Maggie Jones (actress)
Encyclopedia
Margaret "Maggie" Jones (21 June 1934 – 2 December 2009) was an English
actress, best known for playing Blanche Hunt
in the British
soap opera
Coronation Street
, a role which she first portrayed in 1974 and played regularly from the late 1990s until shortly before her death.
and performed in numerous plays including Pride and Prejudice
and The Women on the West End
stage. Her first television role came in 1961 when she appeared in one episode of Coronation Street
as a policewoman.
Jones's first major television role was in BBC's adaptation of The Forsyte Saga
. Jones played the maid, Smither, a small but recurring part. Prior to playing Blanche in Coronation Street her best-known role was in Sam with Mark McManus
.
Several years after her first Coronation Street role she had another guest role, as a shoplifter. In 1974 she debuted as Blanche Hunt
, the mother of Deirdre
. The part had originally been played by Patricia Cutts
, who committed suicide
after appearing in only two episodes. Jones, who had previously auditioned for the role, accepted an offer to take over the part at short notice as storylines had already been written for Blanche.
Jones remained a regular cast member until 1976. She re-appeared in the show briefly when Blanche's grandchild Tracy
was born in 1977, when Deirdre's marriage to Ray Langton
collapsed in 1978 and when Deirdre married Ken Barlow in 1981.
Throughout the 1980s Jones was a regular face on British
television, appearing in several series. These included The Barchester Chronicles
, The Beiderbecke Tapes
, In Sickness and in Health
, Sharon and Elsie, We'll Think Of Something
, The Nesbitts Are Coming and Lovely Couple, alongside Pauline Quirke
.
After guest appearances in shows such as Dalziel and Pascoe
, Goodnight Sweetheart
, Heartbeat and Peak Practice
in the 1990s, Jones reprised the role of Blanche Hunt
in Coronation Street
in 1996. She became a regular cast member again in 1999. Blanche's trademark withering one-liners and no-nonsense attitude made her a firm favourite of fans of the long-running show. In 2005 and 2008 Jones won a British Soap Award for Best Comedy Performance in a British Soap. Jones stated that she didn't think of her character as funny.
, London in 1999.
John Stansfield was a barrister and came from a very wealthy family. Margaret Jones and her husband owned several estates including one in London and one in the country in Gloucestershire, England. The country estate in Gloucestershire was located adjacent to Berkeley Castle and was situated on 100 acre (0.404686 km²) that included a very large English garden, park land and forest. Ms. Jones' Personal Assistant and the family's Executive Assistant and Estate Manager was Mary Ann Patino.
Her final appearance as Blanche was aired on 11 December 2009.
Jones' funeral was held at St. Peter's Catholic church in Clerkenwell, London on 15 December 2009.
Jones' Memorial Service for her voluminous northern connection was held with a well attended and full congregation at Salford St Johns Catholic Cathedral with Canon Anthony McBride and members of the Salford Cathedral choir on 25 February 2010 where many of her friends, colleagues and admirers from the general public turned out in strength to pay tribute to her professionalism as an actor and to her reliability, perspecacity and honesty as a friend. Tributes included were from William Roache
, Anne Kirkbride
, Tony Singleton, Sue Nichols, Craig Gazey
and Brooke Vincent
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
actress, best known for playing Blanche Hunt
Blanche Hunt
Blanche Hunt is a fictional character from the ITV soap opera Coronation Street. She was originally played by Patricia Cutts; however, the actress committed suicide after appearing in just two episodes in 1974. Maggie Jones took over the role, playing Blanche in over 830 episodes between 1974 and...
in the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
, a role which she first portrayed in 1974 and played regularly from the late 1990s until shortly before her death.
Career
Jones graduated from the drama school RADARoyal Academy of Dramatic Art
The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art is a drama school located in London, United Kingdom. It is generally regarded as one of the most renowned drama schools in the world, and is one of the oldest drama schools in the United Kingdom, having been founded in 1904.RADA is an affiliate school of the...
and performed in numerous plays including Pride and Prejudice
Pride and Prejudice
Pride and Prejudice is a novel by Jane Austen, first published in 1813. The story follows the main character Elizabeth Bennet as she deals with issues of manners, upbringing, morality, education and marriage in the society of the landed gentry of early 19th-century England...
and The Women on the West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
stage. Her first television role came in 1961 when she appeared in one episode of Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
as a policewoman.
