Wendy Craig
Encyclopedia
Wendy Craig is a BAFTA Award
winning English
actress who is best known for her appearances in the sitcoms Butterflies
, ...And Mother Makes Three
and ...And Mother Makes Five
. As of the 2010s, she plays the recurring role of Matron in the TV series The Royal
.
, County Durham
and attended Durham High School for Girls
, which she re-visited on October 13, 2007 when she opened a new building named after her. She began her career in British films at the end of the 1950s, and appeared in films such as The Servant (1963) and The Nanny (1965) with Bette Davis
, but it was in British sitcom
s of the late 1960s and 1970s which led to her becoming a household name, usually playing a scatty middle-class housewife. She went from the BBC
's Not in Front of the Children
(1967) to ITV
's ...And Mother Makes Three
(1971) (in which she played a single parent), which later evolved into ...And Mother Makes Five
. Then came Butterflies
(1978), a comedy on BBC2
, in which Craig's character was given more depth than in the earlier series.
Wendy Craig returned to drama with the series Nanny
in 1981—a show she created herself—and currently plays a hospital matron in ITV's The Royal
. However, she continues to be associated with comedy, having taken one of the leading roles as Annie in Brighton Belles, the UK's short-lived version of The Golden Girls
.
She appeared as Reggie's mother in the BBC1 comedy Reggie Perrin (2009 Series 1, 2010 Series 2), an update of the 1970s series The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin
.
.
British Academy of Film and Television Arts
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is a charity in the United Kingdom that hosts annual awards shows for excellence in film, television, television craft, video games and forms of animation.-Introduction:...
winning 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 who is best known for her appearances in the sitcoms Butterflies
Butterflies (TV series)
Butterflies is a British sitcom written by Carla Lane broadcast on BBC2 from 1978–83.The situation is the day-to-day life of the Parkinson family in a bittersweet style. There are both traditional comedy sources and more unusual sources such as Ria's unconsummated relationship with the...
, ...And Mother Makes Three
...And Mother Makes Three
...And Mother Makes Three is a British sitcom shown on ITV from 1971 to 1973. Starring Wendy Craig, it was written by Peter Buchanan, Peter Robinson and Richard Waring...
and ...And Mother Makes Five
...And Mother Makes Five
...And Mother Makes Five is a British sitcom that aired on ITV from 1974 to 1976. Starring Wendy Craig, it is the sequel of ...And Mother Makes Three and aired for four series. ...And Mother Makes Five was written by Richard Waring, Brian Cooke and Johnnie Mortimer. Wendy Craig also wrote some...
. As of the 2010s, she plays the recurring role of Matron in the TV series The Royal
The Royal
The Royal is a British medical drama series produced by ITV. The show comprises one hour episodes which were normally first aired on ITV in the Sunday early evening slot....
.
Biography
She was born in SacristonSacriston
Sacriston is a village and civil parish in County Durham, England, situated north of the city of Durham.Although the area has been populated since the Bronze Age, the first recorded settlement dated back to the 13th century to Sacristan's Heugh. According to old maps it was once known as...
, County Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
and attended Durham High School for Girls
Durham High School for Girls
Durham High School for Girls is a single-sex independent day school for 3 to 18 year olds in Durham City, United Kingdom.-History and current status:...
, which she re-visited on October 13, 2007 when she opened a new building named after her. She began her career in British films at the end of the 1950s, and appeared in films such as The Servant (1963) and The Nanny (1965) with Bette Davis
Bette Davis
Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis was an American actress of film, television and theater. Noted for her willingness to play unsympathetic characters, she was highly regarded for her performances in a range of film genres, from contemporary crime melodramas to historical and period films and occasional...
, but it was in British sitcom
British sitcom
A British sitcom tends, as it does in most other countries, to be based on a family, workplace or other institution, where the same group of contrasting characters is brought together in each episode. Unlike American sitcoms, where twenty or more episodes in a season is the norm, British sitcoms...
s of the late 1960s and 1970s which led to her becoming a household name, usually playing a scatty middle-class housewife. She went from the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's Not in Front of the Children
Not in Front of the Children
Not in Front of the Children is a BBC television situation comedy which ran for four series from 1967 to 1970.It starred Wendy Craig as a rather scatter-brained middle class housewife. Her husband was a school art teacher, played by Paul Daneman in the first series, and Ronald Hines after this...
