Penelope Keith, 1940 – 2026

Delightful British actress Penelope Keith, 86, died on June 29. Although she appeared on stage and screen, she is best-known for her turns on Britcoms: To the Manor Born, Kate, The Good Life, Executive Stress, No Job for a Lady, Next of Kin; she often played hilariously snooty characters (usually with a heart of gold, of course). Keith started her career in rep, eventually joining the Royal Shakespeare Company. She continued working onstage (notably in The Norman Conquests, The Importance of Being Earnest, and Blithe Spirit), as well as in a handful of films, but was best known for her TV work. She also hosted the travel series Hidden Villages and Coastal Villages, and served as President of the UK Actors' Benevolent Fund. “I was very tall and very plain,” Keith said. “I wasn't going to get very far on looks - so I thought I'd better be the funny girl.” She added that “doing The Morecambe and Wise Show on television and Desert Island Discs on radio proved to me that I’d made it – in the 1970s, after you’d been asked to do those two things, you knew you were there, and could die now! In the theatre, I’ve had so many wonderful, wonderful parts that it’s difficult to try to choose between them – it’s like asking whom your favourite child is. But I’ve really enjoyed all the Coward I’ve done, and I loved played Hester in The Deep Blue Sea.”