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Ann Emery - Rentaghost's Ethel - has died.
- Thread starter Mel O'Drama
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Ann Emery, the veteran actress who played Ethel Meaker in children's show Rentaghost, has died at the age of 86.
Emery, half-sister of comedian Dick, also played Grandma in the original cast of the Billy Elliot stage musical.
Its director, Stephen Daldry, paid tribute to her "zest for life", saying she had been "at the heart of the Billy Elliot family for over a decade".
Born in London in 1930, her other roles included Mrs Rocket in the BBC's Julia Jekyll and Harriet Hyde.
Emery appeared with her half-brother in eight episodes of The Dick Emery Show before landing her Rentaghost role in 1976.
Image captionHer Rentaghost co-stars included Molly Weir (centre) and Sue Nicholls (right)
Together with her opportunistic husband Harold, her character rented out ghosts to members of the public in need of spectral assistance.
Emery played Billy's grandmother at London's Victoria Palace theatre from 2005 to 2010, going on to appear in the Cameron Mackintosh musical Betty Blue Eyes.
When that show closed, she returned to the Palace - a theatre she first performed in as a child - before announcing her retirement in 2015.
In 2010 she received a lifetime achievement award from the British Music Hall Society.
Emery, half-sister of comedian Dick, also played Grandma in the original cast of the Billy Elliot stage musical.
Its director, Stephen Daldry, paid tribute to her "zest for life", saying she had been "at the heart of the Billy Elliot family for over a decade".
Born in London in 1930, her other roles included Mrs Rocket in the BBC's Julia Jekyll and Harriet Hyde.
Emery appeared with her half-brother in eight episodes of The Dick Emery Show before landing her Rentaghost role in 1976.
Image captionHer Rentaghost co-stars included Molly Weir (centre) and Sue Nicholls (right)
Together with her opportunistic husband Harold, her character rented out ghosts to members of the public in need of spectral assistance.
Emery played Billy's grandmother at London's Victoria Palace theatre from 2005 to 2010, going on to appear in the Cameron Mackintosh musical Betty Blue Eyes.
When that show closed, she returned to the Palace - a theatre she first performed in as a child - before announcing her retirement in 2015.
In 2010 she received a lifetime achievement award from the British Music Hall Society.
I loved Rentaghost. I tried to get it on DVD a while back but it is so expensive.
- Awards
- 12
She was a hoot as Ethel Meaker.
So sad that only Sue Nicholls and Chris Biggins now
remain from the cast.
So sad that only Sue Nicholls and Chris Biggins now
remain from the cast.