 Renowned for her deadpan expressions and 'eternal grandmother' persona, character actress Liz Smith did not establish herself until she was in her fifties, but since then has built a highly successful career out of playing elderly, slightly dotty characters in popular TV shows, including Nana in The Royle Family (BBC, 1998-2000) and Leticia in The Vicar of Dibley (BBC, 1994-2007). Born Betty Gleadle on 11 December 1921 in Scunthorpe, Smith was brought up by her grandmother after her mother died and her father abandoned her. Although she had taken acting lessons as a child, she spent the first few decades of her career alternating non-acting jobs with tiny walk-on parts while bringing up two children single-handed. Her big break occurred in 1971, in Mike Leigh's debut feature Bleak Moments. She then became a regular face on TV, appearing in Emmerdale (ITV, 1972-), The Sweeney (ITV, 1975-8), The Gentle Touch (ITV, 1980-4), Last of the Summer Wine (BBC, 1973-2010) and Lark Rise to Candleford (BBC, 2008-11). More occasionally, she graced the big screen, winning a BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actress in A Private Function (d. Malcolm Mowbray, 1984) and appearing in such diverse blockbusters as The Curse of the Pink Panther (UK/US, d. Blake Edwards, 1983), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (UK/US/Australia, d. Tim Burton, 2005) and the animated Wallace and Gromit feature The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (UK/US, d. Nick Park/Steve Box, 2005). In the 1990s her profile was raised via The Vicar of Dibley and the ground-breaking armchair TV sitcom The Royle Family. The latter won her a British Comedy Award for Best Television Comedy Actress. Soon after, Smith published her autobiography, 'Our Betty' (2006), and moved into a retirement home. She continued to work, not only as an actress, but also as a fully-fledged celebrity in the BBC Four documentary Liz Smith's Summer Cruise (tx. 12/7/2009). Following a stroke in 2009, she finally announced her retirement from acting at the age of 87. The same year, she received an MBE and confirmed her public appeal by taking part in the BBC's anti-ageing programme The Young Ones (2010). Eddie Dyja
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FILM & TV CREDITS
