Barbara Kelly
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Barbara Kelly (5 October 1923 – 15 January 2007) was a Canadian-British
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 ...
, best known for her television roles in the United Kingdom opposite her husband
Bernard Braden Bernard Chastey Braden (16 May 1916 – 2 February 1993) was a Canadian-born British actor and comedian, who is best known for his appearances in UK television and radio shows. Life Braden was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, and educated ...
in the 1950s and 1960s, and for many appearances as a panelist on the British version of ''
What's My Line? ''What's My Line?'' is a panel game show that originally ran in the United States on the CBS Television Network from 1950 to 1967, originally in black and white and later in color, with subsequent U.S. revivals. The game uses celebrity panelis ...
''


Early years

Barbara Kelly was born in
Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
in 1923. As a child, she was given
elocution Elocution is the study of formal speaking in pronunciation, grammar, style, and tone as well as the idea and practice of effective speech and its forms. It stems from the idea that while communication is symbolic, sounds are final and compelli ...
lessons, and while Kelly hated the stage her mother was a frustrated actress. Kelly's first professional role was playing the
Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother o ...
in a nativity play. Her father, an Irishman, was a lorry driver in Vancouver. Her mother, who was from
Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
, forced ballet classes and elocution lessons on her. Deeply unhappy at home, in 1942 she escaped to marry the
actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a 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 term is (), li ...
and broadcaster
Bernard Braden Bernard Chastey Braden (16 May 1916 – 2 February 1993) was a Canadian-born British actor and comedian, who is best known for his appearances in UK television and radio shows. Life Braden was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, and educated ...
, and she soon did much radio work and toured across Canada in a stage show. Kelly also made her television debut at this time, appearing in '' The Stage Show''. In 1949, she and her husband moved to the United Kingdom with their two children. A third child,
Kim Kim or KIM may refer to: Names * Kim (given name) * Kim (surname) ** Kim (Korean surname) *** Kim family (disambiguation), several dynasties **** Kim family (North Korea), the rulers of North Korea since Kim Il-sung in 1948 ** Kim, Vietnamese f ...
, was born in November 1948 in
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
.


Career

Kelly made regular appearances on her husband's show, ''Bedtime with Braden'', in 1950. The next year (1951) she got equal billing with Braden in ''An Evening at Home with Bernard Braden and Barbara Kelly''. She continued to star in her husband's shows throughout the 1950s and 1960s, and in 1968 appeared in the sitcom ''
B-And-B ''B-And-B'' is a British television sitcom starring Bernard Braden, his wife Barbara Kelly and their daughter Kim Braden. It was written by Michael Pertwee, and aired for a pilot and one series in 1968. Cast * Bernard Braden – Bernie *Barba ...
'', along with her husband and daughter. In the early 1950s, Kelly appeared in a few films including '' The Desert Hawk'', ''
A Tale of Five Cities ''A Tale of Five Cities'' ( it, Passaporto per l'oriente and released as ''A Tale of Five Women'' in the US) is a 1951 British-Italian international co-production drama film directed by Romolo Marcellini and five other directors. The five cities ...
'', '' Castle in the Air'', and ''
Love in Pawn ''Love in Pawn'' is a 1953 British comedy film directed by Charles Saunders and starring Bernard Braden, Barbara Kelly and Jeannie Carson. Cast * Bernard Braden as Roger Fox * Barbara Kelly as Jean Fox * Reg Dixon as Albert Trusslove * Jean ...
''. She may have been best known for her frequent appearances as a panelist on the television show ''
What's My Line? ''What's My Line?'' is a panel game show that originally ran in the United States on the CBS Television Network from 1950 to 1967, originally in black and white and later in color, with subsequent U.S. revivals. The game uses celebrity panelis ...
'' (1951–63), transmitted by 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 ...
on Sunday evenings, which was very popular, although, as Kelly reflected in later years, it had no competition: "it was the only programme on the air!" From 1964 to 1967, she introduced ''
Criss Cross Quiz ''Tic-Tac-Dough'' is an American television game show based on the paper-and-pencil game of tic-tac-toe. Contestants answer questions in various categories to put up their respective symbol, ''X'' or ''O'', on the board. Three versions were produc ...
'', a general knowledge game based on
noughts and crosses Tic-tac-toe (American English), noughts and crosses (Commonwealth English), or Xs and Os (Canadian or Irish English) is a paper-and-pencil game for two players who take turns marking the spaces in a three-by-three grid with ''X'' or ''O''. T ...
. Kelly was the subject of '' This Is Your Life'' in 1978 when she was surprised by
Eamonn Andrews Eamonn Andrews, (19 December 1922 – 5 November 1987) was an Irish radio and television presenter, employed primarily in the United Kingdom from the 1950s to the 1980s. From 1960 to 1964 he chaired the Radio Éireann Authority (now the RTÉ A ...
at the
Tower Hotel, London The Tower Hotel is a large hotel situated on the north bank of the River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest r ...
.


