Keeping Up Appearances star Patricia Routledge dies at 96
Patricia Routledge, an actress known for playing Hyacinth Bucket in the classic TV sitcom Keeping Up Appearances, has died at the age of 96, according to her handler. She appeared in Alan Bennett's TV monologues and appeared on BBC One's amateur sleuth Hetty Wainthropp.
her agent said in a letter to the PA Media news service. "Even as 96 years old, Dame Patricia's passion for her work and for interacting with live audiences never waned, just as new generations of viewers continued to discover her through her beloved television roles.We are extremely sad to learn the death of Dame PAtricia Routledge, who died peacefully in her sleep this morning surrounded by love,
"She will be greatly missed by those closest to her and by her devoted followers around the world.
Dame Patricia was best known as Hyacinth Bucket, or bouquet,
a comedic work that embodied the extremes of English pretension and snobbery.
the actress said. Keeping Up Appearances spanned 1990 to 95, and the following year she was named the country's most popular actress at the BBC's 60th anniversary awards.She's a complete monster, and I loved playing her so much,
Since beginning her career in the theatre in the 1950s, the Birkenhead-born actress found success on stage as well as on film. She established herself in the United States after appearing in London's West End when she received the Tony Award for best lead actress in a Broadway production on Broadway in New York in 1968 for Darling of the Day. She was as good at serious drama as she was at musicals and comedy, appearing in Richard III and Henry V at the Royal Shakepseare Company and then receiving an Olivier Award for best actress in a Candide production in the 1980s.
She made her way into national television fame in the 80s, appearing Kitty in Victoria Wood's As Seen on TV and delivering three of Bennett's most well-known Talking Heads monologues, including 1988's A Lady of Letters, for which she received a Bafta nomination. In 1992 and 93, she received two more Bafta awards for Keeping Up Appearances, then appeared in the title role as a retired woman on a hunt to find criminals in BBC One's Hetty Wainthropp Investigates from 1996 to 1998.
'Loved around the world'
BBC comedy writer Jon Petrie said.I was so sad to learn of the death of Dame Patricia Routledge,
he said.She was an actor of exceptional talent, but her appearance of Hyacinth Bucket in Keeping Up Appearances must have been one of the most iconic British comedy performances,
She did whatever she did, she created exquisite art and in doing so inspired generations of writers, actors, and audiences.She created a character on the page and gave her such clarity, precision, and warmth that Hyacinth became part of the national conversation; instantly recognisable, constantly quotable, and much loved around the world.
Dame Patricia will beDame Patricia made millions laugh and left a legacy that will be remembered with gratitude and admiration.
remembered forever,
She was a monolithic artist who became a comedic beacon to me.actor Kerry Howard, who appeared in the young Hyacinth Bucket in a one-off BBC prequel. Howard said,
She was my first drama instructor - although we'd never met her, she has influenced so much of my comedic sensibilities. "A wonderful clown has left this world, but I want to believe that her enthusiasm and gifts go beyond the grave.I would watch her every week as Hyacinth, and then spend the rest of the week pretending to be her.
'A supreme actress'
The actress appeared at Chichester Festival Theatre near her home in West Sussex, many times, and venue's artistic director Justin Audibert and executive director Kathy Bourne paid their respects to her as irreplaceable, inimitable, and unforgettable.
Patricia Routledge was a supreme actress.
they said in a tweet.Her talents were particularly well known for comedies, but her reach was much greater than that,
She was born an OBE in 1993, a CBE in 2004, and a dame in 2017.She was not only a national treasure, she was a Chichester treasure too, as a stalwart supporter of the city and community, as well as the Festival Theatre, whose stage she graced for five decades.
