Peggy Mount
Encyclopedia
Margaret Rose "Peggy" Mount OBE
, (2 May 1915 – 13 November 2001) was an English actress of stage and screen. She was perhaps best known for playing battleaxe characters, though her real personality was said to have been far removed from such roles. She was also well-known for her distinctive voice.
, Essex
. Her love of acting had begun with the dramatic society of the Wesleyan chapel which she attended in Essex. She first worked as a secretary
and took lessons from a drama tutor, Phyllis Reader, in her spare time.
She progressed through amateur theatre and wartime concert party productions, and in 1944 played her first straight part, in Hindle Wakes at the Hippodrome, Keighley
, before joining the Harry Hanson Court Players for three years, then working in repertory theatre in Colchester
, Preston, Dundee
, Wolverhampton
and Liverpool
.
playing the battleaxe mother-in-law Emma Hornett in Sailor Beware in 1955, having originated the role at Worthing
Rep. She made her film début in the screen version of Sailor Beware!
a year later.
However, Peggy Mount is best known for her many television comedy programmes. In 1958 Mount appeared as a landlady in The Adventures Of Mr. Pastry before landing to her official first television role was in The Larkins the same year, an early ITV
comedy series featuring David Kossoff
and herself as a Cockney
couple, Alf and Ada Larkins, and their family.
The same time as the show, Mount appeared in another sitcom called Winning Widows in 1961-62, opposite Avice Landon as two widows who both had three husbands each then becoming widows.
She followed that from 1966 to 1968 with George and the Dragon, alongside Sid James
and John Le Mesurier
. From 1971 to 1972 she starred in Lollipop Loves Mr Mole with Hugh Lloyd
and Pat Coombs
. Between 1977 and 1981 she then starred in the Yorkshire Television
sitcom You’re Only Young Twice
, as the forthright Flora Petty who often bullied her friend Cissie Lupin (played by Pat Coombs
).
Her other films included The Naked Truth
alongside Terry-Thomas
and Peter Sellers
in 1957 and Ladies Who Do
alongside Harry H Corbett, Jon Pertwee
and Robert Morley
in 1963. She also played Mrs Bumble in the 1968 film of the musical Oliver!
.
as the Nurse to Judi Dench
's Juliet, also appearing there in the play All Things Bright and Beautiful. In the West End she was another dreadful battleaxe in J B Priestley's When We Are Married
in 1970.
For the next four years she toured, notably as Mrs Malaprop in The Rivals
. At Birmingham Rep in 1977 she was a memorable Mother Courage
and appeared in the Ben Travers
's farces Plunder
and Rookery Nook.
In the 1980s she worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company
at Stratford-upon-Avon
and the Barbican Centre
, and made her final stage appearance in 1996 at the Chichester Festival Theatre
in Uncle Vanya
with Trevor Eve
, Imogen Stubbs
and Frances Barber
.
(in "The Greatest Show in the Galaxy" in 1988),The Tomorrow People
(in which she played the cameo role of Mrs Butterworth in the second episode of the 1994 story 'The Monsoon Man') and Inspector Morse
. Mount also appeared in the 1991 T-Bag
Christmas special, 'T-Bag's Christmas Turkey'. She was awarded an OBE in 1995.
In her later years she lost her sight and suffered a series of stroke
s, forcing her to retire. She died at Denville Hall
, the actors' retirement home in North London
. She never married and had no children.
Indie miserablists Half Man Half Biscuit
refer to Peggy in their song "I Love You Because (You Look Like Jim Reeves)", from the album Back in the DHSS
.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, (2 May 1915 – 13 November 2001) was an English actress of stage and screen. She was perhaps best known for playing battleaxe characters, though her real personality was said to have been far removed from such roles. She was also well-known for her distinctive voice.
