Jean Alexander
Jean Alexander | |
---|---|
Born | Jean Margaret Hodgkinson 11 October 1926 Toxteth, Liverpool, England |
Died | 14 October 2016 Southport, Merseyside, England | (aged 90)
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 1949–2010 |
Known for |
|
Television |
|
Jean Margaret Hodgkinson
Early life
Jean Margaret Hodgkinson was born at 18 Rhiwlas Street in the Toxteth area of Liverpool, Lancashire in 1926, to Nell and Archie Hodgkinson; her father worked as an electrician and the family lived in a terraced house with no indoor lavatory. Alexander had an elder brother, Kenneth. She aspired to become an actress from an early age, and later said that she was inspired by variety acts she saw at the Pavilion theatre in her home city. She attended St Edmund's College for Girls in Princes Park, Toxteth[2] and as a teenager, she joined an amateur theatre group and took elocution lessons.[3]
Career
Alexander spent five years as a
Coronation Street
Alexander first appeared in
The British League for Hilda Ogden was established in 1979 by
In 2005 the UK
Other roles
In 1988, Alexander made a guest appearance in the long-running BBC comedy series Last of the Summer Wine as Auntie Wainwright, the money-grabbing local junk shop owner. She returned for a second guest appearance in 1989, and finally became a series regular in 1992, remaining until the end of the series in 2010.[10]
Her film credits include and The Afternoon Play.
Personal life and death
Alexander never married, stating that she put her acting career first.[3] She was a close friend of her Coronation Street husband, Bernard Youens.[3] Her autobiography, The Other Side of the Street: The Autobiography of Jean Alexander, was published in 1989.
She lived for many years in Southport, Merseyside, and in 2009 she joined with others to campaign successfully for a temporary library in the town while the central library was being refurbished.[12] She was a keen gardener[13] and after her death was commemorated in the town with a memorial bench at Southport Flower Show, where she was a regular visitor.[14][15]
She donated her 1955
Alexander announced her retirement in 2012, two years after her last television appearance. Her acting career lasted for more than 60 years.[18] She celebrated her 90th birthday on 11 October 2016, but was taken ill and died three days later in Southport Hospital.[15][19][20]
Filmography
Year | Title | Role |
---|---|---|
1961 | Deadline Midnight | Mrs. Gibson |
ITV Television Playhouse: Different Drum | ||
1962–1963 | Television Club | Mrs. Wade |
1962–1963 | Z Cars
|
Mrs. Cantrell / Amy Ford / Mrs. Hopkins |
1962 | Emergency Ward 10 | Mrs. Nicholls |
1962 | Coronation Street | Mrs. Webb (2 episodes) |
1964–1987 | Hilda Ogden (1,614 episodes) | |
1964 | Mary Barton | Mrs. Jones (2 episodes) |
1988, 1989 1992–2010 |
Last of the Summer Wine | Auntie Wainwright (168 episodes) |
1991 | Rich Tea and Sympathy | Granny Trellis |
1993–1995 | Harry
|
Irene Paterson |
1993 | I, Lovett | Elsie Mittens |
Cluedo | Marjory Hunt | |
1997 | Adam's Family Tree | Winifred Whisper |
The Phoenix and the Carpet | Lily | |
1999 | Hooves of Fire (TV short) | Mrs. Santa (voice) |
2000–2002 | Where the Heart Is | Kathleen Beresford/ Joan Cotter |
2001, 2003 | Heartbeat | Lily Barton |
2002 | Barbara | Queenie Liversidge |
2004 | The Afternoon Play: Drive | Enid |
2006 | To the Sean Again (short film) | Annie |
Awards and nominations
Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1985 | RTS Award |
Best Actress[4] | Coronation Street | Won |
1987 | BAFTA Award |
Best Actress in a Leading Role[4] | Nominated | |
1988 | TV Times Award | Best Actress[4] | Coronation Street | Won |
References
- ISBN 9780198614128. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
- ^ Jean Alexander Obituary in The Telegraph Retrieved 17 October 2016
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Stuart Jeffries (15 October 2016). "Jean Alexander obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Obituary: Jean Alexander". BBC. 15 October 2016. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
- ^ Paul Byrne (14 October 2016), "Jean Alexander, Coronation Street's Hilda Ogden, dies in hospital three days after 90th birthday", Manchester Evening News
- ^ a b c d e "Jean Alexander, Coronation Street's Hilda Ogden, dies at the age of 90". Radio Times. 15 October 2016. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
- ^ Young, Ian (9 December 2010). "Coronation Street legend on playing Hilda Ogden". BBC News. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
- ISBN 9780750953993
- ^ Zoe Shenton (14 October 2016), "Jean Alexander admits she still tunes into Coronation Street in last interview with Holly Willoughby on This Morning", Daily Mirror
- ^ Ballinger, Laura (4 May 2016). "Last of the Summer Wine: What happened to our favourite characters?". Huddlesfield Daily Examiner. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
- ^ a b "How Jean Alexander created one of the greatest soap characters in Coronation Street's Hilda Ogden". The Daily Telegraph. 15 October 2016. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
- ^ John Pugh (17 December 2009), Jean Alexander interviewed on Granada Reports
- ^ "Obituary – Jean Alexander, actress who played Hilda Ogden in Coronation Street". The Herald. 15 October 2016. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
- ^ a b Heeds, Chantelle (15 August 2017). "Corrie star unveils bench for Southport legend Hilda Ogden". Southport Visiter. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
- ^ a b Brown, Andrew (15 October 2016). "Jean Alexander – local people reveal why she was so loved in Southport". southportvisiter.co.uk. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
- ^ "11 of the world's weirdest museums". Travel Supermarket. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
- ^ McClarence, Stephen. "The Great British Weekend: Southport, Merseyside". The Times. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
- ^ "The Street has sold its soul to sex, scandal and downright nastiness". Express.co.uk. 12 May 2012. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
- ^ Byrne, Paul. "Jean Alexander dead aged 90: Coronation Street's Hilda Ogden dies in hospital three days after birthday". Mirror.co.uk. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
- ^ "Coronation Street star Jean Alexander dies". BBC News. 14 October 2016. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
External links
- Jean Alexander at IMDb