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British stage and film actress Elizabeth Allan was born in Skegness, Lincolnshire. She made her stage debut at the age of 17; her movie debut came about four years later with an appearance in the Hercule Poirot mystery Alibi (1931).

At the beginning of her career, Allan mainly appeared in films for Julius Hagen's Twickenham Studios, but later signed a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. 1935 was a good year for the actress, with roles in two Charles Dickens adaptations: - David Copperfield (1935) and A Tale of Two Cities (1935) - and the star-studded horror Mark of the Vampire (1935).

Allan's relationship with MGM became strained after they announced her for a leading part in The Citadel (1938), only to then replace her with Rosalind Russell. Not long following this incident, Allan was again replaced in a successful picture, this time by Greer Garson in Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939). This was the final straw for Allan, and she successfully sued the studio, thus terminating her contract with them.

By the 1950s, Allan was taking on character roles. Notable movies of this period include No Highway in the Sky (1951), The Heart of the Matter (1953), and The Haunted Strangler (1958) (which turned out to be her final film). She also appeared on the UK version of the game show What's My Line (1951) as a panelist, which got her awarded with Great Britain's Top Female TV Personality of 1952.

Allan was married to agent Wilfred O'Bryen from 1932 to his death in 1977. She passed away on July 27, 1990 at the age of 80.

Fay Compton was born on 18 September 1894 in West Kensington, London, England, UK. She was an actress, known for The Haunting (1963), Laughter in Paradise (1951) and Othello (1951). She was married to Ralph Michael, Leon Quartermaine, Lauri de Frece and Harry Gabriel Pelissier. She died on 12 December 1978 in Hove, East Sussex, England, UK.

Patricia Amy Rowlands was born in Palmer's Green, north London on 19 January 1931 to Albert and Amy. She was educated at the Covent of the Sacred Heart in Whetstone. Her parents encouraged her to have elocution lessons to improve her employment prospects.

It was her elocution tutor who recognized her acting potential and encouraged her to apply to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. She won a scholarship there at the age of fifteen, coming top in the whole of England.

Patricia's first professional appearance was in the chorus for the touring version of 'Annie Get Your Gun' in 1950, featuring Lionel Blair. Venues included the King's Theatre, Portsmouth in August and the Theatre Royal, Dublin in November.

Now known as Patsy, she made her West End debut in 1958 as Doris Hare's granddaughter in 'Valmouth', Sandy Wilson's musical about a spa town where the aged residents enjoy a prolonged sex life. As Thetis Tooke, the country lass pining for her absent sailor boy, she gave a subtly mischievous performance.

Her persuasive soprano (preserved on the original cast album) indicates that she could have had a flourishing career in musicals, and few who saw the show's first incarnation will forget her underplayed, hilarious performance of her riverside song solo, 'I Loved a Man'. Director Vida Hope had given her some wickedly sly business with a twitching fish, the number ending with Patsy on her back with the fish between her toes, which had most of the audience convulsed, though probably not the critic who asked in his column "has the censor quit?"

Sandy Wilson, who remembers Patsy as "unique, sweet, funny and ridiculous" in the role, recalls that when Princess Margaret attended a performance at the Saville, one newspaper next day complained that she should not have been exposed to such a disgusting number. "It caused the censor to take another look at the show and he decided that she could still sing to the fish, but it had to be dead and not move!"

Patsy went on to combine serious drama with her work at the Players' Theatre in London, where traditional music hall shows had nurtured the careers of so many comic actors. It was at the Players' Theatre that she first worked with Hattie Jacques and also met composer Malcolm Sircom. Patsy married Malcolm in 1962.

As part of the theatre's New Wave of the early Sixties, Patsy appeared as Sylvia Groomkirby (her favorite role) in N.F. Simpson's surreal comedy, One Way Pendulum (1961), and as Avril Hadfield in David Turner's 'Semi- Detached' (1962), directed by Tony Richardson and starring Sir Laurence Olivier. Richardson, a particular champion of Patsy's versatile talents, gave her one of her first important screen roles, as a nubile young miss in his masterly, Oscar-winning version of Tom Jones (1963), scripted by Harold Pinter.

She had made her screen debut in On the Fiddle (1961), alongside Sean Connery, and followed it with an effective performance as the heroine's tenacious girl-friend in John Schlesinger's biting drama A Kind of Loving (1962), starring Alan Bates. The following year, she appeared in the Norman Wisdom film A Stitch in Time (1963) whilst pregnant with her son, Alan Sircom. Patsy and Malcolm were divorced just eighteen months after their son's birth.