Early life
Mount was born in Leigh-on-SeaLeigh-on-Sea
Leigh-on-Sea , sometimes called Leigh, is a civil parish in Essex, England. It is part of Southend-on-Sea for administrative purposes. It became a civil parish in 1996. The council tax was increased to support it. A town council was formed. Leigh is the only parish in Southend...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
. Her love of acting had begun with the dramatic society of the Wesleyan chapel which she attended in Essex. She first worked as a secretary
Secretary
A secretary, or administrative assistant, is a person whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, communication & organizational skills. These functions may be entirely carried out to assist one other employee or may be for the benefit...
and took lessons from a drama tutor, Phyllis Reader, in her spare time.
She progressed through amateur theatre and wartime concert party productions, and in 1944 played her first straight part, in Hindle Wakes at the Hippodrome, Keighley
Keighley
Keighley is a town and civil parish within the metropolitan borough of the City of Bradford in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated northwest of Bradford and is at the confluence of the River Aire and the River Worth...
, before joining the Harry Hanson Court Players for three years, then working in repertory theatre in Colchester
Colchester
Colchester is an historic town and the largest settlement within the borough of Colchester in Essex, England.At the time of the census in 2001, it had a population of 104,390. However, the population is rapidly increasing, and has been named as one of Britain's fastest growing towns. As the...
, Preston, Dundee
Dundee
Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
, Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
and Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
.
Career
Mount shot to fame in London's West EndWest 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...
playing the battleaxe mother-in-law Emma Hornett in Sailor Beware in 1955, having originated the role at Worthing
Worthing
Worthing is a large seaside town with borough status in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, forming part of the Brighton/Worthing/Littlehampton conurbation. It is situated at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of the county town of Chichester...
Rep. She made her film début in the screen version of Sailor Beware!
Sailor Beware! (1956 film)
Sailor Beware! is a 1956 British comedy film directed by Gordon Parry.-Cast:* Peggy Mount ... Emma Hornett* Shirley Eaton ... Shirley Hornett* Ronald Lewis ... Albert Tufnell* Cyril Smith ... Henry Hornett* Esma Cannon ... Edie Hornett...
a year later.
However, Peggy Mount is best known for her many television comedy programmes. In 1958 Mount appeared as a landlady in The Adventures Of Mr. Pastry before landing to her official first television role was in The Larkins the same year, an early ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
comedy series featuring David Kossoff
David Kossoff
David Kossoff was a British actor. Following the death of his son Paul, a rock musician, he became an anti-drug campaigner...
and herself as a Cockney
Cockney
The term Cockney has both geographical and linguistic associations. Geographically and culturally, it often refers to working class Londoners, particularly those in the East End...
couple, Alf and Ada Larkins, and their family.
The same time as the show, Mount appeared in another sitcom called Winning Widows in 1961-62, opposite Avice Landon as two widows who both had three husbands each then becoming widows.
She followed that from 1966 to 1968 with George and the Dragon, alongside Sid James
Sid James
Sid James was an English-based South African actor and comedian. He made his name as Tony Hancock's co-star in Hancock's Half Hour and also starred in the popular Carry On films. He was known for his trademark "dirty laugh" and lascivious persona...
and John Le Mesurier
John Le Mesurier
John Le Mesurier was a BAFTA Award-winning English actor. He is most famous for his role as Sergeant Arthur Wilson in the popular 1970s BBC comedy Dad's Army.-Career:...
. From 1971 to 1972 she starred in Lollipop Loves Mr Mole with Hugh Lloyd
Hugh Lloyd
Hugh Lewis Lloyd, MBE was an English actor who made his name in television and film comedy from the 1960s to the 1980s. He was best known for appearances in Hugh and I and other sitcoms of the 1960s.-Life:...
and Pat Coombs
Pat Coombs
Pat Coombs was an English actress. Coombs was considered one of Britain's great character actresses, specialising in the portrayal of the eternal downtrodden female — comically under the thumb of stronger personalities. She was known for many roles on radio, film and television sitcoms...
