June Muriel Brown (16 February 1927 – 3 April 2022) was an English actress and author. She was best known for her role as Dot Cotton on 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 ...

soap opera ''

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...

'' (1985–1993; 1997–2020). In 2005, she won Best Actress at the ''Inside Soap'' Awards and received the Lifetime Achievement award at The British Soap Awards. Brown was appointed a

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(MBE) in the

2008 Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours 2008 were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as part of the Queen's Off ...

for services to drama and to charity, and promoted to an OBE in the

2022 New Year Honours The 2022 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 15 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebrations ...

. In 2009, she was nominated for the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress, making her the second performer to receive a BAFTA nomination for their work in a soap opera, after Jean Alexander. In February 2020, at the age of 93, she announced that she had left ''EastEnders'' permanently.

Early life

Brown was born on 16 February 1927 in

Needham Market Needham Market is a town in Suffolk, England. The town of Needham, Massachusetts, was named after Needham Market. History It initially grew around the wool combing industry, until the onset of the plague, which swept the town from 1663 to 1665. ...

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...

, one of five children of Louisa Ann (née Butler) and Henry William Melton Brown. Her ancestry included English, Irish and Scottish, and from her maternal grandmother,

Sephardic Jewish Sephardic (or Sephardi) Jews (, ; lad, Djudíos Sefardíes), also ''Sepharadim'' , Modern Hebrew: ''Sfaradim'', Tiberian: Səp̄āraddîm, also , ''Ye'hude Sepharad'', lit. "The Jews of Spain", es, Judíos sefardíes (or ), pt, Judeus sefar ...

(from Algeria, the Netherlands and Italy). Through her grandmother, she was descended from the noted Jewish bare-knuckle boxer

Isaac Bitton Isaac "Jacky" Bitton (born 2 December 1947) is a French-American musician. Initially gaining fame as the drummer for secular rock band Les Variations, Bitton became a ''baal teshuva'' through Chabad in the late 1970s and subsequently began a ca ...

. Brown was educated at St John's Church of England School in

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line r ...

and then won a scholarship to Ipswich High School, where she passed the school certificate examinations. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, she was evacuated to the Welsh village of

Pontyates Pontyates ( cy, Pont-iets) is a village straddling two communities situated in the Gwendraeth Valley halfway between Carmarthen and Llanelli in Carmarthenshire, West Wales. the population in 2011 was 1,449. General information The village of ...

in Carmarthenshire. During the later years of the war, she served in the

Wrens Wrens are a family of brown passerine birds in the predominantly New World family Troglodytidae. The family includes 88 species divided into 19 genera. Only the Eurasian wren occurs in the Old World, where, in Anglophone regions, it is common ...

and was classically trained at the Old Vic Theatre School in

Lambeth Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, in the London Borough of Lambeth, historically in the County of Surrey. It is situated south of Charing Cross. The population of the London Borough of Lambeth was 303,086 in 2011. The area expe ...

, London.

Career

Film and television

Brown had a long television career, with small roles in ''

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 ...

'' as

Mrs Parsons Mrs. (American English) or Mrs (British English; standard English pronunciation: ) is a commonly used English honorific for women, usually for those who are married and who do not instead use another title (or rank), such as ''Doctor'', ''Prof ...

(1970–71); the ''

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 ...

'', '' Edna, the Inebriate Woman'' as Clara (1971); the ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...

'' story ''

The Time Warrior ''The Time Warrior'' is the first serial of the 11th season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four weekly parts on BBC1 from 15 December 1973 to 5 January 1974. The serial introduced Eli ...

'' as Lady Eleanor (1973–74); the nursing soap '' Angels''; the history-of-Britain ''Churchill's People''; long-running comedy drama '' Minder''; the police drama soap ''

The Bill ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, first broadcast on ITV from 16 August 1983 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, '' Woodentop'', broadcast in August 1983. The programme focused on ...

