Joan Sims

Highest Rated: 71% Carry on Screaming (1966)

Lowest Rated: 40% Carry on Camping (1969)

Birthday: May 9, 1930

Birthplace: Laindon, Essex, England, UK

British audiences remember Joan Sims best for her recurring star turns on the "Carry On" film series, a prolific body of comedic work that specialized in farce, slapstick, and sexual innuendo. Her personal favorite was reportedly "Carry on Cowboy," a parody of the Western genre centered in the fictional Stodge City (a poke at the famous Dodge City of gunfighter lore). Sims starred in 26 "Carry On" films, but her career did not end when the series finally ran its course. She continued her success with a recurring role on the sitcom "As Time Goes By," the story of a man and woman in love but separated by the Korean War and 38 years...only to meet again. Sims also starred in "Love Among the Ruins," a TV movie--starring screen legends Katharine Hepburn and Sir Laurence Olivier--about a stage actress fighting to maintain her esteemed reputation in the face of unfounded charges. In her final role before her death, Joan Sims rejoined Dame Judi Dench (who previously collaborated with her in "As Time Goes By") in the TV movie "The Last of the Blonde Bombshells," a nostalgic tale about an all-female swing band.