Patsy Rowlands

Infobox actor
bgcolour = silver
name = Patsy Rowlands


imagesize = 180px
caption =
birthname = Patricia Rowlands
birthdate = birth date|1934|1|19|df=y
location = Palmers Green, London, England, United Kingdom
height =
deathdate = death date and age|2005|1|22|1934|1|19|df=y
deathplace = Hove, East Sussex, England, United Kingdom
othername =
homepage =
notable role = Betty Lewis
in "Bless This House"
Various
in the "Carry On" films

Patsy Rowlands (19 January 1934 – 22 January, 2005) was an English actress who is best remembered for her roles in the "Carry On" films as Betty in the popular ITV Thames sitcom "Bless This House" and as Alice Meredith in the ITV Yorkshire sitcom Hallelujah! (TV series).

Early years

She was born in Palmers Green, London and attended a succession of convent schools throughout her childhood. At one an elocution teacher spotted her potential and encouraged her to pursue a career in acting. She applied for the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and won a scholarship aged just fifteen.

Theatre career

Rowlands began her career in the chorus of "Annie Get Your Gun", followed by a summer season in Torquay. She then spent several years with the Players' Theatre in London, before making her West End debut in Sandy Wilson's musical "Valmouth".

Other West End theatre credits included "Semi-Detached" with Laurence Olivier and directed by Tony Richardson (with whom she was to work often), "Shut Your Eyes and Think of England", with Donald Sinden, "The Seagull" directed by Lindsay Anderson and "When We Are Married" for Ronald Eyre.

Carry On

She made her debut in the "Carry On" films in "Carry On Again Doctor" in 1969 and soon became a regular member of the team, usually playing the dowdy, put-upon wife or the long-suffering secretary. Between 1969 and 1975 she appeared in nine of the films, including "Carry On Loving", "Carry On At Your Convenience", "Carry On Girls" and "Carry On Behind".

From 1971 to 1976, she played Betty, the feckless neighbour in the popular ITV sitcom "Bless This House", which starred fellow Carry On star Sid James. Her other television credits at this time included appearances with comedians such as Les Dawson and Dick Emery. In the early 1980s, she appeared with Thora Hird in the sitcom "Hallelujah!", in which they played an aunt and niece in the Salvation Army.

Later years

Towards the end of her life, Rowlands appeared in several revivals of major musicals such as "Oliver!" at the London Palladium and "My Fair Lady" at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.

Later television credits include "The Cazalets", "The Canterbury Tales", "The Cater Street Hangman", "Get Well Soon", "Vanity Fair" and "Bottom" for the BBC.

In 2002 she was a guest on the paranormal series "Most Haunted"

Rowlands completed several DVD audio commentaries along with other surviving stars of the "Carry On" films in 2003.

Illness and death

She developed breast cancer and had to give up her plans to become an acting teacher and quietly retire. She died of the disease in a Sussex hospice at the age of 71. She had one son, Alan. Patsy was described as a 'stalwart' of the" Carry On" films by national newspaper obituaries.

Television Roles

External links

*imdb name|id=0746772|name=Patsy Rowlands