''; and cult sci-fi series '' Survivors''. She had a bigger part as Mrs Leyton in the costume drama ''

The Duchess of Duke Street ''The Duchess of Duke Street'' is a BBC television drama series set in London between the late 1800s and 1925. It was created by John Hawkesworth, previously the producer of the ITV period drama '' Upstairs, Downstairs''. It starred Gemma Jo ...

'' (1976), and played Mrs Mann in ''

Oliver Twist ''Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress'', Charles Dickens's second novel, was published as a serial from 1837 to 1839, and as a three-volume book in 1838. Born in a workhouse, the orphan Oliver Twist is bound into apprenticeship with ...

'' (1985). She also played Nanny Slagg in the BBC's big-budget production of ''

Gormenghast Gormenghast may refer to: * ''Gormenghast'' (series), a trilogy of novels by Mervyn Peake ** ''Gormenghast'' (novel), second in the series * ''Gormenghast'' (opera), an opera based on the books * ''Gormenghast'' (TV serial), a BBC adaptatio ...

'' in 2000. She was cast in small roles in several movies, appearing as the grieving mother of an undead biker in British horror flick ''

Psychomania ''Psychomania'' (originally released in the United States as ''The Death Wheelers'') is a 1973 British outlaw biker horror film starring Nicky Henson, Beryl Reid, George Sanders (in his final film) and Robert Hardy. Plot Tom Latham, an amiab ...

'' (1971), as well as '' Sunday Bloody Sunday'' (1971), ''

Sitting Target ''Sitting Target'', also known as ''Screaming Target'', is a 1972 British crime film directed by Douglas Hickox and mainly shot in various locations in London, including the Winstanley and York Road Estates. It stars Oliver Reed, Ian McShane a ...

'' (1972), ''

The 14 ''The 14'' is a 1973 British drama film directed by David Hemmings and starring Jack Wild and June Brown. It was also released as ''Existence'' and, in the United States, as ''The Wild Little Bunch''. It was entered into the 23rd Berlin Intern ...

'' (1973), '' Murder by Decree'' (1979), '' Nijinsky'' (1980), '' The Mambo Kings'' (1992) and the '' Mr. Bean'' movie spin-off ''

Bean A bean is the seed of several plants in the family Fabaceae, which are used as vegetables for human or animal food. They can be cooked in many different ways, including boiling, frying, and baking, and are used in many traditional dishes th ...

'' (1997). She also appeared as Tom Hedden's wife in '' Straw Dogs'' (1971), although her scenes were cut from the film. In 1984, she featured in the TV mini-series '' Lace'' which starred actress

Phoebe Cates Phoebe Belle Cates Kline (born July 16, 1963) is an American former actress, known primarily for her roles in films such as ''Fast Times at Ridgemont High'' (1982), ''Gremlins'' (1984) and ''Drop Dead Fred'' (1991). Early life Cates was born ...

. In 2006, Brown appeared as Aunt Spiker at the

Children's Party at the Palace The Children's Party at the Palace was an event organised by Peter Orton of Hit Entertainment and David Johnstone of DJI consult, held in the Garden at Buckingham Palace on 25 June 2006 in honour of the 80th birthday of Queen Elizabeth II. The ...

, an all-star event to celebrate the Queen's 80th birthday. In 2010, Brown took part in the annual Christmas special of ''

Strictly Come Dancing ''Strictly Come Dancing'' (informally known as ''Strictly'') is a British dance contest show in which celebrities partner with professional dancers to compete in mainly ballroom and Latin dance. Each couple is scored by a panel of usually 4 ...

''. Brown said "I'm terrified and apprehensive about what I've let myself in for, I must be barmy and I'm not sure what's come over me ... I just hope I can remember the steps to the routines. I'm looking forward to working with the professional dancers and the other contestants." Her dancing partner was

Vincent Simone Vincent Simone (born 15 March 1979) is an Italian professional dancer, who has appeared as a professional dancer on ''Strictly Come Dancing'' from 2006 until 2012. He moved to Guildford, Surrey, United Kingdom when he was 17. Simone and profess ...