. Between 1977 and 1981 she then starred in the Yorkshire Television
Yorkshire Television
Yorkshire Television, now officially known as ITV Yorkshire and sometimes unofficially abbreviated to YTV, is a British television broadcaster and the contractor for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV network...
sitcom You’re Only Young Twice
You’re Only Young Twice
You're Only Young Twice is a British television sitcom made and broadcast on the ITV network by Yorkshire Television from 1977 to 1981.-Plot:...
, as the forthright Flora Petty who often bullied her friend Cissie Lupin (played by Pat Coombs
Pat Coombs
Pat Coombs was an English actress. Coombs was considered one of Britain's great character actresses, specialising in the portrayal of the eternal downtrodden female — comically under the thumb of stronger personalities. She was known for many roles on radio, film and television sitcoms...
).
Her other films included The Naked Truth
The Naked Truth (1957 film)
The Naked Truth is a 1957 British film comedy starring Peter Sellers, Terry-Thomas and Dennis Price. Peggy Mount, Shirley Eaton and Joan Sims also appear...
alongside Terry-Thomas
Terry-Thomas
Thomas Terry Hoar Stevens was a distinctive English comic actor, known as Terry-Thomas. He was famous for his portrayal of disreputable members of the upper classes, especially cads and toffs, with the trademark gap in his front teeth, cigarette holder, smoking jacket, and catch-phrases such as...
and Peter Sellers
Peter Sellers
Richard Henry Sellers, CBE , known as Peter Sellers, was a British comedian and actor. Perhaps best known as Chief Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther film series, he is also notable for playing three different characters in Dr...
in 1957 and Ladies Who Do
Ladies Who Do
Ladies Who Do 1963 British comedy film starring Peggy Mount, Robert Morley and Harry H. Corbett.-Cast:*Peggy Mount as Mrs. Cragg*Robert Morley as Colonel Whitforth*Harry H. Corbett as James Ryder*Miriam Karlin as Mrs. Higgins...
alongside Harry H Corbett, Jon Pertwee
Jon Pertwee
John Devon Roland Pertwee , was an English actor. Pertwee is best known for his role in the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who, in which he played the third incarnation of the Doctor from 1970 to 1974, and as the title character in the series Worzel Gummidge...
and Robert Morley
Robert Morley
Robert Adolph Wilton Morley, CBE was an English actor who, often in supporting roles, was usually cast as a pompous English gentleman representing the Establishment...
in 1963. She also played Mrs Bumble in the 1968 film of the musical Oliver!
Oliver! (film)
Oliver! is a 1968 British musical film directed by Carol Reed. The film is based on the stage musical Oliver!, with book, music and lyrics written by Lionel Bart. The screenplay was written by Vernon Harris....
.
Stage work
However, Mount's career flourished most on stage. In 1960 she went to London's Old VicOld Vic
The Old Vic is a theatre located just south-east of Waterloo Station in London on the corner of The Cut and Waterloo Road. Established in 1818 as the Royal Coburg Theatre, it was taken over by Emma Cons in 1880 when it was known formally as the Royal Victoria Hall. In 1898, a niece of Cons, Lilian...
as the Nurse to Judi Dench
Judi Dench
Dame Judith Olivia "Judi" Dench, CH, DBE, FRSA is an English film, stage and television actress.Dench made her professional debut in 1957 with the Old Vic Company. Over the following few years she played in several of William Shakespeare's plays in such roles as Ophelia in Hamlet, Juliet in Romeo...
's Juliet, also appearing there in the play All Things Bright and Beautiful. In the West End she was another dreadful battleaxe in J B Priestley's When We Are Married
When We Are Married
When We Are Married is a 1938 play by English dramatist, J. B. Priestley. It is the first play ever to be televised unedited from a theatre.-Productions:* 1938 World premiere, London, England* 16 November 1938 BBC live telecast...
in 1970.
