June Whitfield

A well-known and beloved British radio and TV personality, June Whitfield gained fame and fans in the USA as the dotty mother of Jennifer Saunders' Edina Monsoon in the cult hit comedy "Absolutely Fabulous" (1992-95). The London-born, RADA-trained player racked up such stage credits as "South Pacific" and "Love for Judy" in London's West End and "An Ideal Husband" and "Ring Around the Moon" elsewhere in England. She gained real prominence in her native land, though, when she joined the long-running radio show "Take It From Here" in 1953, creating the role of the long-suffering Eth. Whitfield has continued to make appearances into the 90s, including "The News Huddlines." Whitfield segued to the small screen and has been featured in a number of British comedy series, including "Beggar My Neighbor" (1967), "The Fossett Saga" (1969) and two teamings with Terry Scott, "Happy Ever After" (1974-79) and "Terry and June" (1979-87). She broke into films in "Carry On Nurse" (1958) and was featured in several installments in that series ("Carry On Abroad" 1973 and "Carry On Columbus" 1992). Whitfield had a rare dramatic role as the dour aunt of the title character in Michael Winterbottom's "Jude" (1996). Whitfield began slowing down her film career in the late '90s, appearing in the comedy "The Last of the Blonde Bombshells" (2000) and the nostalgic drama "Cider with Rosie" (2015), although she remained active on British TV, appearing in the long-running sitcom "Last of the Summer Wine" (BBC 1973-2010), comedy spinoff "The Green Green Grass" (BBC 2005-09),and "Boomers" (BBC 2014-16) along with numerous guest spots and brief arcs. She ended her career with a return to one of her most beloved roles in "Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie" (2016) before quietly retiring. Dame June Whitfield died on December 28, 2018 at the age of 93.