Hilda Braid

Infobox actor
bgcolour = silver
name = Hilda Braid

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imagesize = 200px
caption = Braid as Nana Moon in "EastEnders"
birthdate =birth date|1929|3|3|df=y
location =Northfleet, Kent, England
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deathdate =death date and age|2007|11|6|1929|3|3|df=y
deathplace =Brighton, East Sussex, England
birthname =
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Hilda Braid (3 March 1929 – 6 November 2007) was an English actress who had a long career on British television and became well known in her later years for playing Victoria "Nana" Moon in the BBC One soap opera "EastEnders".

Early life and career

Hilda Braid was born in Northfleet, Kent in 1929.cite news|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/11/08/db0802.xml|title=Obituary - Hilda Braid|first=|last=|publisher=The Daily Telegraph|date=8 November 2007] She trained as an actress and dancer at RADA, having won a scholarship to get there. At RADA, she won the Lord Lurgan Award. After RADA, Braid did rep and went on to perform with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Her West End roles included parts in "The Waltz of the Toreadors", from 1956 to 1957, and "Pickwick" from 1963 to 1964.

Braid made her television debut in the police drama "No Hiding Place", playing Alice Flinders in an episode that aired on 14 October 1960.cite news|url=http://broken-tv.blogspot.com/2007/11/hilda-braid-1929-2007.html|title=Hilda Braid 1929-2007|first=|last=|publisher=BrokenTV|date=8 November 2007] In 1963 she appeared in "Suspense" and in the 1960s and 1970s also appeared in "Crossroads", as Winnie Plumtree, "Softly, Softly", "Z-Cars", "Play for Today", "The Onedin Line", "Emmerdale Farm", as P. Morphett, and "Man About the House".

Career breakthrough

Hilda Braid's first major role came in middle-age and was that of Florence Johnson in the late 1970s sitcom "Citizen Smith", co-starring Robert Lindsay as Wolfie Smith. Around this time she also appeared in "In Loving Memory" and "Robin's Nest". Braid later had recurring roles in other sitcoms, including in "L for Lester" (1982), "The Bright Side" (1985), "The 10%ers" (1994-96) and "Gogglewatch" (1997-98). TV appearances during the 1980s and 1990s included "Oliver Twist", "Brookside", as Molly Partridge, "One Foot in the Grave", "Goodnight Sweetheart", "Dangerfield", "The Bill", "Midsomer Murders", "ChuckleVision", "My Family" and "Casualty". Her film roles were few, but in 1980 she appeared in "The Wildcats of St Trinians" and in 1996 "101 Dalmatians" with Glenn Close.

In 2002 Braid got the role that would make her best known, that of Nana Moon in "EastEnders". Nana's grandson Alfie was played by Shane Richie, and following Ritchie's announcement that he was to leave the soap, her character was also written out, with the programme's makers saying it would be "unrealistic" for Nana to stay without Alfie. Nana developed an aortic aneurysm, and before her death wished to visit the grave in France of her husband who had died during World War II. The Normandy-set episode with Alfie and Nana won a British Soap Award for "Best Single Episode" in 2006.cite news|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article2825929.ece|title=Obituary - Hilda Braid|first=|last=|publisher=The Times|date=8 November 2007] Braid left the soap, with Nana's death on 16 December 2005, in 2005.

Later years

During her latter time at "EastEnders" Braid was having problems remembering her lines and her departure from "EastEnders" proved to be the end of her acting career. Hilda Braid died on 6 November 2007 at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton, East Sussex.cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7081599.stm|title=EastEnders' Nana Moon star dies|first=|last=|publisher=BBC|date=6 November 2007] Alzheimer's had been diagnosed shortly after her departure from "EastEnders", and she subsequently moved into a nursing home in Hove. Braid, who was married to Brian Badcoe, an actor who died in 1992, was survived by their son and daughter.cite news|url=http://news.independent.co.uk/people/obituaries/article3138340.ece|title=Obituary - Hilda Braid|first=Anthony|last=Hayward|publisher=The Independent|date=8 November 2007] cite news|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/obituaries/story/0,,2206961,00.html|title=Obituary - Hilda Braid|first=|last=|publisher=The Guardian|date=8 November 2007] Braid's funeral service took place on 25 November 2007 at Woodvale Crematorium in Brighton.cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7112114.stm|title=EastEnders co-star mourns 'Nana'|first=|last=|publisher=BBC|date=25 November 2007]

References

External links

*imdb name|id=0103996