Annette Crosbie

Annette Crosbie OBE
Born	Annette Ross Mcleod Crosbie (1934-02-12) 12 February 1934 (age 90) Gorebridge, Midlothian, Scotland
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1959–present
Spouse	Michael Griffiths ​ ​ (m. 1966; div. 1985)​
Children	2, including Selina Griffiths

Annette Crosbie (born 12 February 1934) is a Scottish actress.^[1] She is best known for her role as Margaret Meldrew in the BBC sitcom One Foot in the Grave (1990–2000). She twice won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress, for The Six Wives of Henry VIII in 1971 and in 1976 for Edward the Seventh.

Also in 1976, she was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for the 1976 film The Slipper and the Rose and she won the award for Best Actress at the Evening Standard British Film Awards for the same role. Her other film appearances include The Pope Must Die (1991), Shooting Fish (1997), The Debt Collector (1999), Calendar Girls (2003) and Into the Woods (2014).

Early life and career

Crosbie was born in Gorebridge, Midlothian, Scotland, as Annette Ross Mcleod Crosbie to Presbyterian parents who disapproved of her becoming an actress.^[2] Nevertheless, she joined the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School while still in her teens. She began her career with the Glasgow Citizens' Theatre Company in 1956.^[3] She was educated at Boroughmuir High School in Edinburgh.^[4] Her big break came in 1970 when she was cast as Catherine of Aragon in the BBC television series The Six Wives of Henry VIII, for which she won the 1971 BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress.^[5] In 1973, she starred alongside Vanessa Redgrave in the BBC serial A Picture of Katherine Mansfield.

In 1975, Crosbie made a similar impact as another queen, Queen Victoria, in the ITV period drama Edward the Seventh, for which she won the 1976 BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress. She played Cinderella's fairy godmother in The Slipper and the Rose, which was chosen as the Royal Film Première for 1976. In that film, Crosbie sang the Sherman Brothers' song, "Suddenly It Happens". Crosbie voiced the character of Galadriel in Ralph Bakshi's animated movie, The Lord of the Rings, filmed in 1978. In 1980, she played the abbess in Hawk the Slayer. In 1986, she appeared as the vicar's wife in Paradise Postponed.^[1]

Crosbie's next major role was as Margaret Meldrew, the long-suffering wife of Victor Meldrew (Richard Wilson) in the BBC sitcom One Foot in the Grave (1990–2000) for which she is best known. She also played Janet, the housekeeper to Dr. Finlay, in the 1993–96 revival of A. J. Cronin's popular stories. She also had a poignant role in the thriller The Debt Collector (1999).

Crosbie's other roles include playing the monkey-lover Ingrid Strange in an episode of Jonathan Creek (1997), Edith Sparshott in An Unsuitable Job for a Woman (1997–2001), and Jessie in the film Calendar Girls (2003).

In 2008, Crosbie appeared in a BBC adaptation of Little Dorrit. In 2009 she played Sadie Cairncross in the BBC television series Hope Springs.^[1] In 2010, Crosbie appeared in the Doctor Who episode "The Eleventh Hour" and in an episode of New Tricks. In 2014 Crosbie appeared in the movies What We Did on Our Holiday and Into the Woods. In 2015 she appeared in a BBC adaptation of Cider with Rosie. In 2016 she appeared in the new film version of Dad's Army. In 2019 she appeared in an episode of Call the Midwife.

In 2020, Crosbie appeared in an episode of the second season of After Life, a British black comedy-drama series created, written, produced and directed by Ricky Gervais, which premiered on Netflix.

Honours

Crosbie was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1998 New Year Honours for services to drama.^[6]

Personal life

Crosbie was married to Michael Griffiths from 1966 until their divorce in 1985. The marriage produced two children, a son and a daughter. Their daughter Selina Griffiths, is also an actress.^[7]

Crosbie is a campaigner for greyhound welfare.^[8] From 2003–2006, she was president of the League Against Cruel Sports.^[9] In 2014, she was a vice-president.^[10] She was an honorary vice-president of the Scottish SPCA.^[11]