For the next four years she toured, notably as Mrs Malaprop in The Rivals
The Rivals
The Rivals, a play by Richard Brinsley Sheridan, is a comedy of manners in five acts. It was first performed on 17 January 1775.- Production :...
. At Birmingham Rep in 1977 she was a memorable Mother Courage
Mother Courage
Mother Courage is a character from a Grimmelshausen novel Lebensbeschreibung der Ertzbetrügerin und Landstörtzerin Courasche dating from around 1670...
and appeared in the Ben Travers
Ben Travers
Ben Travers AFC CBE in London) was a British playwright best remembered for his farces.Born in the London borough of Hendon, Travers was educated at Charterhouse, where today there is a theatre named for him...
's farces Plunder
Plunder (1931 film)
Plunder is a British comedy film directed by and starring Tom Walls. It also features Ralph Lynn, Winifred Shotter and Robertson Hare...
and Rookery Nook.
In the 1980s she worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company
Royal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs 700 staff and produces around 20 productions a year from its home in Stratford-upon-Avon and plays regularly in London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and on tour across...
at Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon is a market town and civil parish in south Warwickshire, England. It lies on the River Avon, south east of Birmingham and south west of Warwick. It is the largest and most populous town of the District of Stratford-on-Avon, which uses the term "on" to indicate that it covers...
and the Barbican Centre
Barbican Centre
The Barbican Centre is the largest performing arts centre in Europe. Located in the City of London, England, the Centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exhibitions. It also houses a library, three restaurants, and a conservatory...
, and made her final stage appearance in 1996 at the Chichester Festival Theatre
Chichester Festival Theatre
Chichester Festival Theatre, located in Chichester, England, was designed by Philip Powell and Hidalgo Moya, and opened by its founder Leslie Evershed-Martin in 1962. Subsequently the smaller and more intimate Minerva Theatre was built nearby in 1989....
in Uncle Vanya
Uncle Vanya
Uncle Vanya is a play by the Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. It was first published in 1897 and received its Moscow première in 1899 in a production by the Moscow Art Theatre, under the direction of Konstantin Stanislavski....
with Trevor Eve
Trevor Eve
Trevor John Eve is a British film and television actor. In 1979 he gained fame as the eponymous lead in the detective series Shoestring and is also known for his role as Detective Superintendent Peter Boyd in BBC television drama Waking the Dead.-Early life:Eve was born in Sutton Coldfield,...
, Imogen Stubbs
Imogen Stubbs
Imogen Stubbs, Lady Nunn is an English actress and playwright.-Early life:Imogen Stubbs was born in Northumberland, lived briefly in Portsmouth, where her father was a naval officer, and then moved with her parents to London, where they lived on an elderly river barge on the Thames...
and Frances Barber
Frances Barber
Frances Barber is an Olivier Award-nominated English actress with a long and distinguished stage career. She has also appeared in numerous television productions...
.
Later years
Mount later appeared on television in serious programmes such as Doctor WhoDoctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
(in "The Greatest Show in the Galaxy" in 1988),The Tomorrow People
The Tomorrow People
The Tomorrow People is a British children's science fiction television series, devised by Roger Price. Produced by Thames Television for the ITV Network, the series first ran between 1973 and 1979. The series was re-imagined in 1992, Roger Price acting as executive producer...
(in which she played the cameo role of Mrs Butterworth in the second episode of the 1994 story 'The Monsoon Man') and Inspector Morse
Inspector Morse (TV series)
Inspector Morse is a detective drama based on Colin Dexter's series of Chief Inspector Morse novels. The series starred John Thaw as Chief Inspector Morse and Kevin Whately as Sergeant Lewis. Dexter makes a cameo appearance in all but three of the episodes....
. Mount also appeared in the 1991 T-Bag
T-Bag
T-Bag is a witch-like character who appears in a number of television programmes which ran from the mid-80s to early 90s on Children's ITV. Written by Grant Cathro and Lee Pressman, each series has a different title and features a single story told over several episodes.-History:The programme was...
