Thora Hird

Dame Thora Hird (28 May 1911 – 15 March 2003) was an English actress and comedian, presenter and writer. In a career spanning over 70 years, she appeared in more than 100 film and television roles, becoming a household name and a British institution.

A three-time winner of the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress, she won for '' Talking Heads: A Cream Cracker Under the Settee'' (1988), '' Talking Heads: Waiting for the Telegram'' (1998) and '' Lost for Words'' (1999). Her film credits included ''The Love Match'' (1955), '' The Entertainer'' (1960), '' A Kind of Loving'' (1962) and ''The Nightcomers'' (1971).

Early life and career

Hird was born on 28 May 1911 in the Lancashire seaside town of Morecambe to James Henry Hird and Jane Mary (née Mayor). Her family background was largely theatrical: her mother had been an actress, while her father managed a number of entertainment venues in Morecambe, including the Royalty Theatre, where Hird made her first appearance, and the West End Pier. Thora first appeared on stage at the age of two months in a play her father was managing, carried on stage in her mother's arms. She worked at the local Co-operative store before joining the Morecambe Repertory Theatre.

Hird often described her father, who initially did not want her to be an actress, as her sternest critic and attributed much of her talent as an actress and comedian to his guidance. In 1944 she made her West End debut in the Esther McCracken play ''No Medals''.

Although Hird left Morecambe in the late 1940s, she retained her affection for the town, referring to herself as a "sand grown 'un", the colloquial term for anyone born in Morecambe.

Initially, Hird made regular appearances in films, including the wartime propaganda film ''Went the Day Well?'' (1942, known as ''48 Hours'' in the USA), in which she is shown wielding a rifle to defend a house from German paratroopers. She worked with the British film comedian Will Hay and featured in '' The Entertainer'' (1960), which starred Laurence Olivier, as well as '' A Kind of Loving'' (1962) with Alan Bates and June Ritchie.

Hird gained her highest profile in television comedy, notably the sitcoms '' Meet the Wife'' (1963–66), '' In Loving Memory'' (1979–86), '' Hallelujah!'' (1983–84) and, for nearly two decades, as Edie Pegden in ''Last of the Summer Wine'' (1986–2003). Hird played a variety of roles, including the nurse in ''Romeo and Juliet'', and won BAFTA Best Actress awards for her roles in two of Alan Bennett's ''Talking Heads'' monologues.

Hird starred as Captain Emily Ridley in the sitcom '' Hallelujah!'' (1983–84) about the Salvation Army, a movement for which she had a soft spot throughout her life. Hird also portrayed Mrs Speck, the housekeeper of the Mayor of Gloucester, in ''The Tailor of Gloucester'' (1989).

In 1993 she played Annie Longden, mother of Deric Longden in ''Wide-Eyed and Legless'' (known as ''The Wedding Gift'' outside the UK) and reprised her role in the 1999 TV film '' Lost for Words'', which won her a BAFTA for Best Actress.

Religious broadcasts

Hird was a committed Christian, hosting the religious programme ''Praise Be!'', a spin off from '' Songs of Praise'' on the BBC
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