# Another Actress Gone--Dame Thora Hird **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 16, 2003, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-actress-gone-dame-thora-hird/161698 "2003-03-16T02:12:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2003, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-actress-gone-dame-thora-hird/161698/1 "2003-03-16T02:12:40Z")
From the _Daily Telegraph_: Dame Thora Hird, one of Britain’s best-loved character actresses, died yesterday at the age of 91. She had suffered a stroke last weekend. Dame Thora’s acting career spanned nearly 90 years, from her first stage appearance at the age of eight months to her success at the Baftas and the Royal Television Society Awards in 1999, where she won Best Actress titles for her monologue in Alan Bennett’s _Waiting for the Telegram_. Although she had scaled back her acting commitments as she became frail, she remained a familiar figure through television advertisements. In roles in television series ranging from _Meet the Wife_ to _Last of the Summer Wine_, she came to epitomise the houseproud northern woman, full of warmth and common sense. Thora Hird was born in Morecambe, Lancashire, in 1911, and made her first appearance on stage as a baby in the arms of her mother at the Royalty Theatre in Morecambe, where her father, James Hird, was manager. The family lived next door to the theatre, which she said provided her with “a magical childhood”, allowing her on stage between performances to practise playing roles. . . . However, it was her roles on the small screen, starting in the 1940s, that made her a household name. One of her earliest successes was _Meet the Wife_, a series in which she starred with Freddy Frinton for five years. In 1968, she took the lead in a series called _First Lady_, about the in-fighting and intrigues of town-hall politics. Other family favourites included _Ours is a Nice House_, and _In Loving Memory_, which ran for 17 years. Later she joined the long-running show, _Last of the Summer Wine_. Some of her most acclaimed performances, however, have been alone. Bennett, a close friend, wrote several _Talking Heads_ one-hander plays especially for her. They were screened on national television to rave reviews. Despite her success, Dame Thora never developed pretensions and was often quoted as saying how grateful she was for her good fortune. ---
**Author:** ![ECJones29](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c77e96/32.png) [@ECJones29](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ECJones29)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2003, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-actress-gone-dame-thora-hird/161698/2 "2003-03-16T02:40:30Z")
Eve, I missed you this week while I was away. I appreciate your updating the Hollywood Obituary File. I’m sure you know that Dame Thora’s daughter, Janette Scott, starred in many movies including _No Highway in the Sky, The Day of the Triffids_ and _The Old Dark House_, and that she was Mrs. Mel Torme from 1966-77. Farewell to her dear Mum. ---
**Author:** ![everton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@everton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/everton)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2003, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-actress-gone-dame-thora-hird/161698/3 "2003-03-16T02:51:55Z")
[Here’s](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/2853893.stm) the BBC website’s obituary. There is a link to comments the public have made. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-actress-gone-dame-thora-hird/161698/4 "2003-03-17T15:20:52Z")
. . . Just bumping this up, for the _hordes_ of Thora Hird fans who will no doubt come flocking in on Monday morning . . . ---
**Author:** ![everton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@everton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/everton)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-actress-gone-dame-thora-hird/161698/5 "2003-03-17T19:44:08Z")
As the BBC site notes, Thora Hird appeared in a series of TV ads for electric stairlifts, adjustable back-support chairs, beds etc. I happened to catch an ad for the product today and guess what? No Thora, but a male actor I didn’t recognise. They must’ve shot it recently and thought today would be the ideal day for a first showing. How insensitive can people be? ---
**Author:** ![Iteki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/eada6e/32.png) [@Iteki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iteki)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-actress-gone-dame-thora-hird/161698/6 "2003-03-17T20:15:01Z")
☹ Oh no!She will be sadly missed by me at least