Although she regarded herself primarily as a stage performer, when her wacky technique could be in full flower, Patsy was also a familiar face on television. Early television appearances included Tuppence in the Gods (1960) and The Actor (1961) with later credits including Love All (1969), a deliciously witty performance in the television play An Extra Bunch of Daffodils (1969) and starring as Roy Kinnear's wife in the sitcom Inside George Webley (1968). Her television work never dried up.

Directors soon got to know that she was so individual that she had to be cast selectively, but when she was right for a part she was very right, and her range stretched more broadly than some expected. She was part of the theaters "New Wave" of talent that invigorated both stage and screen in the Sixties. Despite prestigious credits and enormous respect within the profession, it is probably true to say that her talents were under-appreciated until she became part of the "Carry On" team.

Between 1969 and 1975 Patsy appeared in nine of the "Carry On" films, usually as the dowdy, put-upon wife - wives do not come much more put-upon than her queen who gets her head chopped off in Carry on Henry VIII (1971) to make way for the King's (Sidney James) latest wife. Or she would be the timid housekeeper or employee quietly lusting after a gloriously insensitive Kenneth Williams, just waiting for the right moment to throw off her drab cocoon and emerge in her true plumage, for example in Carry on Loving (1970). Patsy later confided that she found Kenneth Williams intimidating and it took quite some time for him to accepted her as one of the gang.

She tested the merchandise at Boggs Sanitary Ware in Carry on at Your Convenience (1971), complaining: "I've given my whole life to Boggs," and she was the worm that finally turns in Carry on Girls (1973), as the wife of the boring, self-important mayor (Kenneth Connor). She sabotages his beauty contest by burning her bra and joining Women's Lib. She was proud of the series, stating: "They had good, honest humor, sometimes naughty but never too rude - entertainment for all the family." Her last film in the series was Carry on Behind (1975).

The role of Betty, Sidney James's feckless neighbor in the sitcom Bless This House (1971), consolidated her success as a major comic screen actress. The series ran for six years and Patsy played the long-suffering neighbor with immense gusto. She and her co-stars, Sidney James and Diana Coupland, brought rude energy to the series. Despite the critics thinking it trite, the show won awards, the public loved it and it spawned a film version in 1972. Bless This House (1971) was followed by another hit sitcom The Squirrels (1974), set in the offices of a television rental company.

Serious films included Tony Richardson's Joseph Andrews (1977) and Roman Polanski's Tess (1979), and on stage she was directed by Lindsay Anderson in 'The Seagull' (1975) and as the archetypal housewife in 'Shut Your Eyes And Think Of England' (1977) alongside Donald Sinden. Other plays included Ronald Eyre's acclaimed production of J.B. Priestley's When We Are Married (1987) alongside Timothy West, Prunella Scales and Patricia Routledge. Anderson also directed her in 'The March On Russia' (1989) at the National Theatre, where she appeared in 'The Pied Piper' (1987) as a very idiosyncratic Lady Mayoress, and in 'The Wind In The Willows' (1990).

Her musicals included the West End premiere of Stephen Sondheim's 'Into The Woods', at the Phoenix Theatre (1990), 'Me And My Girl' (1993), Sam Mendes' long-running revival of 'Oliver!' (1994) at the London Palladium and a delightful performance as Mrs. Pearce in Cameron Mackintosh's revival of 'My Fair Lady' (2001) at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. She took Eliza Doolittle off to the bath and danced through 'I Think She's Got It' for a year and then was asked to return to the role when the show was recast for its third year.

By the eighties, she was well-established in television sitcom. She starred in Nigel Kneale's cult sci-fi comedy Kinvig (1981) and teamed up with Thora Hird in Hallelujah! (1983). They played an aunt and niece in the Salvation Army. Patsy also appeared alongside Thora in two episodes of the sitcom In Loving Memory (1969). In the nineties, she appeared as Mrs. Clapham in Get Well Soon (1997), set in a National Health Service hospital during the post-war period.

In sitcoms, Patsy was an ideal sparring partner, never hogging the limelight and generous to colleagues. Such stars as Les Dawson, Dick Emery and, in particular, Billy Connolly in Supergran and the Course of True Love (1985). All asked for her to play with them in important sketches. Les Dawson telephoned Patsy when she was in hospital after breaking her ankle on stage, in May 1993, asking her to be in a new show playing his wife. Tragically, he died of a heart attack just a couple of weeks later.

In addition to sitcoms, Patsy appeared children's shows, such as Rainbow (1972), and numerous television dramas. Her plump, rustic features were put to effective use in classic serials such as Vanity Fair (1998) and The Cazalets (2001), which narrated the problems of a wealthy family just before the Second World War. She played Miss Millament with relish.

