Barbara Keogh

Barbara Keogh
Keogh as Lilly Mattock in EastEnders
Born(1929-04-21)21 April 1929
Bucklow, Cheshire, England
Died25 October 2005(2005-10-25) (aged 76)
Camden, London, England
Alma materLondon Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
OccupationActress

Barbara Keogh (21 April 1929 – 25 October 2005) was a British actress.[1] Keogh is most noted for her work on television, particularly her role as Lilly Mattock on the BBC soap opera EastEnders.[2]

Early life and career

Keogh was born on 21 April 1929 in Bucklow, Cheshire, as Barbara Winifred Keogh, to father Joseph Lowe Keogh and mother Winifred Hamson. Her mother died in 1946 and father in 1996. She trained at the Birmingham School of Speech and Drama, before going on to study at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. Keogh acted alongside John Osborne and Ronnie Barker at Kidderminster Repertory Theatre before touring with Bill Kerr in a production of The Teahouse of the August Moon.[3]

Television career

Keogh made her television debut in 1958 as Mrs Pemberton in Champion Road, and continued to be a regular on television until her death. She had roles on programmes including Dixon of Dock Green, Z Cars, The Sweeney and The Newcomers. She also appeared alongside Judi Dench in On Giant’s Shoulders.[2]

Keogh played various parts in the soaps Coronation Street and Crossroads, before joining the cast of EastEnders as Lilly Mattock on 5 November 1998. She was written out of the serial a little under a year later, on 2 September 1999, after 50 episodes. Keogh was said to be "devastated" by the decision to axe her character, which was prompted by June Brown, who cited the comedy double act between Dot and Lilly not being right.[4]

She continued to work in television, making appearances in Juliet Bravo, The Ruth Rendell Mysteries, Heartbeat, Game On, My Family and Casualty. One of Keogh's last television roles was playing Marjorie Dawes' mother in the comedy series Little Britain.[2]

Theatre career

Alongside Keogh's television career, her stage work included performances in No One Was Saved with Maureen Lipman at the Royal Court Theatre, and in Adventures of the Skin Trade alongside David Hemmings at the Hampstead Theatre. She also played roles in John Gabriel Borkman with Ralph Richardson and Peggy Ashcroft, Plunder with Dinsdale Landen and Frank Finlay, and Engaged with Jonathan Pryce, all at the Royal National Theatre.[2]

Latterly, Keogh worked alongside Bob Hoskins, Helen Mirren and Pete Postlethwaite in The Duchess of Malfi and toured in Sisterly Feelings with Peter Sallis, Trudie Styler, Tessa Peake-Jones and Bryan Pringle.[2]

Personal life and death

Outside of acting, Keogh enjoyed travelling. In her later years, she lived in Kings Cross, London.[5]

Keogh continued to work until her sudden death from coronary artery disease[6] on 25 October 2005, aged 76.[2] She was cremated at Golders Green Crematorium.[7]

Filmography

References

  1. ^ "Barbara Keogh". BFI. Archived from the original on 22 July 2012.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Bradshaw, James (16 November 2005). "Barbara Keogh" (Obituary). The Stage. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
  3. ^ Bradshaw, James (22 November 2005). "Obituary: Barbara Keogh". the Guardian. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  4. ^ "Busy Lilly's axed from the Square". The People. 26 September 1999. Archived from the original on 17 May 2011. Retrieved 5 February 2008.
  5. ^ "BARBARA KEOGH Actress". actorsandwriters.london. Archived from the original on 27 December 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  6. ^ "Barbara Keogh - Biography". IMDb.
  7. ^ "Barbara Keogh (1929-2005) - Find A Grave Memorial". www.findagrave.com. Retrieved 4 January 2022.