Anna Cropper (also Roache; 13 May 1938 – 22 January 2007) was an English stage and television

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a Character (arts), character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek ...

Early years

Cropper was born in Brierfield,

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

, the daughter of Margaret, a stage actress and director, and Jack Cropper, a dentist. The family lived on Todmorden Road in

Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Bru ...

during her early life.

Career

Cropper studied acting at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London. She made her television debut as Chrysalis in ''The Insect Play'' (1960), based on the 1921 play by Czech brothers Josef and Karel Čapek. She appeared in '' Emergency Ward 10'' three times and on ''

Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford. Origi ...

'' three times in 1962.Obituary
''The Burnley Citizen''; accessed 12 June 2018. She came to prominence playing a young schizophrenic in the television play ''

In Two Minds ''In Two Minds'' is a television play by David Mercer commissioned for ''The Wednesday Play'' (BBC 1) anthology drama series. First transmitted on 1 March 1967, it was directed by Ken Loach and produced by Tony Garnett and features Anna Cropper ...

'' ('' The Wednesday Play'', BBC, 1967) by David Mercer. which won the Writers' Guild Award for the Best Television Play of 1967. Her film roles included appearances in '' All Neat in Black Stockings'' (1968), ''

Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three Ki ...

'' (1970) and '' Nanou'' (1986). In 1972 she starred in the television production of ''The Exorcism'' and in 1975 took over the lead role in the West End stage version when actress

Mary Ure Eileen Mary Ure (18 February 1933 – 3 April 1975) was a British stage and film actress. She was the second Scottish-born actress (after Deborah Kerr) to be nominated for an Academy Award, for her role in the 1960 film ''Sons and Lovers''. Ear ...

died of an overdose following the play's opening night. She played Mary Hodgson, the nurse of the boys who inspired the creation of Peter Pan in the BBC docudrama '' The Lost Boys'' (1978). Other television roles included two episodes of the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

's ''

Play for Today ''Play for Today'' is a British television anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC1 from 1970 to 1984. During the run, more than three hundred programmes, featuring original television plays, and adaptations of stage ...

'', as Norah Palmer in the James MacTaggart-directed ''Robin Redbreast'' (1970), a Christmas supernatural thriller by John Bowen and

Dennis Potter Dennis Christopher George Potter (17 May 1935 – 7 June 1994) was an English television dramatist, screenwriter and journalist. He is best known for his BBC television serials '' Pennies from Heaven'' (1978), ''The Singing Detective'' (198 ...

's play ''Schmoedipus'' (1974). She appeared in '' The Jewel in the Crown'' (1984) and featured in ''

Anna of the Five Towns ''Anna of the Five Towns'' is a novel by Arnold Bennett, first published in 1902 and one of his best-known works. Plot background The plot centres on Anna Tellwright, daughter of a wealthy but miserly and dictatorial father, living in the P ...

'' (1985) a 4-part BBC period drama. Her last television credit is for an episode of ''

Midsomer Murders ''Midsomer Murders'' is a British crime drama television series, adapted by Anthony Horowitz and Douglas Watkinson from the novels in the '' Chief Inspector Barnaby'' book series (created by Caroline Graham), and broadcast on two channels of I ...

'' entitled " Death's Shadow" (1999).

Marriage

Cropper married ''Coronation Street'' actor William Roache in 1961. They had two children, son Linus Roache and daughter Vanya, and divorced in 1974.

Death

Cropper died suddenly of a heart attack in January 2007, aged 68, at her home in

Tangmere Tangmere is a village, civil parish, and electoral ward in the Chichester District of West Sussex, England. Located three miles (5 km) north east of Chichester, it is twinned with Hermanville-sur-Mer in Lower Normandy, France. The parish h ...

West Sussex West Sussex is a county in South East England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the shire districts of Adur, Arun, Chichester, Horsham, and Mid Sussex, and the boroughs of Crawley and Worthing. Covering an ar ...

. Her daughter, Vanya, died on 2 March 2018 aged 50.

Selected television

Filmography

References

External links

* 1938 births 2007 deaths 20th-century English actresses Actresses from Lancashire Alumni of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama English stage actresses English television actresses People from Brierfield, Lancashire People from Burnley People from Chichester District 20th-century British businesspeople {{england-actor-stub