Patsy completed three audio commentaries for the launch of the Carlton-distributed later "Carry On" DVDs in 2003, appearing alongside Jacki Piper, Valerie Leon, June Whitfield, Jack Douglas and Larry Dann. From the second half of the nineties onward, she had also appeared in numerous television documentaries about her late "Carry On" co-stars Kenneth Williams, Hattie Jacques and Sidney James as well as Norman Wisdom.

Breast cancer was diagnosed while she was appearing as Mrs. Pearce in 'My Fair Lady' at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. But she carried on without telling any of her fellow actors. It was typical of the droll and hard-working actor that she still tried to convince her friends that she was about to "go back to the gym" and would soon be ready for work. She did it to spare their feelings.

While ill, she had continued to work until she abandoned plans to become a teacher of acting and publicly retired soon after 'My Fair Lady' closed on 30 August 2003. The following year, she moved to Martlets Hospice, Hove, East Sussex - just over a mile from her flat - where she spent her final days.

Her son, Alan Sircom, announced: "I think you should all know that my mother, Patsy Rowlands, passed away at 6:20 am, Saturday 22 January 2005. She was never very good with mornings. She died peacefully in her sleep." She died at Martlets Hospice at the age of 74 and three days (although newspapers mistakenly reported her age as 71).

Agent Simon Beresford said: "She was just an absolutely favorite client. She never complained about anything, particularly when she was ill, she was an old trouper. She was of the old school - she had skills from musical theatre and high drama, that is why she worked with the great and the good of directors. She didn't mind always being recognized for the "Carry On" films because she thoroughly enjoyed making them. She was a really lovely person and she will be much missed."

'My Fair Lady' director, Eleanor Fazan, remembered her with affection: "Patsy was always very unselfish and a delight to work with: full of energy and keen to try anything new. She was a joy."

One obituary summarized Patsy as "a character actress of much style and blessed with superb timing and charismatic charm. She was a refined comedienne who could switch from the bawdy to the subtle. Rowlands did put-upon characters wonderfully, but never overdid the comedy: it was always kept within the bounds of the role. She was expert at delivering a tag line."

Another obituary revealed she was an admirer of Claude Monet and an accomplished watercolor and pastel artist. She once had her work appear the Royal Academy summer show.

Following her private, family funeral, a public memorial service was held at midday on Friday 29 April 2005 at St Paul's Church, Covent Garden, known more commonly as The Actors' Church. Attendees to the public service included Anna Wing, Carol Cleveland and Simon Beresford. Donations were collected for the Martlets Hospice charity, who cared for Patsy in her last days, with £350 raised.

She made her stage debut at the Floral Hall in Scarborough with Jack Hylton. Strongly associated with comedy and impersonations she played her first straight part in 'Mr Gillie' at London's Garrick Theatre with Alastair Sim and George Cole and also appeared with them in 'The Bargain' at London's St Martin's Theatre. She lived in a 300 year old cottage in the heart of Sussex.

Annabel Giles was born on 20 May 1959 in Griffithstown, Gwent, Wales, UK. She was an actress, known for Firelight (1997), The New Look (1991) and Chuck Finn (1999). She was married to Midge Ure. She died on 20 November 2023 in Hove, East Sussex, England, UK.

Thomas Baptiste was born on 17 March 1929 in Georgetown, British Guiana. He was an actor, known for The Wild Geese (1978), Amin: The Rise and Fall (1981) and The Ipcress File (1965). He died on 6 December 2018 in Brighton & Hove, East Sussex, England, UK.

Jack May was born on 23 April 1922 in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England, UK. He was an actor, known for The Man Who Would Be King (1975), Count Duckula (1988) and Adam Adamant Lives! (1966). He was married to Petra Davies. He died on 19 September 1997 in Hove, East Sussex, England, UK.

Marjorie Rhodes was born on 9 April 1897 in Hull, Yorkshire, England, UK. She was an actress, known for The Family Way (1966), Watch It, Sailor! (1961) and The Good Companions (1957). She was married to Harry Colin Edgell. She died on 4 July 1979 in Hove, East Sussex, England, UK.

Joan Henley was born on 2 September 1904 in Dublin, Ireland. She was an actress, known for A Room with a View (1985), Charley's Aunt (1938) and Purse Strings (1933). She was married to Laurence Meynell and Bruce Belfrage. She died on 10 February 1986 in Hove, East Sussex, England, UK.

Renee Gadd was born on 22 June 1908 in Bahía Blanca, Buenos Aires, Argentina. She was an actress, known for Dead of Night (1945), David Copperfield (1935) and The Love Captive (1934). She was married to Joe Wilson, Guy Tooth and Harry Hardman. She died on 20 July 2003 in Hove, East Sussex, England, UK.

