Margot Bryant
Encyclopedia
Kathleen Mary Margaret Bryant (8 March 1897 in Kingston upon Hull
– 1 January 1988 in Manchester
) was an English
actress, best known for playing Minnie Caldwell on the soap opera
Coronation Street
.
with her family. There, she became interested in the theatre, and appeared in the chorus lines of various productions before moving on to musical comedies.
She also appeared in a number of films, such as Stop Flirting with Fred Astaire
, Cure for Love, and Beat Girl
with Oliver Reed
in 1960. She also appeared in a West End role, as Lucy in Gay's the Word at the Old Saville. Bryant also toured in My Mother Said and later appeared in the show's television production. She also appeared in The Bell Family and in the movies I Get Myself Arrested and The Large Rope
.
Coronation Street
, a role she occupied from 1960 to 1976 over the course of 560 episodes. The character's life tended to revolve around her ginger tom-cat, Bobby. Minnie Caldwell was a diminutive figure, with a distracted manner and often appeared drinking milk stout in the Snug of the soap's public house 'The Rover's Return'. The character, consequently, was a put-upon companion of her two friends Martha Longhurst (played by Lynne Carol
) and Ena Sharples
(played by Violet Carson
). Bryant suffered severe memory loss - amnesia
in 1976, and was unable to continue in the role; her on-screen absence was explained by mentioning that her character had moved to live with an old friend, Handel Gartside (played by Harry Markham) in Derbyshire
.
She was close friends with fellow Coronation Street
actress Eileen Derbyshire
.
Ultimately Bryant was diagnosed with Alzheimer's
and was admitted to Cheadle Royal Mental Health Hospital, Cheadle Hulme
, Stockport
where she remained as an in-patient until her death on New Year's Day 1988 at the age of 90. She never married.
Her character had died by 2008, when returning former character Jed Stone
(played by Kenneth Cope
) was seen visiting Minnie's grave.
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
– 1 January 1988 in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
) was an English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
actress, best known for playing Minnie Caldwell on the soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
.
Early life and career
The daughter of a doctor, on completing her education Bryant moved to LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
with her family. There, she became interested in the theatre, and appeared in the chorus lines of various productions before moving on to musical comedies.
She also appeared in a number of films, such as Stop Flirting with Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire was an American film and Broadway stage dancer, choreographer, singer and actor. His stage and subsequent film career spanned a total of 76 years, during which he made 31 musical films. He was named the fifth Greatest Male Star of All Time by the American Film Institute...
, Cure for Love, and Beat Girl
Beat Girl
Beat Girl is a 1960 British film about late-fifties youth-rebellion. The title character is played by starlet Gillian Hills, who later went on to have numerous small roles in 1960s and 1970s films, such as Blowup and A Clockwork Orange, and became a successful "ye-ye" singer in France.The music was...
with Oliver Reed
Oliver Reed
Oliver Reed was an English actor known for his burly screen presence. Reed exemplified his real-life macho image in "tough guy" roles...
in 1960. She also appeared in a West End role, as Lucy in Gay's the Word at the Old Saville. Bryant also toured in My Mother Said and later appeared in the show's television production. She also appeared in The Bell Family and in the movies I Get Myself Arrested and The Large Rope
The Large Rope
The Large Rope is a 1953 British crime film directed by Wolf Rilla and starring Donald Houston, Susan Shaw and Robert Brown...
.
Coronation Street
Bryant's most notable television role came later in life, playing timid Minnie Caldwell on the soap operaSoap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
, a role she occupied from 1960 to 1976 over the course of 560 episodes. The character's life tended to revolve around her ginger tom-cat, Bobby. Minnie Caldwell was a diminutive figure, with a distracted manner and often appeared drinking milk stout in the Snug of the soap's public house 'The Rover's Return'. The character, consequently, was a put-upon companion of her two friends Martha Longhurst (played by Lynne Carol
Lynne Carol
Lynne Carol was an English actress made famous by playing busybody Martha Longhurst in the soap opera Coronation Street from the second episode in 1960 until the character was killed off in 1964....
) and Ena Sharples
Ena Sharples
Ena Sharples is one of the original characters from the British soap opera Coronation Street, and was played by Violet Carson.-Development:...
(played by Violet Carson
Violet Carson
Violet Helen Carson OBE was an English actress, best known for playing Ena Sharples, one of the original characters in the British soap opera Coronation Street.-Early life and career:...
). Bryant suffered severe memory loss - amnesia
Amnesia
Amnesia is a condition in which one's memory is lost. The causes of amnesia have traditionally been divided into categories. Memory appears to be stored in several parts of the limbic system of the brain, and any condition that interferes with the function of this system can cause amnesia...
in 1976, and was unable to continue in the role; her on-screen absence was explained by mentioning that her character had moved to live with an old friend, Handel Gartside (played by Harry Markham) in Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
.
Personal life
Bryant was a dedicated performer, always insisting on high standards of professionalism and good manners. She was later distressed by her declining ability to learn her lines as her health deteriorated.She was close friends with fellow Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
actress Eileen Derbyshire
Eileen Derbyshire
Eileen Derbyshire, MBE is an English actress, best known for her role as Emily Bishop on the soap opera Coronation Street. She has played the character since 1961, making her the longest-serving female cast member in a British soap opera...
.
Ultimately Bryant was diagnosed with Alzheimer's
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
and was admitted to Cheadle Royal Mental Health Hospital, Cheadle Hulme
Cheadle Hulme
Cheadle Hulme is an area of the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, in Greater Manchester, England. It is southwest of Stockport and southeast of the city of Manchester. It lies in the Ladybrook Valley on the Cheshire Plain, and the drift consists mostly of boulder clay, sands and gravels...
, Stockport
Metropolitan Borough of Stockport
The Metropolitan Borough of Stockport is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, in north west England, centred around the town of Stockport. It has a population of about 280,600 and includes the outyling areas of Cheadle and Cheadle Hulme, Marple, Bredbury, Reddish and Romiley...
where she remained as an in-patient until her death on New Year's Day 1988 at the age of 90. She never married.
Her character had died by 2008, when returning former character Jed Stone
Jed Stone
John Edward "Jed" Stone, played by Kenneth Cope, is a fictional character from the soap opera Coronation Street. He was a lodger of Minnie Caldwell's in the 1960s, and her nickname for him was "Sunny Jim"...
(played by Kenneth Cope
Kenneth Cope
Kenneth Cope is an English actor. He is most famous for his roles as Marty Hopkirk in Randall and Hopkirk , Jed Stone in Coronation Street and Ray Hilton in Brookside.- Career :...
) was seen visiting Minnie's grave.