Judy Cornwell

Highest Rated: 87% Persuasion (1995)

Lowest Rated: 20% Santa Claus (1985)

Birthday: Feb 22, 1940

Birthplace: Hammersmith, London, England, UK

Judy Cornwell's grandmother Sarah Bonner was a music hall singer, and the beloved British actress initially followed in her footsteps. Cornwell's career began in theater, where she learned dancing, pantomime, and singing. After her first small film part in 1959, Cornwell made her television debut on the long-running crime show "Dixon Of Dock Green." Despite roles in high-profile movies like 1967's relationship drama "Two For The Road," Cornwell's film appearances became increasingly rare as she found success on television. Many of her performances were in prestige productions of classic novels like a 1974 mini series version of W. Somerset Maugham's "Cakes And Ale," in which Cornwell's turn as a tortured barmaid with a tragic past earned her great acclaim. Cornwell's most iconic part came as Daisy, the lower-class sister of snobbish Hyacinth Bucket on popular British sitcom "Keeping Up Appearances." Over the course of five seasons, from 1990 to 1995, Daisy's unfussy good humor and ability to agitate her socially insecure sister endeared her to audiences. While continuing her work as an actress, in 1985 she published her first novel, "Cow and Cow Parsley," followed by three more works examining her interest in religious faith and the lives of women. A memoir, "Adventures of a Jelly Baby," followed in 2005.