Jones's first major television role was in BBC's adaptation of The Forsyte Saga
The Forsyte Saga
The Forsyte Saga is a series of three novels and two interludes published between 1906 and 1921 by John Galsworthy. They chronicle the vicissitudes of the leading members of an upper-middle-class British family, similar to Galsworthy's own...
. Jones played the maid, Smither, a small but recurring part. Prior to playing Blanche in Coronation Street her best-known role was in Sam with Mark McManus
Mark McManus
Mark McManus was a Scottish actor best known for his portrayal of Detective Chief Inspector Jim Taggart in the long-running ITV television series Taggart for eleven years until his death.-Career:...
.
Several years after her first Coronation Street role she had another guest role, as a shoplifter. In 1974 she debuted as Blanche Hunt
Blanche Hunt
Blanche Hunt is a fictional character from the ITV soap opera Coronation Street. She was originally played by Patricia Cutts; however, the actress committed suicide after appearing in just two episodes in 1974. Maggie Jones took over the role, playing Blanche in over 830 episodes between 1974 and...
, the mother of Deirdre
Deirdre Barlow
Deirdre Anne Barlow is a long-standing fictional character in the UK television ITV Granada soap opera, Coronation Street...
. The part had originally been played by Patricia Cutts
Patricia Cutts
Patricia Cutts was an English film and television actress.-Biography:Born in London, Cutts was the daughter of the writer-director Graham Cutts. Her first roles were small parts in American films such as I Was a Male War Bride and The Man Who Loved Redheads and the television shows Alfred...
, who committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
after appearing in only two episodes. Jones, who had previously auditioned for the role, accepted an offer to take over the part at short notice as storylines had already been written for Blanche.
Jones remained a regular cast member until 1976. She re-appeared in the show briefly when Blanche's grandchild Tracy
Tracy Barlow
Tracy Lynette Barlow is a fictional character in the British television soap opera Coronation Street. She is currently portrayed, since 2002, by Kate Ford, the latest in a series of actresses who have played Tracy at various ages...
was born in 1977, when Deirdre's marriage to Ray Langton
Ray Langton
Raymond Anthony "Ray" Langton was a major character in the British television soap opera Coronation Street. He was played by Neville Buswell. An ex-borstal boy, Ray built up a reputation as a troublemaker. He first appeared in the Street in 1966 but was forced out by Len after he threatened Lucille...
collapsed in 1978 and when Deirdre married Ken Barlow in 1981.
Throughout the 1980s Jones was a regular face on British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
television, appearing in several series. These included The Barchester Chronicles
The Barchester Chronicles
The Barchester Chronicles is a 1982 British television serial produced by the BBC. It is an adaptation of Anthony Trollope's first two Barchester novels, The Warden and Barchester Towers, and was directed by David Giles...
, The Beiderbecke Tapes
The Beiderbecke Tapes
The Beiderbecke Tapes is a two-part British television drama serial written by Alan Plater and broadcast in 1987. It is the second serial in The Beiderbecke Trilogy and stars James Bolam and Barbara Flynn as schoolteachers Trevor Chaplin and Jill Swinburne...
, In Sickness and in Health
In Sickness and in Health
In Sickness and in Health was a BBC television sitcom which ran between 1985 and 1992. It was also a sequel to both the highly successful Til Death Us Do Part which ran between 1966 and 1975 and Till Death... which ran for one series in 1981.-Series 1:This comedy series debuted in 1985 and took...
, Sharon and Elsie, We'll Think Of Something
We'll Think of Something
We'll Think of Something is a British sitcom that aired on ITV in 1986. Starring Sam Kelly, it was written by Geoff Rowley, who had also written episodes of Birds of a Feather and Goodnight Sweetheart...
, The Nesbitts Are Coming and Lovely Couple, alongside Pauline Quirke
Pauline Quirke
Pauline Perpetua Quirke is a British actress. She is best known for her role as Sharon in the comedy series Birds of a Feather, alongside her lifelong friend and frequent acting partner Linda Robson...
.
