 29 November 1843 – 8 December 1932) was a British Horticulture, horticulturist, garden designer, craftswoman, photographer, writer and artist. She created over 400 gardens in the United Kingdom, Europe and the United Sta ...

at her former home, Munstead Wood in

Godalming Godalming ( ) is a market town and civil parish in southwest Surrey, England, around southwest of central London. It is in the Borough of Waverley, at the confluence of the Rivers Wey and Ock. The civil parish covers and includes the settl ...

. Keith was President of the Actors' Benevolent Fund from 1990 to 2022, taking over after the death 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 ...

. She was a Trustee of Brooklands Museum from 2009 to 2018.

Filmography

Television

Theatre

Awards and honours

On 2 April 2002, her 62nd birthday, Keith began a one-year term as High Sheriff of Surrey, the third woman to hold the post. She has also served in the past as a Deputy Lieutenant of

. Keith was appointed an

Officer 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 ...

(OBE) in the 1989 New Year Honours. She was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2007 New Year Honours for "charitable services". In the

, she was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) for services to the Arts and to Charity.Staff (31 December 2013)
"New Year's Honours: Lansbury and Keith become dames"
''BBC News''; retrieved 17 March 2014.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Keith, Penelope 1940 births Living people Actresses awarded damehoods Alumni of the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art Best Actress BAFTA Award (television) winners Best Entertainment Performance BAFTA Award (television) winners Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire Deputy lieutenants of Surrey English film actresses English radio actresses English stage actresses English television actresses High sheriffs of Surrey Laurence Olivier Award winners Actors from the London Borough of Sutton Royal Shakespeare Company members 20th-century English actresses 21st-century English actresses Actresses from Surrey People from Clacton-on-Sea Actresses from Essex Actors from the London Borough of Lambeth People from Clapham Actors from Tendring