Penelope Keith

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Dame Penelope Anne Constance Keith (née Hatfield; 2 April 1940 – 29 June 2026) was an English actress. Active in film, radio, stage and television, where she was also a presenter, Keith was primarily known for her roles in the British sitcoms The Good Life and To the Manor Born. She succeeded Lord Olivier as president of the Actors' Benevolent Fund after his death in 1989 and was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2014 New Year Honours for services to the arts and to charity. Keith joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1963 and went on to win the 1976 Olivier Award for Best Comedy Performance for the play Donkeys' Years. She became a household name in the UK playing Margo Leadbetter in The Good Life (1975–1978), winning the 1977 BAFTA TV Award for Best Light Entertainment Performance. In 1978, Keith won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress for The Norman Conquests. She then starred as Audrey fforbes-Hamilton in To the Manor Born (1979–1981), a series that attracted audiences of more than 20 million. Keith went on to star in another six sitcoms, including Executive Stress (1986–1988), No Job for a Lady (1990–1992) and Next of Kin (1995–1997). From 2000, she worked mainly in the theatre, with roles including Madam Arcati in Blithe Spirit (2004) and Lady Bracknell in The Importance of Being Earnest (2007).

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Career

1. 1940
   Born
2. 1989
   Won Officer of the Order of the British Empire
3. 2007
   Won Commander of the Order of the British Empire
4. 2013
   Won Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire
5. 2026
   Passed away
6. Won Laurence Olivier Awards

Trivia

• •Place of birth: Sutton
• •Citizenship: United Kingdom
• •Known as: actor, film actor, stage actor, film director