Crosbie lives in Wimbledon, London.^[12]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1959	The Bridal Path	1st Waitress
1965	Sky West and Crooked	Mrs. White
1968	Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter	Maid (uncredited)	(uncredited)
1972	Follow Me!	Miss Framer
1976	The Slipper and the Rose	Fairy Godmother	Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Actress Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
1976	Mr Smith	Anon	Short film
1978	The Lord of the Rings	Lady Galadriel of Lothlorien	Voice
1979	A Question of Faith	Sofya Andreyevna
1980	Hawk the Slayer	Abbess
1984	Ordeal by Innocence	Kirsten Lindstrom
1991	Chernobyl: The Final Warning	Dr. Galina Petrovna
1991	The Pope Must Die	Mother Superior
1992	Leon the Pig Farmer	Dr. Johnson
1995	Solitaire for 2[13]	Mrs Dwyer
1997	Shooting Fish	Mrs Cummins
1999	The Debt Collector	Lana Keltie
2003	Calendar Girls	Jessie
2007	She's Not Dead	Mum	Short Film
2014	What We Did on Our Holiday	Doreen
2014	Into the Woods	Granny
2016	Dad's Army	Cissy Godfrey
	Eat Locals[14]	Alice

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1961	St. Patrick's Day	Lauretta	TV Short
1962	ITV Television Playhouse	Liz	Episode: "The Morning After"
1962	Probation Officer	Jennie Walker	Episode 4.3
1963	BBC Sunday-Night Play	Julie Neill / Galia	Episodes: "The Greevy Column" & "The Reward of Silence"
1963	The Plane Makers	Brenda	Episodes: "The Dividing Line" & Them: Or Us?"
1964	Festival	Miss Vaughan	Episode: "The Inner World of Miss Vaughan"
1964	First Night	Ada Churnley	Episode: "Goodbye, Gloria, Goodbye"
1965–1968	Theatre 625	Sister Catherine / Masha / Jennie Thomson / Girl	Episodes: "The Swallow's Nest", "The Seagull", "A Man Like That" & "Hermit Crabs"
1965	Story Parade	Elsie Forrest	Episode: "The Bachelors
1965	No Hiding Place	Mavis Baker	Episode: "It Could Always Happen"
1965-1970	The Wednesday Play	Julie / Liz	Episodes: "Wine of India" & "The Bond"
1966	This Man Craig	Hanna Seaton	Episode: "Dougie"
1966	Thirteen Against Fate	Nell	Episode: "The Murderer"
1966	Four People	Martha	Episode: "Mary Magdalene"
1967	Boy Meets Girl	Mrs. Parkman	Episode: "Long After Summer"
1967	The White Rabbit	José Dupuis	3 episodes
1968	Half Hour Story	Wendy	Episode: "Venus Rising"
1970	The Six Wives of Henry VIII	Catherine of Aragon	Episode: "Catherine Aragon" BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress
1970	Callan	May Coswood	Episode: "Amos Green must live".
1970-1977	Play of the Month	Frances Trebell / Miss Cooper	Episodes: "Waste" & "Separate Tables"
1970-1980	Play for Today	Nanny / Elsie Lorrimer / Catherine	Episodes: "Jessie", "The General's Day" & "The Lie"
1970	Thirty-Minute Theatre	Woman	Episode: "Hope"
1970	Menace	Jean Crowe	Episode: "Killing Time"
1971	Shadows of Fear	Mrs. Darbon	Episode: "At Occupier's Risk"
1972	ITV Playhouse	Joy	Episode: "A Splinter of Ice"
1972	Crime of Passion	Emilie	Episode: "Emilie"
1972	ITV Sunday Night Theatre	Nesta	Episode: "A Bit of Vision"
1973	A Picture of Katherine Mansfield	L. M.	5 episodes
1973	The Edwardians	Margaret Lloyd George	Episode: "Lloyd George"
1973	Special Branch	Sarah Lovett	Episode: "The Other Man"
1975	The Boy Dave	Mavis	TV film
1975	Rooms	Miss Hicks	2 episodes
1975	Churchill's People	Elizabeth Rush	Episode: "March On, Boys!"
	Edward the Seventh	Queen Victoria	10 episodes BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress
1976	East Lynne	Cornelia Carlyle	TV film
1977	The Velvet Glove	Lilian Bayliss	Episode: "Auntie's Niece"
1977	The Sunday Drama	Noele	Episode: "The Portrait"
