Kathy Staff

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Kathy Staff
Kathy Staff
Born
Minnie Higginbottom

(1928-07-12)12 July 1928
Died13 December 2008(2008-12-13) (aged 80)
Resting placeDukinfield Cemetery and Crematorium
OccupationActress
Years active1946–2008
Spouse
John Staff
(m. 1951)
Children2
RelativesConstance (sister)

Kathy Staff (born Minnie Higginbottom; 12 July 1928 – 13 December 2008) was an English actress known for her work on

British television. She is best known for her portrayal of Nora Batty in Last of the Summer Wine
, the longest running sitcom in the world.

Career

Early career

She began her acting career with touring repertory companies in 1946, changing her name to Katherine Brant. After she married John Staff in 1951,

Municipal Borough of Dukinfield. The seat was comfortably held by Labour, with the Liberals beating all three Conservative candidates, the last-placed of whom was Staff.[3][4]

Last of the Summer Wine

Staff was best known for her role as one of the main characters, Nora Batty, in the long-running BBC sitcom Last of the Summer Wine. She played Nora Batty from the pilot episode in 1973 [1] until 2008, the year she died from a brain tumour, totalling 245 episodes.

Following the death of actor Bill Owen on 12 July 1999, Staff left the show briefly. She stated in interviews that things just were not the same since his death, and her heart was no longer in it. She would later return to the show and remain until her death in 2008.

Television

Staff had a regular role as Doris Luke in the popular ATV soap opera,

Vera Hopkins,[1] No Frills as Molly Bickerstaff, Open All Hours as Mrs Blewitt, Dawson's Weekly and The Benny Hill Show
. She appeared in a television version of Separate Tables in 1983.

She was the subject of

Lily Savage's Blankety Blank,[5] plus a brief appearance in Follyfoot
.

Theatre

Her theatre roles included Lady Bracknell in

Birmingham Rep, Madame Arcati and Mrs Malaprop in touring productions of Blithe Spirit and The Rivals respectively and a touring production of the comedy Sailor, Beware!, as well as two West End plays: the farce Two into One and comedy When We Are Married, and many pantomimes.[2]

Films

She appeared in A Kind of Loving (1962) as Thora Hird's neighbour, as well as The Family Way (1966), The Dresser (1983), Camille (1984), Little Dorrit (1988), and Mary Reilly (1996).[6]

Illness and death

Staff died on 13 December 2008 at the Willow Wood Hospice in Ashton-under-Lyne, at the age of 80, with her husband John at her bedside, after a brain tumour was diagnosed earlier in the year.[7][8] Her death was announced on 14 December.[9] Her funeral took place at St Mark's Church, Dukinfield, where she was a lifelong member and sang in the choir. She is commemorated in a memorial screen at the church.[10]

Television roles

Year Title Role
1969 Castle Haven Lorna Everitt
1970 Queenie's Castle Mrs Blakely
1973 Hadleigh Mrs Brennan
1973–2001
2002–2008
Last of the Summer Wine Nora Batty; 243 episodes
1973–1975 Coronation Street
Vera Hopkins
1975 Emmerdale Winnie Purvis
1976–1981 Open All Hours Mrs Blewett
1978–1984
2001–2002
Crossroads Doris Luke
1983–1986 The Benny Hill Show Various
1988 No Frills Molly Bickerstaff

References

  1. ^ a b c "Nora: Kathy Staff". The Huddersfield Daily Examiner. 1 January 2000. Archived from the original on 12 May 2008. Retrieved 14 December 2008.
  2. ^ .
  3. ^ "Non-County Boroughs". Elections Centre. 9 March 2018. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  4. ^ "1971.xlsx". Google Docs. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  5. Lily Savage's Blankety Blank. 25 March 2001. ITV
    .
  6. ^ The Independent
  7. ^ Dowling, Nicola (14 December 2008). "Summer Wine's Nora Batty dies". Manchester Evening News. M.E.N. Media. Retrieved 14 December 2008.
  8. ^ "Kathy Staff". The Daily Telegraph. 14 December 2008. Retrieved 14 December 2008.
  9. ^ "Summer Wine star Staff dies at 80". BBC News. 14 December 2008. Retrieved 14 December 2008.
  10. ^ Chester Diocesan News, February 2011

Further reading

  • Staff, Kathy (1999). Book of Happy Families.
  • Staff, Kathy (1999). My Story, Wrinkles & All.

External links