Christmas special, 'T-Bag's Christmas Turkey'. She was awarded an OBE in 1995.
In her later years she lost her sight and suffered a series of stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
s, forcing her to retire. She died at Denville Hall
Denville Hall
Denville Hall is a retirement home for professional actors, situated in Northwood, Hillingdon, London, which was designed by Founded in 1925 as a charity for actors by Alfred Denville, impresario, actor-manager and MP, he dedicated the Hall to the acting profession, in memory of his son Jack, who...
, the actors' retirement home in North London
North London
North London is the northern part of London, England. It is an imprecise description and the area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes. Common to these definitions is that it includes districts located north of the River Thames and is used in comparison with South...
. She never married and had no children.
Indie miserablists Half Man Half Biscuit
Half Man Half Biscuit
Half Man Half Biscuit, often "HMHB", are an English rock band from Birkenhead, Merseyside, active since the mid-1980s, known for satirical, sardonic, and sometimes surreal songs. The group comprises Nigel Blackwell , Neil Crossley , Ken Hancock , and Carl Henry...
refer to Peggy in their song "I Love You Because (You Look Like Jim Reeves)", from the album Back in the DHSS
Back in the DHSS
-2003 Rerelease:# "Busy Little Market Town"# "God Gave Us Life"# "Fuckin' 'Ell It's Fred Titmus"# "Sealclubbing"# "99% Of Gargoyles Look Like Bob Todd"# "Time Flies By "# "I Hate Nerys Hughes "...
.
Filmography
- The Embezzler (1954)
- Sailor Beware!Sailor Beware! (1956 film)Sailor Beware! is a 1956 British comedy film directed by Gordon Parry.-Cast:* Peggy Mount ... Emma Hornett* Shirley Eaton ... Shirley Hornett* Ronald Lewis ... Albert Tufnell* Cyril Smith ... Henry Hornett* Esma Cannon ... Edie Hornett...
(1956) - Dry RotDry Rot (film)Dry Rot is a 1956 British comedy film directed by Maurice Elvey and starring Ronald Shiner, Brian Rix, Peggy Mount and Sid James.The story is an adaptation of a 1954 farce by John Roy Chapman who also wrote the screenplay, in which the sketchy story plays second fiddle to the quick-paced action and...
(1956) - The Naked TruthThe Naked Truth (1957 film)The Naked Truth is a 1957 British film comedy starring Peter Sellers, Terry-Thomas and Dennis Price. Peggy Mount, Shirley Eaton and Joan Sims also appear...
(1957) - Inn for TroubleInn for TroubleInn for Trouble is a 1960 British comedy film - a movie spin-off of the 1950s sitcom 'The Larkins' - starring Peggy Mount, David Kossoff and Leslie Phillips....
(1960) - Ladies Who DoLadies Who DoLadies Who Do 1963 British comedy film starring Peggy Mount, Robert Morley and Harry H. Corbett.-Cast:*Peggy Mount as Mrs. Cragg*Robert Morley as Colonel Whitforth*Harry H. Corbett as James Ryder*Miriam Karlin as Mrs. Higgins...
(1963) - One Way Pendulum (1964)
- Hotel ParadisoHotel Paradiso (film)Hotel Paradiso is a 1966 film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed by Peter Glenville and based on the play Hotel du Libre Echange by Maurice Desvallières and Georges Feydeau.-Synopsis:...
(1966) - Finders Keepers (1966)
- Oliver!Oliver! (film)Oliver! is a 1968 British musical film directed by Carol Reed. The film is based on the stage musical Oliver!, with book, music and lyrics written by Lionel Bart. The screenplay was written by Vernon Harris....
(1968) - The Princess and the GoblinThe Princess and the Goblin (film)The Princess and the Goblin is a 1992 European animated fantasy film directed by József Gémes. It is an adaptation of 1872 novel of the same name by George MacDonald....
(1992)