, with whom she danced the tango. In August 2011 she was featured in the BBC's '' Who Do You Think You Are?'', and was the oldest person to have appeared on the programme. In July 2012, Brown hosted a documentary for the BBC called ''Respect Your Elders'', which looked at society's treatment and attitudes towards the elderly.

Theatre

Brown was also active in British theatre. She directed and starred in ''Pin Money'' by

Malcolm Needs Malcolm Richard Needs (19 December 1957, Edmonton, North London) is an English writer and filmmaker. He is the owner of TheMovieWorks and is an avid Tottenham Hotspur supporter. Early life Malcolm Needs was born on 19 December 1957, the fourt ...

in London, and ''Double D'' by Matthew Westwood in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

and London. She played Mrs Danvers in a touring production of ''

Rebecca Rebecca, ; Syriac: , ) from the Hebrew (lit., 'connection'), from Semitic root , 'to tie, couple or join', 'to secure', or 'to snare') () appears in the Hebrew Bible as the wife of Isaac and the mother of Jacob and Esau. According to biblical ...

''. Other plays include '' An Inspector Calls'', ''

The Lion in Winter ''The Lion in Winter'' is a 1966 play by James Goldman, depicting the personal and political conflicts of Henry II of England, his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine, their children and their guests during Christmas 1183. It premiered on Broadway at the ...

'', ''

A View from the Bridge ''A View from the Bridge'' is a play by American playwright Arthur Miller. It was first staged on September 29, 1955, as a one-act verse drama with ''A Memory of Two Mondays'' at the Coronet Theatre on Broadway. The run was unsuccessful, and M ...

'', and numerous

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speaking ...

s. During her early career, she played the roles of Hedda Gabler and

Lady Macbeth Lady Macbeth is a leading character in William Shakespeare's tragedy '' Macbeth'' (). As the wife of the play's tragic hero, Macbeth (a Scottish nobleman), Lady Macbeth goads her husband into committing regicide, after which she becomes quee ...

. In 2009, Brown played Jessie in the West End production of '' Calendar Girls'' at the Noël Coward Theatre. Also in the play were former ''

'' stars Anita Dobson (

Angie Watts Angie Watts is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'', played by Anita Dobson from the first episode of the series until 1988, when Dobson decided to leave, and the character was written out. Angie is well known for her ...

Jill Halfpenny Jill Halfpenny (born 15 July 1975) is an English actress. Her notable roles include Rebecca Hopkins in ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' (1999–2000), Kate Mitchell in BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders'' (2002–2005), Izzie Redpath in '' W ...

( Kate Mitchell) and Jack Ryder (

Jamie Mitchell Jamie Mitchell is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Jack Ryder (actor), Jack Ryder. The character debuted on 9 November 1998 and became one of the show's central protagonists until he was Kill off, killed- ...

''EastEnders''

Brown was recommended to producers for the role of Dot Cotton in ''EastEnders'' by one of its original cast members,

Leslie Grantham Leslie Michael Grantham (30 April 1947 – 15 June 2018) was an English actor, best known for his role as "Dirty" Den Watts in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. He was a convicted murderer, having served 10 years for the killing of a West Germ ...

