British actress Barbara Windsor, star of Carry On films and Eastenders, dies aged 83

Barbara Windsor has died aged 83
Barbara Windsor has died aged 83 Copyright AP Photo
By Euronews with AP
Share this articleComments
Share this articleClose Button

A national treasure in the UK, she shot to fame for her roles in nine of the Carry On films in the 1960s, before portraying Peggy Mitchell in the soap opera Eastenders.

ADVERTISEMENT

British actress Barbara Windsor, who shot to fame in the 1960s in the popular Carry On comedies, has died aged 83.

A national treasure in the UK, she gained nationwide recognition for her often-risque roles in nine of the Carry On series of films.

But in later years she was known for her role in the soap opera Eastenders, in which she played Peggy Mitchell, pub landlord and mother to TV bad boys Phil and Grant Mitchell.

Short of stature - she was just 1.47 metres tall - Windsor was a huge presence on screen, stage and film, famed for her raucous laugh and broad Cockney accent.

Simon Dawson/AP
Barba Windsor and her husband discuss dementia care with the prime minister Boris Johnson in 2019Simon Dawson/AP

Windsor was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease in 2014. She went on to become an ambassador for the Alzheimer’s Society, meeting UK prime minister Boris Johnson at 10 Downing Downing Street in 2019 to promote dementia care.

The Alzheimer’s Society paid tribute to her and her husband Scott, saying they had been “awe-inspiring in their support for people affected by dementia”.

She last appeared in Eastenders in 2016. That year she was also made a Dame in the Queen’s New Years Honours list for her services to charity and entertainment.

Share this articleComments

You might also like

'Strong possibility' that UK-EU trade talks will fail — Boris Johnson

Pfizer vaccine: UK body tells people with history of allergic reactions not to get jab yet

'Slaughtered': UK farmers protest post-Brexit rules and trade deals