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Dame Patricia Routledge, a British acting icon famed for her work on the ’90s BBC series “Keeping Up Appearances,” died Friday at 96.
Her agent, Max Massenbach, confirmed her passing in a statement obtained by THR, saying she died “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,” the statement read. “She will be dearly missed by those closest to her and by her devoted admirers around the world.”
Routledge, like Betty White in the U.S., not only had a remarkably long career — she got her start more than 70 years ago —she also achieved new heights of success as she grew older.
As hoity-toity, social-climbing Hyacinth Bucket (pronounced “bouquet”) on “Keeping Up Apperances” (1990-1995), Great Britain’s most exported series of all time, she consolidated recognition for decades of past work, becoming a household name in the U.K.
When she was about to turn 95, she wrote on a popular blog, “My life didn’t quite take shape until my forties.”
Describing achievements of which she was proud at 50, 60, 70, and beyond, Routledge wrote, “Let these years ahead be your treasure years. You don’t need to be famous. You don’t need to be flawless. You only need to show up — fully — for the life that is still yours.
A West End staple, she appeared on the stage across Great Britain in productions that included “Little Mary Sunshine” (1962), “The Cherry Orchard” (1975), “Noises Off” (1982), “Richard III” (1984), “Carousel” (1992), “The Importance of Being Earnest” (1999), and “An Ideal Husband” (2014), the latter her final acting work.
In 1968, she won the Tony for Best Actress in a Musical for “Darling of the Day,” tying with Leslie Uggams for her work in “Hallelujah, Baby!” She won the Laurence Olivier Award for “Candide” (1988).
Among her many TV performances, she starred in “A Woman of No Importance” (1982), “Victoria Wood: As Seen on TV” (1985-1986), “Hetty Wainthropp Investigates” (1996-1998) and “Anybody’s Nightmare” (2001). In film, she was seen in “To Sir, with Love” (1967) starring Sidney Poitier and “If It’s Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium” (1969).
Routledge was made an officer of the Order of the British Empire, a commander, and a dame commander.
She never wed or had children.
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