, who played Den Watts. Brown played the role from 1985 to 2020, with a break between 1993 and 1997. On 31 January 2008, aged 80, Brown became the first and, to date, only soap actor to carry an entire episode single-handed. The episode featured a monologue looking back over her character's life, dictated to a cassette machine for her husband Jim to listen to in hospital following a stroke. The fact that co-star and close friend John Bardon (who played Jim) was recovering from a stroke in real life added extra pathos to the episode. In 2009, Brown was nominated for the British Academy Television Award for Best Actress. Brown's nomination came as a result of her "single-hander" episode of ''EastEnders'', the director of which she praised. On 30 April 2012, it was announced that Brown was to take a six-month break from ''EastEnders'' and planned to write her autobiography during her time off. In October 2012, it was announced she had returned to filming, and she appeared on screen again from January 2013. Her autobiography, ''Before the Year Dot'', was published in 2013. In May 2015, Brown revealed that her eyesight was failing due to

macular degeneration Macular degeneration, also known as age-related macular degeneration (AMD or ARMD), is a medical condition which may result in blurred or no vision in the center of the visual field. Early on there are often no symptoms. Over time, however, som ...

. Later, in 2016, a storyline for Dot in which her eyesight was deteriorating was introduced. Speaking about the condition in April 2019, Brown said that it had worsened since undergoing surgery in 2017, and that she no longer went out socially because of her eyesight: "I never go to soap awards or suchlike now. I don't recognise people that I know and they would think I was snubbing them." On 20 February 2020, Brown announced that she had left ''EastEnders''.

Personal life and death

In 1950, Brown met and married actor John Garley; he suffered from depression and died from suicide in 1957. In 1958, she married actor Robert Arnold. They had six children in seven years, one of whom died in infancy. The couple were together for 45 years, until he died in 2003 of Lewy-body dementia. Thereafter, she lived alone in Surrey. Brown was a supporter of the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

and told ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' in 2009, "I wouldn't vote

Labour Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

, dear, if you paid me. I vote Conservative." Like her ''EastEnders'' character, she was a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

. Brown was appointed

(MBE) in the

and

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(OBE) in the

, both for services to drama and to charity. Brown died on 3 April 2022, aged 95. On the announcement of her death, the following day, ''EastEnders'' paid tribute to Brown and posted condolences from several of her former co-stars on social media, including Gillian Taylforth, Natalie Cassidy, Lacey Turner,

Diane Parish Diane Parish (born 1 November 1969) is an English actress, who has been portraying the character Denise Fox on the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders'' since 2006 Born in Chelsea, London and a graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Pari ...

Emma Barton Emma Louise Barton (born 26 July 1977) is an English actress. She is perhaps best known for the role of Honey Mitchell in ''EastEnders'' which she has portrayed on and off since November 2005. Before her role in ''EastEnders'', Barton appeared ...

, Shona McGarty, Adam Woodyatt and

Letitia Dean Letitia Jane Dean (born 14 November 1967) is an English actress. She is known for her portrayal of Sharon Watts in the BBC soap opera, ''EastEnders''. An original cast member from 1985 to 1995, she reprised the role from 2001 to 2006, and again ...

. The episode broadcast that evening was dedicated to her memory. Following this, the documentary ''June Brown: A Walford Legend'', which originally aired in 2017, to celebrate Brown's 90th birthday, and her 2011 episode of ''Who Do You Think You Are?'', were aired on BBC One, in a change to the original schedule.

Filmography

Film

* '' Sunday Bloody Sunday'' (1971) as Woman Patient * '' Straw Dogs'' (1971) as Mrs Hedden (scenes deleted) * ''

'' (1972) as Lomart's neighbour * ''

'' (1972) as Mrs Pettibone * ''

'' (1973) as The Mother * '' Murder by Decree'' (1979) as

Annie Chapman Annie Chapman (born Eliza Ann Smith; 25 September 1840 – 8 September 1888) was the second Jack the Ripper#Canonical five, canonical victim of the notorious unidentified serial killer Jack the Ripper, who killed and mutilation, mutilated a min ...

* '' Nijinsky'' (1980) as Maria Stepanova * '' Misunderstood'' (1984) as Mrs Paley * '' The Mambo Kings'' (1992) as Portly Woman * ''

'' (1997) as Delilah * ''

Margery and Gladys ''Margery and Gladys'' is a one-off television drama/film, broadcast on 21 September 2003. Starring Penelope Keith and June Brown as the title characters, it was produced by Carlton Television for ITV and directed by Geoffrey Sax. Upon first bro ...