After guest appearances in shows such as Dalziel and Pascoe
Dalziel and Pascoe (BBC TV series)
Dalziel and Pascoe is a popular British television crime drama based on the Dalziel and Pascoe books by Reginald Hill, which was first broadcast in March 1996. It is set in Yorkshire, and is about two detectives...
, Goodnight Sweetheart
Goodnight Sweetheart
Goodnight Sweetheart is a sitcom that ran for six series on BBC1 from 1993 to 1999. It stars Nicholas Lyndhurst as Gary Sparrow, an accidental time traveller who leads a double life after discovering a time portal allowing him to travel between the London of the 1990s and the same area during the...
, Heartbeat and Peak Practice
Peak Practice
Peak Practice is a British drama series about a GP surgery in Cardale — a small fictional town in the Derbyshire Peak District — and the doctors who worked there. It ran on ITV from 10 May 1993 to 30 January 2002 and was one of their most successful series at the time...
in the 1990s, Jones reprised the role of Blanche Hunt
Blanche Hunt
Blanche Hunt is a fictional character from the ITV soap opera Coronation Street. She was originally played by Patricia Cutts; however, the actress committed suicide after appearing in just two episodes in 1974. Maggie Jones took over the role, playing Blanche in over 830 episodes between 1974 and...
in Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
in 1996. She became a regular cast member again in 1999. Blanche's trademark withering one-liners and no-nonsense attitude made her a firm favourite of fans of the long-running show. In 2005 and 2008 Jones won a British Soap Award for Best Comedy Performance in a British Soap. Jones stated that she didn't think of her character as funny.
Personal life
She was a Roman Catholic. She married John Oliver Stansfield in 1971; he died aged 72 in WestminsterCity of Westminster
The City of Westminster is a London borough occupying much of the central area of London, England, including most of the West End. It is located to the west of and adjoining the ancient City of London, directly to the east of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and its southern boundary...
, London in 1999.
John Stansfield was a barrister and came from a very wealthy family. Margaret Jones and her husband owned several estates including one in London and one in the country in Gloucestershire, England. The country estate in Gloucestershire was located adjacent to Berkeley Castle and was situated on 100 acre (0.404686 km²) that included a very large English garden, park land and forest. Ms. Jones' Personal Assistant and the family's Executive Assistant and Estate Manager was Mary Ann Patino.
Illness
On 18 April 2008, Jones fell, injuring her knee and shoulder at the Manchester hotel in which she stayed while filming Coronation Street. She took two weeks off work on Coronation Street to recover from the accident. She was written out of the series again when she fell ill in October 2009.Death
In October 2009, Jones was admitted to Salford Royal hospital in Salford, Greater Manchester, for undisclosed major surgery; she was reported to be making a slow and steady recovery. However, her condition later deteriorated, and she remained in the same hospital until she died peacefully in her sleep on the morning of 2 December 2009. She is survived by her sister Joan.Her final appearance as Blanche was aired on 11 December 2009.
Jones' funeral was held at St. Peter's Catholic church in Clerkenwell, London on 15 December 2009.
Jones' Memorial Service for her voluminous northern connection was held with a well attended and full congregation at Salford St Johns Catholic Cathedral with Canon Anthony McBride and members of the Salford Cathedral choir on 25 February 2010 where many of her friends, colleagues and admirers from the general public turned out in strength to pay tribute to her professionalism as an actor and to her reliability, perspecacity and honesty as a friend. Tributes included were from William Roache
William Roache
William Patrick Harry Roache MBE is a British actor, best known for his role as Ken Barlow in the soap opera Coronation Street...
, Anne Kirkbride
Anne Kirkbride
Anne Kirkbride is an English actress, best known for her long-running role as Deirdre Barlow in Coronation Street which she has played for thirty-nine years.-Coronation Street:...
, Tony Singleton, Sue Nichols, Craig Gazey
Craig Gazey
Craig Gazey is an award-winning English actor.He attended Eggbuckland Community College up until 1998, where he attended City College Plymouth, studying a BTEC National Diploma in Performing Arts. He then went on to attend Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama and graduated in 2005...
and Brooke Vincent
Brooke Vincent
Brooke Levi Vincent is an actress in the British soap opera Coronation Street. She joined the soap in 2004, taking over from Emma Woodward in the role of Sophie Webster.- Career :...
.