'Dame Patricia made millions laugh and left a legacy that will always be remembered with gratitude and admiration,' BBC’s director of comedy Jon Petrie says. Photo: Handout
British actress Patricia Routledge, best known for her role as Hyacinth Bucket in BBC sitcom "Keeping Up Appearances," has died at the age of 96, her agent said.
She played the hilariously snobbish character in the early 1990s, but also had a prolific career in the theatre.
A statement to the PA news agency said: "We are deeply saddened to confirm the passing of Dame Patricia Routledge, who died peacefully in her sleep this morning surrounded by love.
"Even at 96 years old, Dame Patricia’s passion for her work and for connecting with live audiences never waned, just as new generations of audiences have continued to find her through her beloved television roles.
"She will be dearly missed by those closest to her and by her devoted admirers around the world.”
Written by Roy Clarke, "Keeping Up Appearances" also starred Clive Swift as Hyacinth’s long-suffering husband Richard in the series, which ran from 1990 to 1995 and also became popular in the US.
The BBC’s director of comedy, Jon Petrie, said in a tribute that Dame Patricia was an actor of "remarkable range”, adding: "But her portrayal of Hyacinth Bucket in "Keeping Up Appearances" has to be one of the most iconic performances in British comedy.
"She took a character on the page and gave her such truth, precision and warmth that Hyacinth became part of the national conversation; instantly recognisable, endlessly quotable, and loved around the world.
"Whatever she did, she brought impeccable craft and in doing so inspired generations of writers, performers and audiences.
"Dame Patricia made millions laugh and left a legacy that will always be remembered with gratitude and admiration.”
In 2016, the BBC aired a "Keeping Up Appearances" prequel, which was a one-off episode set before Hyacinth married Richard and became a suburban snob.
Actress Kerry Howard played the part, which saw her as a young woman living in poverty in a gloomy house in the 1950s with her drunken father and three sisters.
Paying tribute to Routledge, Howard, 43, said: "She was a monolithic talent who became a comic beacon to me. I would watch her every week as Hyacinth and then spend the rest of the week pretending to be her.
"She was my first drama teacher although we never ever actually met, she has informed so much of my comedic sensibilities. A wonderful clown has left this world, but I’d like to think her energy and gifts go beyond the grave.
"She will be remembered forever. My heart is broken for her family.”
Routledge won an Olivier Award for her role as the Old Lady in Leonard Bernstein’s operetta "Candide" in 1988, a Tony Award for her part as Alice Challice in "Darling Of The Day" in 1968, and worked in a number of productions across six decades.
She was born on February 17 1929 in Birkenhead, Merseyside, where her father was a high-class gents’ outfitter and "keeping up appearances” was the name of the game.
She read English at Liverpool University where she appeared in student shows, later making her professional debut at the Liverpool Playhouse in 1952 as Hippolyta in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
She debuted in London two years later and went on to became well known on Broadway, appearing in musicals and the play, "How’s The World Treating You?"
Alongside the stage she also made her mark on TV and became known for playing Kitty in "Victoria Wood: As Seen on TV" in the mid-1980s before playing Hyacinth in the BBC’s "Keeping Up Appearances."
In 2017 she was honoured at Buckingham Palace as she was made a Dame Commander of the British Empire for her services to the theatre and charity.
In 2016, Routledge fronted a Channel 4 documentary celebrating the 150th anniversary of the birth of Beatrix Potter, having previously played the children’s author on stage and in 2012 she became patron of The Beatrix Potter Society.
Her northern roots were always important to her and she was previously quoted as saying: "You are never done with your roots. I think the people who try to make out that they are, are in deep trouble.”
She starred in BBC crime drama series "Hetty Wainthropp Investigates," where she donned the guise of a woman who decides life begins at 60 as she becomes a private eye.
Routledge had first played Hetty on BBC Radio 4, when she read "Missing Persons" by David Cook on "Book At Bedtime," with the BBC series co-written by Cook and John Bowen.
The actress previously said of the character: "Hetty is a little lady from a terraced house in the North West. She is the kind of woman who is in my blood. I know hundreds of little women like her. They used to be called working class, but we’re not supposed to say that any more.
"She hits 60 and those birthday cards come in with jokes about pensions and she declares: ‘I am not going to be an old age pensioner or a senior citizen.’
"For years she has been a dutiful wife and decides she doesn’t want to be categorised any more. She gets a little job in the Post Office and then catches a young man stealing.
"From there she gets lift-off. She gets some kind of buzz out of finding things out, and a whole new world opens up to her.
"There is a point in everyone’s life where they either seize the moment and realise what their potential could be, or it gets lost for ever.
"She is one of those people who do find out, quite late in life, what she wants to do. She is a wonderfully positive, optimistic character and a great doer. I think she’s quite wonderful.”
Routledge also starred in Alan Bennett’s "Talking Heads" TV monologues, including "A Woman Of No Importance" and "A Lady Of Letters."
The "Talking Heads" monologues first aired on the BBC in 1988 and 1998, and the original cast list included Routledge alongside the likes of Maggie Smith, Julie Walters, Thora Hird, Eileen Atkins, David Haig and Penelope Wilton, alongside Bennett himself.
One of Routledge's notable film roles saw her star opposite Sidney Poitier in 1967’s "To Sir, With Love." - dpa