(1967) to ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
's ...And Mother Makes Three
...And Mother Makes Three
...And Mother Makes Three is a British sitcom shown on ITV from 1971 to 1973. Starring Wendy Craig, it was written by Peter Buchanan, Peter Robinson and Richard Waring...
(1971) (in which she played a single parent), which later evolved into ...And Mother Makes Five
...And Mother Makes Five
...And Mother Makes Five is a British sitcom that aired on ITV from 1974 to 1976. Starring Wendy Craig, it is the sequel of ...And Mother Makes Three and aired for four series. ...And Mother Makes Five was written by Richard Waring, Brian Cooke and Johnnie Mortimer. Wendy Craig also wrote some...
. Then came Butterflies
Butterflies (TV series)
Butterflies is a British sitcom written by Carla Lane broadcast on BBC2 from 1978–83.The situation is the day-to-day life of the Parkinson family in a bittersweet style. There are both traditional comedy sources and more unusual sources such as Ria's unconsummated relationship with the...
(1978), a comedy on BBC2
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
, in which Craig's character was given more depth than in the earlier series.
Wendy Craig returned to drama with the series Nanny
Nanny (TV series)
Nanny is a BBC television series that ran between 1981 and 1983. In this historical drama, Wendy Craig stars as nanny Barbara Gray, caring for children in 1930s England. When Barbara Gray leaves the divorce court she has no money, no job just an iron will and a love for children. The third series...
in 1981—a show she created herself—and currently plays a hospital matron in ITV's The Royal
The Royal
The Royal is a British medical drama series produced by ITV. The show comprises one hour episodes which were normally first aired on ITV in the Sunday early evening slot....
. However, she continues to be associated with comedy, having taken one of the leading roles as Annie in Brighton Belles, the UK's short-lived version of The Golden Girls
The Golden Girls
The Golden Girls is an American sitcom created by Susan Harris, which originally aired on NBC from September 14, 1985, to May 9, 1992. Starring Bea Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty, the show centers on four older women sharing a home in Miami, Florida...
.
She appeared as Reggie's mother in the BBC1 comedy Reggie Perrin (2009 Series 1, 2010 Series 2), an update of the 1970s series The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin
The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin
The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin is a series of novels which developed into a British sitcom starring Leonard Rossiter in the title role...
.
Personal life
She was married to Jack Bentley from 1955 until his death in 1994. They had two sons and one daughter. In 2004, it was revealed that her second son was the result of a short affair with John MortimerJohn Mortimer
Sir John Clifford Mortimer, CBE, QC was a British barrister, dramatist, screenwriter and author.-Early life:...
.
Selected filmography
- The Secret PlaceThe Secret Place (film)The Secret Place is a 1957 British film directed by Henry Hathaway. It stars Belinda Lee and Ronald Lewis.-Cast:* Belinda Lee as Molly Wilson* Ronald Lewis as Gerry Carter* Michael Brooke as Freddie Haywood* Michael Gwynn as Steve Warring...
(1957) - Room at the Top (1959)
- The Mind BendersThe Mind Benders (film)The Mind Benders is a 1963 British thriller film directed by Basil Dearden and starring Dirk Bogarde, Mary Ure, John Clements, Michael Bryant and Wendy Craig. After a scientist dies after undergoing experiments in a secret research laboratory, one of his former colleagues investigates the tests...
(1963) - The Servant (1963)
- The Nanny (1965)
- Just Like a WomanJust Like a Woman (1967 film)Just Like a Woman is a 1967 British comedy film written and directed by Robert Fuest and starring Wendy Craig, Francis Matthews, Dennis Price and Clive Dunn...
(1967) - I'll Never Forget What's'isname (1967)
- Joseph AndrewsJoseph Andrews (film)Joseph Andrews is a 1977 period comedy film directed by Tony Richardson. It is based on the novel Joseph Andrews by Henry Fielding With its rollicking comic plot, period costume and setting, ribald adventures and a dashing young hero who exposes his buttocks, the film was an obvious attempt to...
(1977)