Barbara Windsor

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Dame Barbara Windsor DBE
Windsor in 2010
Born	Barbara Ann Deeks 6 August 1937 Shoreditch, London, England
Died	10 December 2020 (aged 83) London, England
Cause of death	Alzheimers
Occupation	actress
Years active	1950–2017[1]
Net worth	£9 million (2018)[2]
Spouse(s)	Ronnie Knight ​ ​ (m. 1964; div. 1985)​ Stephen Hollings ​ ​ (m. 1986; div. 1995)​ Scott Mitchell ​ ​ (m. 2000; her death 2020)​
Windsor's voice MENU 0:00 recorded in 2012, as part of an audio description of the Theatre Royal Stratford East for VocalEyes

Dame Barbara Windsor, DBE (born Barbara Ann Deeks; 6 August 1937 – 10 December 2020)^[3] was an English actress, known for her appearances in the Carry On films and for playing Peggy Mitchell in the BBC One soap opera EastEnders.^[4] She joined the cast of EastEnders in 1994 and won the 1999 British Soap Award for Best Actress, before ultimately leaving the show in 2016 when her character was killed off.

Windsor began her career on stage in 1950 at the age of 13 and made her film debut as a schoolgirl in The Belles of St Trinian's (1954) while studying Shipping Management at Bow Technical College.^[5] She received a BAFTA Award nomination for the film Sparrows Can't Sing (1963), and a Tony Award nomination for the 1964 Broadway production of Oh, What A Lovely War!. In 1972, she starred opposite Vanessa Redgrave in the West End production of The Threepenny Opera. Between 1964 and 1974, she appeared in nine Carry On films, including Carry On Spying (1964), Carry On Doctor (1967), Carry On Camping (1969), Carry On Henry (1971) and Carry On Abroad (1972). She also co-presented the 1977 Carry On compilation That's Carry On!. Along with Jim Dale, she was one of the last surviving regulars on the series.

Her other film roles included A Study in Terror (1965), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968), and as the voice of Mallymkun, The Dormouse in Alice in Wonderland (2010) and Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016).

She was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2016 New Year Honours for services to charity and entertainment.

Early life

Windsor was born in Shoreditch, London, in 1937 (her birth was registered in Stepney),^[6] the only child of John Deeks, a costermonger, and his wife, Rose (née Ellis), a dressmaker. The family lived in Angela Street. One of her great-grandmothers was the daughter of Irish immigrants.^[7] In 1939, the family went to live with relatives in Yoakley Road, Stoke Newington, where Windsor attended St Mary's Infants' School in nearby Lordship Road. She was evacuated to Blackpool during WWII. On her return in 1944, she attended William Patten School in Church Street.

After the war she passed her 11-plus exams and earned a scholarship for a place at Our Lady's Convent in Stamford Hill, where she earned an A-Level in Shipping Management. Her mother paid for her to have elocution lessons, and she trained at the Aida Foster School in Golders Green, making her stage debut at 13 and her West End debut in 1952 in the chorus of the musical Love From Judy which ran for two years. She took the stage name Windsor in 1953, inspired by the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.^[8] Television work soon poured in with her first series of Dreamer's Highway, The Jack Jackson Show and Six-Five Special.^{[citation needed]}

Career

Her first film role was in The Belles of St Trinian's released in 1954. She joined Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop at the Theatre Royal, Stratford East, coming to prominence in their stage production Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'Be and Littlewood's film Sparrows Can't Sing (1963), achieving a BAFTA nomination for Best British Film Actress. She also appeared in the film comedy Crooks in Cloisters (1964), the fantasy film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968) and in the sitcoms The Rag Trade and Wild, Wild Women.

Carry On films

Windsor came to prominence with her portrayals of a "good time girl"^[9] in nine Carry On films. Her first was Carry On Spying in 1964 and her final Carry On... film acting role was in Carry On Dick in 1974. She also appeared in several Carry On... television and compilation specials between 1964 and 1977.

One of her best known scenes was in Carry On Camping (1969), where her bikini top flew off during outdoor aerobic exercises. In typical Carry On style, exposure is implied but little is in fact seen.^[10]

From 1973 to 1975, she appeared with several of the Carry On team in the West End revue Carry On London!.

She was strongly identified with the Carry On films for many years, which restricted the roles she was chosen to play later in her career.

Theatre work

Windsor starred on Broadway in the Theatre Workshop's Oh, What a Lovely War! and received a 1965 Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. She also appeared in Lionel Bart's musical flop Twang!! (directed by Joan Littlewood) and in the musical Come Spy with Me with Danny La Rue.

In 1970, she landed the role of music hall legend Marie Lloyd in the musical-biopic Sing A Rude Song. In 1972 she appeared in the West End in Tony Richardson's The Threepenny Opera with Vanessa Redgrave. In 1975, she toured the UK, New Zealand and South Africa in her own show, Carry On Barbara!, and followed this with the role of Maria in Twelfth Night at the Chichester Festival Theatre.