Braden's departure from the BBC

In 1972, the BBC terminated Bernard Braden's late night show, '' Braden's Week'', replacing it with a similar programme, ''
That's Life! ''That's Life!'' was a satirical TV consumer affairs programme on the BBC, at its height regularly reaching audiences of fifteen to twenty million, and receiving 10–15,000 letters a week. The series broadcast on BBC1 for twenty-one years, ...
'', introduced by
Esther Rantzen Dame Esther Louise Rantzen (born 22 June 1940) is an English journalist and television presenter, who presented the BBC television series ''That's Life!'' for 21 years, from 1973 until 1994. She works with various charitable causes, and foun ...
, who had worked with Braden. The reasons seem a little complicated and may have had something to do with Braden's contract to advertise margarine on
ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
. However, although Braden himself was publicly circumspect about the decision, Kelly was forthright in condemning it and was plainly hostile towards Rantzen. Almost thirty years later Kelly told Alice Pitman of ''
The Oldie ''The Oldie'' is a British monthly magazine written for older people "as a light-hearted alternative to a press obsessed with youth and celebrity", according to its website. The magazine was launched in 1992 by Richard Ingrams, who was its edi ...
'' that she was "very bitter at the time, very, very bitter" and recalled that Braden's producer,
Desmond Wilcox Desmond John Wilcox (21 May 1931 – 6 September 2000) was a British television producer, documentary filmmaker, journalist and television executive. He worked at the BBC and ITV during his career and was producer of series such as '' This ...
, who subsequently married Rantzen, had brought together Kelly, Rantzen and newsreader
Angela Rippon Angela May Rippon (born 12 October 1944)"Angela Rippon," ''Contemporary Authors Online'', Detroit: Gale, (2008) ''Gale Biography In Context'' is an English television journalist, newsreader, writer and presenter. Rippon presented radio and tele ...
for a
pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...
of an afternoon show, although, in Kelly's view, "it was just a front - he wanted Esther, and Angela and I were sort of left dangling". At the turn of the 21st century, Kelly weighed into a spat in the press between Rantzen and her stepdaughter Cassandra Wilcox, as a result of which she received a large number of supportive letters from members of the public, who recalled her husband's usurpation by Rantzen. Kelly placed these in a folder marked "Hate Rancid File".


Later years

After ''B-And-B'', Kelly had few television roles although she did appear in episodes of ''
Hawaii Five-O Hawaii Five-O or Hawaii Five-0 may refer to: * ''Hawaii Five-0'' (2010 TV series), an American action police procedural television series * ''Hawaii Five-O'' (1968 TV series), an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productio ...
'', ''
Pearl A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle) of a living shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is composed of calcium carb ...
'', the 1977 film '' Lust of a Eunuch'' and an episode of ''
Magnum, P.I. ''Magnum, P.I.'' is an American crime drama television series starring Tom Selleck as Thomas Magnum, a private investigator (P.I.) living on Oahu, Hawaii. The series ran from December 11, 1980 to May 8, 1988 during its first-run broadcast on ...
'' in 1981. In 1983 she took part in a revival of ''What's My Line?'' This ran for three years, although Kelly, who thought that the original show was never the same after the death of
Gilbert Harding Gilbert Charles Harding (5 June 1907 – 16 November 1960) was a British journalist and radio and television personality. His many careers included schoolmaster, journalist, policeman, disc jockey, actor, interviewer and television presenter. He ...
in 1960, felt that the revival did not match it either. During the 1970s, the Bradens ran Adanac Productions, a company they had set up 20 years before which specialised in presentations at business conferences. After retiring from show business, Kelly established a show business agency called 'Prime Performers', which offered many people from public life, including
Barbara Windsor Dame Barbara Windsor (born Barbara Ann Deeks; 6 August 193710 December 2020) was an English actress, known for her roles in the ''Carry On'' films and for playing Peggy Mitchell in the BBC One soap opera, ''EastEnders''.Joan Collins Dame Joan Henrietta Collins (born 23 May 1933) is an English actress, author and columnist. Collins is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, a People's Choice Award, two Soap Opera Digest Awards and a Primetime ...
,
Raymond Baxter Raymond Frederic Baxter Order of the British Empire, OBE (25 January 1922 – 15 September 2006) was an English television presenter, commentator and writer. He is best known for being the first presenter of the BBC Television science program ...
,
Norman Tebbit Norman Beresford Tebbit, Baron Tebbit (born 29 March 1931) is a British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he served in the Cabinet from 1981 to 1987 as Secretary of State for Employment (1981–1983), Secretary of State for Trad ...
and Sir John Harvey-Jones, for the after-dinner speaking circuit. In 2000, Kelly founded 'Speakerpower', a company that employed broadcasters and actors such as David Jacobs and
Sylvia Syms Sylvia May Laura Syms (born 6 January 1934) is an English actress, best known for her roles in the films ''Woman in a Dressing Gown'' (1957), ''Ice Cold in Alex'' (1958), ''No Trees in the Street'' (1959), ''Victim'' (1961), and ''The Tamari ...
, to train corporate managers how to speak publicly.


Death

Braden died in 1993, and Kelly died from cancer in 2007, aged 83, at a
hospice Hospice care is a type of health care that focuses on the palliation of a terminally ill patient's pain and symptoms and attending to their emotional and spiritual needs at the end of life. Hospice care prioritizes comfort and quality of life by ...
in
Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, and extends from Watling Street, the A5 road (Roman Watling Street) to Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland. The area forms the northwest part of the Lon ...
, London. Their son, Christopher predeceased her, also having died from cancer.


Selected filmography

* '' Glad Tidings'' (1953)


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly, Barbara 1923 births 2007 deaths Actresses from Vancouver British film actresses British television actresses Canadian film actresses Canadian television actresses Canadian emigrants to England Expatriates in England Canadian people of English descent Canadian people of Irish descent Deaths from cancer in England 20th-century British businesspeople