1978	Lillie	Henrietta Labouchere	TV serial, 2 episodes
1978	BBC2 Play of the Week	Helen Langrishe	Episode: "Langrishe Go Down"
1979	The Lively Arts	Various	1 episode
1979	Of Mycenae and Men	Kassandra	TV Short
1980	Festival: The Misanthrope	Arsinoe	TV film
1980	Twelfth Night	Maria	TV film
1981	Find Me First	Henrietta	TV Short
1981	The House on the Hill	Christina Rogerson	3 episodes
1981	The Member for Chelsea	Christina Rogerson	3 episodes
1982	East Lynne[15]	Cornelia	TV film
1982	Saturday Night Thriller	Dorrie Childs	Episode: "A Gift of Tongues"
1982	The Disappearance of Harry	Lizzy	TV film
1983	Crown Court	Mrs Owen	Episode: "Mother's Boy" (Part 1)
1983	Richard III	Duchess of York	TV film
1984	Dramarama	Rose	Episode: "Que Sera"
1984	Pericles, Prince of Tyre	Dionyza	TV film
1985	Off Peak	Freda	TV film
1986	Paradise Postponed	Dorothy Simcox	TV mini-series, 10 episodes
1986	Unnatural Causes	Helen	Episode: "Partners"
1986–1989	Screenplay	Mrs Holders / Cynthia	3 episodes
1987	Taggart	Maggie Davidson	Episode: "Funeral Rites"
1987	Tickets for the Titanic	Mrs Pollard	Episode: "The Way, the Truth, the Video"
1987	Farrington of the F.O.	Julia	Episode: "That Old Black Magic"
1988	Game, Set and Match	Mrs. Miller	Episode: "London Match: Part 1"
1989	Take Me Home	Liz	3 episodes
1989	Bonne espérance	Miss Thurtson
1989	Summer's Lease	Connie Tapscott	2 episodes
1990	Colin's Sandwich	Joyce	Episodes: "Out to Lunch" & "Frank"
1990–2000	One Foot in the Grave	Margaret Meldrew	41 episodes plus Comic Relief sketches in 1993 (voice only) and 2001 Nominated – Best Light Entertainment Performance Nominated – British Comedy Awards Top TV Comedy Actress
1991	Jute City	Iris Kerr	Episode 1.1
1992	Heartbeat	Penelope Stirling	Episode: "Old, New, Borrowed and Blue"
1992	The Ruth Rendell Mysteries	Irene Bell	Episode: The Speaker of Mandarin: Part One
1993–1996	Doctor Finlay	Janet MacPherson	27 episodes
1994	Performance	1st Labour MP	Episode: Message for Posterity
1995–1996	Screen Two	Dr Elizabeth MacKay / Meg Kelso	2 episodes
1997	Jonathan Creek	Dr Ingrid Strange	Episode: "The House Of Monkeys"
1997-1999	An Unsuitable Job for a Woman	Edith Sparshott	4 episodes
1997	Underworld[16]	Aunt Doreen	6 episodes
1997	Wyrd Sisters	Granny Weatherwax	voice - 6 episodes
1999	Oliver Twist	Mrs Bedwin	4 episodes
2000	Anchor Me[17][18]	Hattie Carter	TV film
2001	Waking the Dead	Moira Bowen	2 episodes: "The Blind Beggar"
2002	Bodily Harm[19][20]	Sheila Greenfield	2 episodes
2001–2003	Murder in Mind	Rose Buttimore	Episode: "Rage"
2004	Black Books	Moo-Ma	Episode: "Moo-Ma and Moo-Pa"
2004	William and Mary	Mrs. Driscoll	Episode 2.5
2004	Quite Ugly One Morning[21]	Mrs. Kincross	TV film
2005	Bremner, Bird and Fortune	Queen Elizabeth II	Episode 6.4
2005	Midsomer Murders	Amelia Plummer	Episode: "Sauce for the Goose"
2005	Footprints in the Snow[22]	Julie's Mum	TV film
2006	Viva Blackpool[23]	Mrs. Berry	TV film
2008	Little Dorrit	Mr F's Aunt	6 episodes
2009	Hope Springs	Sadie Cairncross	8 episodes
2010	Doctor Who	Mrs Angelo	Episode: "The Eleventh Hour"
2010	New Tricks	Miss Jones	Episode: "Coming Out Ball (New Tricks)"
2013	Common Ground[24][25]	Brenda	Episode: Nell, Ted & Marlon
2014–2018	Lily's Driftwood Bay	Nonna Dog	Voice role
2015	The Vicar of Dibley	Reverend Mavis Pipkin	Comic Relief: "The Bishop of Dibley"
2015	Cider with Rosie[26]	Granny Trill	TV film
2017	Henry IX	Charlotte, The Queen Mother	4 episodes
2019	Dial M for Middlesbrough	Edna	TV film
2019	Call the Midwife	Clarice Millgrove	Series 8 episode 2
2020	After Life	Rosemary	Series 2 episode 1

