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March 2004

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Patricia Routledge

Best known: Social snob extraordinaire Hyacinth Bucket in Keeping Up Appearances and as Detective Hetty Wainthrop in Hetty Wainthrop Investigates.

Born: Katherine Patricia Routledge on February 17, 1929 in Birkenhead, Cheshire.

Education: Studied English at Liverpool University followed later by training at the Old Vic Theatre School in Bristol.

First showbiz experiences: She worked as an unpaid assistant at the Liverpool Playhouse and later joined their repertory company. She made her London debut in 1954 in Sheridan's La Duenna. She made her Broadway debut in 1966 in a play entitled How's the World Treating You?

Major Awards:
1968 -- Tony Award for best actress in a musical for her performance in Darling of the Day.
1988 -- Olivier Award for her performance as "Old Lady" in Candide.
1991 -- Top Television Comedy Actress for her performance as Hyacinth.
1993 -- Awarded OBE (Order of the British Empire) in the Queen's Birthday Honours List.
1996 -- Voted Britain's all-time favorite television actress as part of the BBC's 60th anniversary celebration.

The above list is only a partial one. All totaled, Dame Judi has either won or been nominated for over 60 varying awards in theater, television and movies.

Other Career Highlights:
First major TV role was in 1985's Marjorie and Men, a six-part comedy in which she played a divorcee living with her meddling mother.
Played Mrs. Micawber in a 1974 production of David Copperfield.
Talking Heads 2: Miss Fozzard Finds Her Feet (1998). Alan Bennett's award-winning piece performed solo by Patricia.

By Michelle Street
Editor, The Insider

Edited for Applause Online by Mary Eileen O'Connor