Dora Bryan
Actor
- Born
- February 7, 1923 · Parbold, Lancashire, England, UK
- Died
- July 23, 2014 (age 91)
Dora May Bryan OBE was an English actress of stage, film and television. Born Dora May Broadbent, her career began in pantomime as a child actor. In World War II she joined the ENSA in Italy to entertain British troops.
After having established herself as a versatile stage actress, covering everything from drama and comedy to musicals, she started to appear in film in the late 1940s, and in 1968 she even had her own TV series, "According to Dora". At one point in her career she was Britain's highest-paid star.
Read moreShow less
She was active on stage until the mid 1990s and continued to work in film and television until 2005, when she finally had to give up the acting profession as she could no longer remember her lines.
Her autobiography According To Dora was published in 1987. In 1996, she was awarded an OBE in recognition of her services to acting and the same year she was also awarded the Laurence Olivier Award for her role in the West End production of the Harold Pinter play "The Birthday Party".
She was married to British cricket player Bill Lawton from 1954 to his death in 2008. She lived in a nursing home in Hove, outside Brighton, until her death in 2014.
Known for
MirrorMask
January 25, 2005
Odd Man Out
January 30, 1947
The Fallen Idol
September 30, 1948
A Taste of Honey
October 1, 1961
Hands of the Ripper
October 17, 1971
Carry On Sergeant
August 31, 1958
No Highway in the Sky
June 28, 1951
Apartment Zero
September 2, 1989
The Blue Lamp
January 19, 1950
The Green Man
December 21, 1956
The Cockleshell Heroes
November 16, 1955
The Great St Trinian's Train Robbery
March 11, 1966
Acting66
- 2005MirrorMask as Aunt Nan
- 2003Thora Hird Tribute as Self (archive footage, uncredited)
- 1996Absolutely Fabulous: The Last Shout as Millie
- 1995Bed as Bosom Lady
- 1991Palmer as Monica
- 1989Apartment Zero as Margaret McKinney
- 1983Screamtime as Emma
- 1972Up the Front as Auntie Cora Crumpington
- 1971Hands of the Ripper as Mrs. Golding
- 1967Two a Penny