'' (2003) as Gladys Gladwell * ''Spidarlings'' (2016) as June * '' Ethel & Ernest'' (2016) as Ernest's stepmother

Television

* ''The Rough and Ready Lot'' (1959) as Chica * ''

'' (1970–1971) as Mrs. Parsons (3 episodes) * '' Edna, the Inebriate Woman'' (1971) as Clara * ''

'' (''

'' serial) (1973–1974) as Lady Eleanor (4 episodes) * '' South Riding'' (1974) as Lily Sawdon (4 episodes) * ''

Special Branch Special Branch is a label customarily used to identify units responsible for matters of national security and Intelligence (information gathering), intelligence in Policing in the United Kingdom, British, Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth, ...

'' (1974) as Chrissy (1 episode) * '' Churchill's People'' (1975) as Agnes Paston (1 episode) * ''

The Sweeney ''The Sweeney'' is a 1970s British television police drama focusing on two members of the Flying Squad, a branch of the Metropolitan Police specialising in tackling armed robbery and violent crime in London. It stars John Thaw as Detective Ins ...

'' (1975) as Mrs Martin (1 episode) * ''The Prince and the Pauper'' (1976) as Mother Canty (5 episodes) * ''

'' (1976–1977) as Mrs Violet Leyton (6 episodes) * '' Survivors'' (1977) as Susan (1 episode) * ''

God's Wonderful Railway ''God's Wonderful Railway'' is a British children's drama television series made by the BBC. It was first shown in eight 30-minute episodes, from 6 February 1980. The cast includes Gorden Kaye, June Brown, Gerard Kelly, Richard Pearson and Ter ...

'' (1980) as Elsie Grant (3 episodes) * '' Lace'' (1984) as Mrs Trelawney (2 episodes) * '' Minder'' (1984) as Joany (1 episode) * ''

'' (1984) as Mrs Doleman (1 episode) * ''

'' (1985) as Mrs Mann (1 episode) * ''

'' (1985–1993, 1997–2020) as Dot Cotton (2,884 episodes) * ''

'' (2000) as Nannie Slagg (2 episodes) * ''

Heading Out ''Heading Out'' is a British sitcom created by and starring comedian Sue Perkins. It was first broadcast on BBC Two on 26 February 2013. ''Heading Out'' tells the story of Sara, a veterinarian who is given an ultimatum by her friends to tell he ...

'' (2013) as Sozzie (1 episode) * ''June Brown at 90: A Walford Legend'' (2017), TV special * ''100 Years Younger in 21 Days'' (2018) as herself (documentary series) * ''Hard to Please OAPS'' (2019) as herself (documentary series, 6 episodes)

Radio

*''Missing You'' (2021) as Margey (1 episode)

Theatre

* ''The Rough and Ready Lot'' * ''Magnolia Street Story'' * '' An Inspector Calls'' * ''Nightshade'' * ''

'' * '' Hedda Gabler'' * ''A Day Forever'' * ''

'' * ''Laura'' * ''Absolute Hell'' * ''

Macbeth ''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those w ...

'' * '' Calendar Girls''

Directed

* ''Double D'' (play)

Bibliography

* ''Before the Year Dot'' (2013)

Awards and nominations

References

External links

June Brown
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, ...

*
List of performances
(Theatre Collection,

University of Bristol , mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'') , established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter , type ...

) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, June 1927 births 2022 deaths 20th-century English actresses 21st-century English actresses Conservative Party (UK) people English Christians English people of Algerian-Jewish descent English people of Dutch-Jewish descent English people of Irish descent English people of Italian-Jewish descent English people of Scottish descent English soap opera actresses English stage actresses English television actresses Officers of the Order of the British Empire People educated at Ipswich High School, Suffolk People from Needham Market Women's Royal Naval Service ratings People of Sephardic-Jewish descent