Annette Crosbie


Annette Crosbie, is a Scottish actress. In 1970, she appeared in an episode of Callan, “Amos Green must live”, as Mrs May Coswood. She is known for her role as Margaret Meldrew in the BBC sitcom One Foot in the Grave. She twice won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress, for The Six Wives of Henry VIII in 1971 and Edward the Seventh in 1976, and was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for the 1976 film The Slipper and the Rose. Her other film appearances include The Pope Must Die, Shooting Fish, Calendar Girls and Into the Woods.

Early life and career

Crosbie was born in Gorebridge, Midlothian, Scotland, to Presbyterian parents who disapproved of her becoming an actress. Nevertheless, she joined the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School while still in her teens. Her big break came in 1970 when she was cast as Catherine of Aragon in the BBC television series The Six Wives of Henry VIII, for which she won the 1971 BAFTA Television Award for Best Actress. In 1973, she starred alongside Vanessa Redgrave in the BBC serial A Picture of Katherine Mansfield.
In 1975, Crosbie made a similar impact as another queen, Queen Victoria, in the ITV period drama Edward the Seventh, for which she won the 1976 BAFTA Television Award for Best Actress. She played Cinderella's fairy godmother in The Slipper and the Rose, which was chosen as the Royal Film Première for 1976. In that film, Crosbie sang the Sherman Brothers' song, "Suddenly It Happens". Crosbie voiced the character of Galadriel in Ralph Bakshi's animated movie, The Lord of the Rings, filmed in 1978. In 1980, she played the abbess in Hawk the Slayer. In 1986, she appeared as the vicar's wife in Paradise Postponed.
Crosbie's next major role was as Margaret Meldrew, the long-suffering wife of Victor Meldrew in the BBC sitcom One Foot in the Grave for which she is best known. She also played Janet, the housekeeper to Dr. Finlay, in the 1993–96 revival of A. J. Cronin's popular stories. She also had a poignant role in the thriller The Debt Collector.
Crosbie's other roles include playing the monkey-lover Ingrid Strange in an episode of Jonathan Creek, Edith Sparshott in An Unsuitable Job for a Woman, and Jessie in the film Calendar Girls.
In 2008 she appeared in a BBC adaptation of Little Dorrit. In 2009 she played Sadie Cairncross in the BBC television series Hope Springs. In 2010, Crosbie appeared in the Doctor Who episode "The Eleventh Hour" and in an episode of New Tricks. In 2014 Crosbie appeared in the movies What We Did on Our Holiday and Into the Woods. In 2015 she appeared in a BBC adaptation of Cider with Rosie. In 2016 she appeared in the new film version of Dad's Army. In 2019 she appeared in an episode of Call the Midwife.

Honours

Crosbie was awarded the Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 1998 New Year Honours for services to Drama.

Personal life

Crosbie was previously married to Michael Griffiths, the father of her son Owen and daughter Selina who is also an actress.
She is a campaigner for greyhound welfare. Since 2003, she has been President of the League Against Cruel Sports.

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1965Sky West and CrookedMrs. White
1972Follow Me!Miss Framer
1976The Slipper and the RoseFairy Godmother
1976Mr SmithAnon
1978The Lord of the RingsLady Galadriel of LothlorienVoice
1980Hawk the SlayerAbbess
1984Ordeal by InnocenceKirsten Lindstrom
1991Dr. Galina Petrovna
1991The Pope Must DieMother Superior
1992Leon the Pig FarmerDr. Johnson
1995Solitaire for 2Mrs Dwyer
1997Shooting FishMrs Cummins
1999The Debt CollectorLana
2003Calendar GirlsJessie
2014What We Did on Our HolidayDoreen
2014Into the WoodsGranny
2016Dad's ArmyCissy Godfrey
2016Eat LocalsAlice

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1965–1968Theatre 625Various4 episodes
1970The Six Wives of Henry VIIICatherine of AragonEpisode: "Catherine Aragon"
1970CallanMay CoswoodEpisode: "Amos Green must live".
1973A Picture of Katherine MansfieldVarious5 episodes
1973Special BranchSarah LovettEpisode: "The Other Man"
1975Churchill's PeopleElizabeth RushEpisode: "March On, Boys!"
1975Edward the SeventhQueen Victoria10 episodes
1978LillieHenrietta LabouchereTV serial, 2 episodes
1983Crown CourtMrs OwenEpisode: "Mother's Boy"
1984East LynneCorneliaTV film
1986Paradise PostponedDorothy SimcoxTV mini-series, 10 episodes
1986–1989ScreenplayMrs Holders / Cynthia3 episodes
1987TaggartMaggie DavidsonEpisode: "Funeral Rites"
1989Take Me HomeLiz3 episodes
1989Summer's LeaseConnie Tapscott2 episodes
1990–2000One Foot in the GraveMargaret Meldrew41 episodes plus Comic Relief sketches in 1993 and 2001
1992HeartbeatPenelope StirlingEpisode: "Old, New, Borrowed, Blue"
1993–1996Doctor FinlayJanet MacPherson27 episodes
1995–1996Screen TwoDr Elizabeth MacKay / Meg Kelso2 episodes
1997Jonathan CreekDr Ingrid StrangeEpisode: "The House Of Monkeys"
1999Oliver TwistMrs Bedwin4 episodes
2001Waking the DeadMoira Bowen2 episodes: ”The Blind Beggar”
2004Black BooksMoo-MaEpisode: "Moo-Ma and Moo-Pa"
2005Midsomer MurdersAmelia PlummerEpisode: "Sauce for the Goos"
2008Little DorritMr F's Aunt6 episodes
2009Hope SpringsSadie Cairncross8 episodes
2010Doctor WhoMrs AngeloEpisode: "The Eleventh Hour"
−2010New TricksMiss JonesEpisode: "Coming Out Ball "
2015The Vicar of DibleyReverend Mavis PipkinEpisode: "The Bishop of Dibley"
2017Henry IXCharlotte, The Queen Mother4 episodes
2019Call the MidwifeClarice MillgroveSeries 8 Episode 2
2020After LifeRosemarySeason 2 Episode 1