In 1981, she played sex-mad landlady Kath in Joe Orton's black comedy Entertaining Mr Sloane at the Lyric Hammersmith, directed by her friend Kenneth Williams. She reprised the role for a national tour in 1993.^[11]

She was the subject of This Is Your Life in 1992 when she was surprised by Michael Aspel on stage at the Theatre Royal, Windsor.^[12]

EastEnders

When EastEnders was launched in 1985, the producers said they would not cast well-known actors (Wendy Richard being a rare exception). Windsor has said that she would have liked to have been part of the original cast.^[13] By 1994, this policy was relaxed, and Windsor accepted an offer to join EastEnders. She took over the role of Peggy Mitchell (who was previously a minor character played by Jo Warne in 1991), for which she received the Best Actress award at the 1999 British Soap Awards,^[14] and a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2009 British Soap Awards.

Waxwork of Windsor as Peggy Mitchell displayed in Blackpool

A debilitating case of the Epstein-Barr virus forced a two-year absence from the role between 2003 and 2005, although Windsor was able to make a two-episode guest appearance in 2004. She rejoined the cast full-time in the summer of 2005. In October 2009, Windsor announced she was to leave her role as Peggy Mitchell, saying she wanted to spend more time with her husband.^[15] On 10 September 2010, her character left Albert Square after a fire destroyed the Queen Victoria pub, of which she was the owner.^[16]

In July 2013, it was announced that Windsor was to return for one episode, which aired on 20 September 2013.^[17] She again returned for a single episode on 25 September 2014,^[18] and made a further appearance for EastEnders 30th anniversary on 17 February 2015.^[19] In February 2015, Windsor, along with Pam St. Clement (Pat Evans), took part in EastEnders: Back to Ours to celebrate 30 years of EastEnders. Windsor and St. Clement looked back on some of their characters' most dramatic moments.

In November 2015, Windsor secretly filmed a return to EastEnders, which was shown in January 2016. After this, it was confirmed that the character would be killed off later in the year. This was Windsor's decision, as she said that as long as Peggy was alive, she would always be drawn back to playing her.^[20] Her last appearance aired on BBC One on 17 May 2016.

Later years

Windsor provided the voice of the Dormouse in Walt Disney's live action adaptation of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland (2010), directed by Tim Burton.^[21] Windsor appeared in the pantomime Dick Whittington at the Bristol Hippodrome over the Christmas/New Year period of 2010/2011.^[22] In September 2010, it was announced that Windsor would be fronting a TV campaign for online bingo site Jackpotjoy as the Queen of Bingo.^[23] She appeared as herself in one episode of Come Fly with Me in January 2011.

Windsor in 2009

From 2011 onwards, she regularly did presenting work for BBC Radio 2 music and showbusiness history programmes, and also was a regular stand in for Elaine Paige on Elaine Paige on Sunday. She reprised her voice role of the Dormouse in the film Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016).^[24]

In May 2017, Windsor appeared in a cameo role as herself in the BBC television film, Babs, written by EastEnders scriptwriter Tony Jordan. It showed Windsor in the 1990s as she prepares to go on stage and recalls events from her life, including her childhood, marriage to gangster Ronnie Knight, and her roles in the Carry On films.

Relationships and personal life

Windsor was married three times, and had no children.

1. Ronnie Knight (married 2 March 1964,^[25] divorced January 1985)
2. Stephen Hollings, chef/restaurateur (married 12 April 1986 in Jamaica,^[26] divorced 1995)
3. Scott Mitchell, former actor and recruitment consultant (married 8 April 2000)^[27]

Before her marriage to Ronnie Knight, she had a one-night stand with East End criminal Reggie Kray, and a longer affair with his older brother Charlie Kray.^[28] During the time of making the Carry On films she had an on-going affair with fellow actor and co-star, Sid James which lasted 10 years until his death in 1976.^[3] Another of Windsor's Carry On co-stars, Kenneth Williams, accompanied her and Knight on their honeymoon.^[29]

In her 2000 autobiography, All of Me, Windsor talked about her five abortions, the first three of which took place in her twenties and the last when she was 42. She said she never wanted children as a result of her father rejecting her after her parents' divorce.^[30]

Windsor was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2000 New Year Honours. In August 2010, she was given the Freedom of the City of London,^[31] and in November 2010, she was honoured by the City of Westminster at a tree planting and plaque ceremony.^[32][33]

She was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2016 New Year Honours for services to charity and entertainment.^[34][35]

Windsor had a friendship with the late Amy Winehouse, and in 2012, she became a patron of the Amy Winehouse Foundation.^[36]

In November 2014, she was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of East London.^[37]

Health and death

In April 2014, Windsor was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and she elected not to make the condition public, but it was known to her friends and colleagues. On 10 May 2018, Windsor's husband, Scott Mitchell, publicly revealed her condition.^[38] In January 2019, Mitchell and some of Windsor's former co-stars from EastEnders announced that they would be running the London Marathon in aid of a dementia campaign.^[39] Mitchell said that Windsor's health and mental state had been deteriorating, and there had been moments when she no longer recognised him.^[40]

On Windsor's 82nd birthday in August 2019, she and Mitchell became ambassadors for the Alzheimer's Society. On the same day, Mitchell and Windsor appeared in a video for the charity, in which Windsor said, "Unite with me, against dementia". Mitchell highlighted the problems many face with the disease, and urged viewers to sign a letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, saying he "urgently needs to address these challenges."^[41]

In August 2020, BBC News reported that Windsor had been moved into a care home in London.^[42] She died at 8:35pm on 10 December 2020 at the age of 83.^[43][44]

Filmography

Carry On films

Other films

Television

Theatre

Windsor performed in the following theatre productions:^[45]