Pamela Stirling was born on 14 March 1920 in Wandsworth, Surrey, England, UK. She was an actress, known for The Echo Murders (1945), R.U.R. (1948) and Madness of the Heart (1949). She died on 25 May 2013 in Hove, East Sussex, England, UK.

Stocky, bespectacled English character actor, whose career began in the music halls. Educated at Dover College, Oliver Burchett Clarence acted in repertory theatre from 1890. He then worked as a member of actor-manager Frank Benson's troupe for a number of years. During the First World War, he served as a special constable. After the war, Clarence undertook extensive classical training in Britain and America and subsequently accumulated a long list of credits on London's Shakespearean stage. A regular in British films from 1930, he was generally well-cast in period drama or comedy, often as cloth-capped working class types, priests or likable old dodderers. O.B. Clarence retired from acting at the age of eighty.

Deidre Doyle was born on 16 April 1881 in Manchester, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Take My Life (1947), Oliver Twist (1948) and BBC Sunday-Night Theatre (1950). She was married to George Graves and A.E. Anson. She died in 1972 in Hove, East Sussex, England, UK.

Bernard Jordan was born on 16 June 1924 in Hove, East Sussex, England, UK. He was married to Irene. He died on 30 December 2014 in Hove, East Sussex, England, UK.

Ingeborg von Kusserow was born on 28 January 1919 in Wollstein, Ostalbkreis, Germany. She was an actress, known for One Wild Oat (1951), Twilight Women (1952) and Captain Horatio Hornblower (1951). She was married to Kenneth Slingsby-Fahn and Percy Friedrich Graf von Welsburg. She died on 14 April 2014 in Hove, East Sussex, England, UK.

Margaret Burton was born on 18 March 1924 in Keighley, Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Sex and the Other Woman (1972), The Tomorrow People (1973) and Orson Welles Great Mysteries (1973). She was married to Michael Garvey, Arnold Moseley and David Nixon. She died on 23 November 1984 in Hove, East Sussex, England, UK.

Alex Vetchinsky was born on 9 November 1904 in London, England, UK. He was an art director and production designer, known for The Lady Vanishes (1938), Hell Below Zero (1954) and Rotten to the Core (1965). He died on 4 March 1980 in Hove, East Sussex, England, UK.

Dudley Stevens was born on 8 August 1935 in Iford, Essex, England, UK. He was an actor, known for End of Part One (1979), Intimate Games (1976) and Kelly Monteith (1979). He died on 23 January 1993 in Hove, East Sussex, England, UK.

Joseph Jefferson Farjeon was born on 4 June 1883 in London, England, UK. Joseph Jefferson was a writer, known for The Ghost Camera (1933), Number 17 (1932) and The Phantom Light (1935). Joseph Jefferson was married to Frances Antoinette Wood. Joseph Jefferson died on 6 June 1955 in Hove, East Sussex, England, UK.

Frederick Lloyd was born on 15 January 1880 in Ponders End, London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Oliver Twist (1948), Arms and the Man (1932) and The Hound of the Baskervilles (1931). He was married to Yvette J.E. Plancon (actress) and Auriol Lee. He died on 24 November 1949 in Hove, East Sussex, England, UK.

Denis Cannan was born on 14 May 1919 in Oxford, England, UK. He was a writer and actor, known for Tales of the Unexpected (1979), A Boy Ten Feet Tall (1963) and Tamahine (1963). He died on 25 September 2011 in Hove, East Sussex, England, UK.

Jack Dorsey was born in February 1929 in Wrexham, Wales, UK. Jack was a composer, known for The Great British Striptease (1980) and Anything for Love (1985). Jack died on 30 April 2017 in Hove, England, UK.

Moris Farhi was born in 1935 in Ankara, Turkey. He was a writer and actor, known for Strange Report (1969), Doctor Who: The Lost Stories (2009) and Return of the Saint (1978). He was married to Nina Ruth Gould. He died on 5 March 2019 in Hove, East Sussex, England, UK.

Leslie Holmes was born on 14 December 1901 in Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland, England, UK. He was an actor, known for His Lordship (1932), Feather Your Nest (1937) and When You Come Home (1947). He died on 28 December 1960 in Hove, East Sussex, England, UK.

Pauline Black was born on 16 January 1926 in Sunderland, Tyne & Wear, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Saturday Playhouse (1958), BBC Sunday-Night Theatre (1950) and Little Women (1958). She was married to Paul Carpenter. She died on 9 November 2007 in Hove, East Sussex, England, UK.