Patsy Byrne

Patsy Byrne
Born
Patricia Anne Thirza Byrne

(1933-07-13)13 July 1933
Bexhill, Sussex, England
Died17 June 2014(2014-06-17) (aged 80)
Alma materRose Bruford College
OccupationActress

Patricia Anne Thirza Byrne (13 July 1933 – 17 June 2014) was an English actress, best known for her role as "Nursie" in Blackadder II as well as Malcolm's domineering Mother, Mrs Stoneway in all seven series of the ITV comedy Watching[1] between 1987 and 1993.

Biography

[edit]

Byrne was educated at Ashford County Grammar School. She studied drama at Rose Bruford College before joining the Royal Shakespeare Company playing parts such as Maria in Twelfth Night and Gruscha in The Caucasian Chalk Circle at the Aldwych Theatre in the early 1960s. In the 1980s she also worked at Chichester Festival Theatre.

Byrne starred alongside Tony Robinson in a Series 3 episode of Maid Marian and her Merry Men.[2] She played Betty the Tea Lady on the BBC children's programme Playdays. She also played Marge Stoneway, mother of Malcolm, in TV Series Watching which ran from 1987 to 1993.

Other roles included appearances in I, Claudius (1976), Stealing Heaven (1988), Inspector Morse (1989), 2point4 Children (1991), Les Misérables (1998), David Copperfield (1999) and Kevin & Perry Go Large (2000), as well as numerous radio plays. Byrne performed in the 1990 BBC production of C. S. Lewis' The Silver Chair as the giant nanny in the city of the giants. In 1998 she played Martha Coutts in episode 19 of series 7 of Heartbeat.

Death

[edit]

Byrne died at Denville Hall, a retirement home for performers, on 17 June 2014.[3]

Selected filmography

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
1957 BBC Sunday Night Theatre Susan Barwell "The Mayor's Nest"
1962 The Cherry Orchard Dunyasha, the maid
1963 Espionage Maid "The Frantic Rebel"
1970 The Wednesday Play Markenka "The Cellar and the Almond Tree"
Z Cars: "Lost" Bessie Laidlaw 2 episodes
1971 Doomwatch Mary Franklin Episode: "By the Picking of My Thumbs"
1972 The Alf Garnett Saga Mrs. Frewin
The Ruling Class Mrs. Pamela Treadwell
1973 Z Cars Mary Walker Episode: "Nuisance"
1974 The Gathering Storm Cook TV Movie
1976 I, Claudius Martina Episode: "Some Justice"
1977 Eleanor Marx Lenchen 3 episodes (TV mini-series)
Just William Mrs. Coombe Episode: "The Great Detective"
1978 All Creatures Great and Small Mrs. Hammond Episode: "A Dog's Life"
The Class of Miss MacMichael Mrs. Green
The Devil's Crown Florence 3 episodes (TV mini-series)
Hazell Mrs. Dobson Episode: "Hazell Settles the Accounts"
1979 My Son, My Son Mrs. O'Riordan 1 episode
1979-1980 The Old Curiosity Shop Mrs. Nubbles 4 episodes (TV mini-series)
1980 A Little Silver Trumpet Mrs. Cleaver 5 episodes
1980-1984 The Setbacks Lily Setback 17 episodes
1982 Britannia Hospital Nurse
Educating Marmalade MP's Nanny Episode: "Nanny"
The Return of the Soldier Mrs. Plummer
Tales of the Unexpected Jean "The Absence of Emily"
1983-1984 Miracles Take Longer Betty Hackforth 36 episodes
1984 Danger, Marmalade at Work Miss Peach Episode: "Social Worker"
1985 Bleak House Mrs. Blinder 1 episode (TV mini-series)
1986 Blackadder II Nursie 6 episodes
Mr. Love Mrs. Lunt
Screen Two Mrs. Dempster "Hotel du Lac"
1987 A Dorothy L. Sayers Mystery: "Strong Poison" Mrs. Pettican 2 episodes (TV mini-series)
1987-1993 Watching Mrs. Stoneway 50 episodes
1988 A Taste for Death Millicent Gentle 2 episodes (TV mini-series)
Hanna's War Rosie
Stealing Heaven Agnes
Blackadder's Christmas Carol Nursie, Bernard TV Special
1988-1997 Playdays Betty the Tealady Series regular
1989 Inspector Morse Mrs. Maltby Episode: "The Ghost in the Machine"
1990 The Silver Chair Giant Nanny 2 episodes (TV mini-series)
1992 2point4 Children Peggy Episode: "Thank You Lucky Stars"
In Sickness and in Health Mrs. Jones 1 episode
Emily's Ghost Mrs. Crabtree
Screen One Sarah Stone "Adam's Bede"
1993 The Higher Mortals Matron
Maid Marian and Her Merry Men Marian's Mum Episode: "Keeping Mum"
1994 Hard Times Old Woman 1 episode (TV mini-series)
The Inspector Alleyn Mysteries Mrs. Mitchell Episode: "Hand in Glove"
1995 Casualty Grace Kent Episode: "Halfway House"
1996 The Treasure Seekers Mrs. Nesbit TV Movie
1997 Bramwell Mrs. Mills 1 episode
Peak Practice Mrs. Burns Episode: "Lost Feelings"
1998 Heartbeat Martha Coutts Episode: "Appearances"
Les Misérables Toussaint
The Ruth Rendell Mysteries Daisy Panick Episode: "Road Rage - Part Two"
1999 Blackadder: Back & Forth[4] Nursie
David Copperfield Mrs. Gummidge 2 episodes (TV mini-series)
2000 Kevin & Perry Go Large Old lady
2006 Holby City Esme Taylor Episode: "Into Your Own Hands"

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Slide, Anthony (1996) Some Joe You Don't Know: American Biographical Guide to 100 British Television Personalities, Greenwood Press; ISBN 978-0-313-29550-8, p. 11
  2. ^ "Blackadder 'Nursie' actress Patsy Byrne dies aged 80". BBC News. BBC. 22 June 2014. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
  3. ^ "BYRNE – Deaths Announcements". The Telegraph. 21 June 2014. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
  4. ^ "Blackadder Back & Forth (1999)". Bfi. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 7 January 2018. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
[edit]