Charmian Rosemary May (16 June 1937 – 24 October 2002) was an English

character actress A character actor is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or eccentric characters.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to be ...

best known for her television and film roles. She appeared in the sitcoms '' The Good Life'' and ''

Keeping Up Appearances ''Keeping Up Appearances'' is a British sitcom created and written by Roy Clarke. It originally aired on BBC1 from 1990 to 1995 with two specials airing in 1997 and 2008 on PBS. The central character is an eccentric and snobbish middle class s ...

'', and the film ''

Bridget Jones's Diary ''Bridget Jones's Diary'' is a 2001 romantic comedy film directed by Sharon Maguire and written by Richard Curtis, Andrew Davies, and Helen Fielding. A co-production of the United Kingdom, United States and France, it is based on Fielding's 1 ...

''. She appeared as Miss Pershore in episodes 6 and 7 of ''

The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin ''The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin'' is a British sitcom starring Leonard Rossiter in the title role. It is based on a series of novels written by David Nobbs and produced from 1976 to 1979. Nobbs adapted the screenplay for the first series ...

'' (1976). She also appeared in ''

The Worst Witch ''The Worst Witch'' is a series of children's books written and illustrated by Jill Murphy. The series are primarily about a girl who attends a witch school and fantasy stories, with eight books published. The first, ''The Worst Witch'', was ...

'' as Miss Pentangle, in ''

Weirdsister College ''Weirdsister College'' is the sequel to successful British children's television series ''The Worst Witch'' (1998–2001), based on ''The Worst Witch'' books by Jill Murphy. ''Weirdsister College'' aired on ITV from 28 November to 14 December ...

'' as

Prof. Alicia Thunderblast ''The Worst Witch'' is an ITV television series about a group of young witches at a school for magic. The series stars Georgina Sherrington and Felicity Jones, and is based on ''The Worst Witch'' books by Jill Murphy (published from 1974 onwa ...

, and she was Miss Milton in the

Yorkshire Television ITV Yorkshire, previously known as Yorkshire Television and commonly referred to as just YTV, is the British television service provided by ITV Broadcasting Limited for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV (TV network), ITV network. Until 19 ...

series, ''

You're Only Young Twice ''You're Only Young Twice'' was a British TV sitcom made and broadcast on the ITV network by Yorkshire Television from 6 September 1977 to 4 August 1981. Plot Set in Paradise Lodge retirement home, ''You're Only Young Twice'' was created an ...

''. Amongst her stage work, May was in the original production of ''

84, Charing Cross Road ''84, Charing Cross Road'' is a 1970 book by Helene Hanff, later made into a stage play, television play, and film, about the twenty-year correspondence between the author and Frank Doel, chief buyer of Marks & Co antiquarian booksellers, loca ...

'' at

Salisbury Playhouse Salisbury Playhouse is a theatre in the English city of Salisbury, Wiltshire. It was built in 1976 and comprises the 517-seat Main House and the 149-seat Salberg, a rehearsal room and a community & education space. It is part of Arts Council En ...

, and its West End transfer, in 1981. She also toured in the 1970s in a production of ''

The Importance of Being Earnest ''The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People'' is a play by Oscar Wilde. First performed on 14 February 1895 at the St James's Theatre in London, it is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious ...

'' by

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...

, playing Lady Bracknell.

Death

She died from cancer on 24 October 2002, aged 65. A service of thanksgiving for the life of the actress was held at St Paul's, Covent Garden on 23 May, 2003.

Selected filmography

Among her many roles in a career of forty years were:

References

External links

*
Charmian May
at the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

Charmian May
(Aveleyman) 1937 births 2002 deaths English stage actresses English film actresses English television actresses People from Purbrook 20th-century English actresses Actresses from Hampshire Deaths from cancer in England 21st-century English actresses 20th-century British businesspeople {{UK-tv-actor-1930s-stub