Radio Appearances

• Good Behaviour (2014) on BBC Radio 4^[27]
• One Foot in the Grave (1995) 4 episodes adapted from the British television sitcom of the same name, first aired between 21 January 1995 and 11 February 1995 on BBC Radio 2. The episodes are "Alive and Buried", "In Luton Airport, No One Can Hear You Scream", "Timeless Time" and "The Beast in the Cage". They are repeated regularly on BBC Radio 4 Extra.^[28]
• Old Harry's Game as Edith Cordelia Barrington (from series 6 onwards) on BBC Radio 4
• The Price of Fear - Episode: To My Dear, Dear Saladin (6 June 1983) on BBC Radio 4^[29]
• The works of Robert Burns (2016) for BBC Radio Scotland^[30]

Awards and nominations

Year	Association	Category	Nominated work	Result
1971	British Academy Television Awards	Best Actress	The Six Wives of Henry VIII	Won
1976	British Academy Television Awards	Best Actress	Edward the Seventh	Won
1976	British Academy Film Awards	Best Actress in a Supporting Role	The Slipper and the Rose	Nominated
1976	Evening Standard British Film Awards	Best Actress	The Slipper and the Rose	Won
1994	British Academy Television Awards	Best Light Entertainment Performance	One Foot in the Grave	Nominated
1995	British Comedy Awards	Top TV Comedy Actress	One Foot in the Grave	Nominated

References

1. Annette Crosbie filmography at the Bfi database Archived 15 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine accessed 7 January 2016.
2. Unipro Limited. "Interview: Annette Crosbie". Blockbuster.co.uk. Archived from the original on 19 February 2009. Retrieved 12 June 2009.
3. "Hope Springs, a new family drama for BBC One – Annette Crosbie plays Sadie Cairncross". BBC Press Office. 30 April 2009.
4. "Annette Crosbie". The Gazetteer for Scotland.
5. "BAFTA Television- Actress in 1971". British Academy of Film and Television Arts- www.bafta.org.
6. "No. 54993". The London Gazette (1st supplement). 30 December 1997. pp. 1–28.
7. "Annette Crosbie OBE". edinburgh-places.co.uk. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
8. "BBC Inside Out – Postcode lottery". Bbc.co.uk. 24 February 2003. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
9. "The Enduring Legacy of Annette Crosbie". Birmingham Journal. 2024. Archived from the original on 16 August 2024.
10. "The state of greyhound racing in Great Britain: A mandate for change" (PDF). League Against Cruel Sports. 2014. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 August 2024.
11. "Our world record dog walkies attempt!". CBBC News. 2002. Archived from the original on 16 August 2024.
12. "One Foot In The Grave's Richard Wilson and Annette Crosbie reunited: 'I wanted Victor Meldrew killed off!'". ITV.com. 22 November 2018. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
13. "Solitaire for 2". BFI. Archived from the original on 15 November 2020.
14. Ivan-Zadeh, Larushka. "Film Review - Eat Locals". The Times.
15. "East Lynne - BBC Two England, 29 December 1982". BBC Genome.
16. "Underworld Part One (1997)". BFI. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018.
17. "Anchor Me [Part One] (2000)". BFI. Archived from the original on 23 May 2019.
18. "Anchor Me [Part Two] (2000)". BFI. Archived from the original on 23 May 2019.
19. "Bodily Harm Part 1 (2002)". BFI. Archived from the original on 8 April 2018.
20. "Bodily Harm Part 2 (2002)". BFI. Archived from the original on 11 April 2018.
21. Oliver, Robin (26 January 2006). "Quite Ugly One Morning". The Sydney Morning Herald.
22. "Must-see TV: Footprints In The Snow". Manchester Evening News. 16 February 2007.
23. "Viva Blackpool". BBC.
24. "Common Ground". Radio Times.
25. Keens, Oliver (25 February 2013). "Common Ground". Time Out.
26. "Cider with Rosie". BBC One.
27. "Good Behaviour". BBC Media Centre.
28. "One Foot in the Grave". BBC Radio 4 Extra.
29. "BBC Radio 4 FM - 6 June 1983 Listings". BBC Genome.
30. "The works of Robert Burns - Works read by Annette Crosbie". BBC.

External links

• Annette Crosbie at IMDb
• Annette Crosbie at British Comedy Guide