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Dora Bryan

Acting 91 (deceased) years old Parbold, Lancashire, England, UK ★ 0.3
Born: February 7, 1923
Died: July 23, 2014

Biography

Dora May Bryan OBE was an English actress of stage, film and television. Born Dora May Broadbent, her career began in pantomime as a child actor. In World War II she joined the ENSA in Italy to entertain British troops. 

After having established herself as a versatile stage actress, covering everything from drama and comedy to musicals, she started to appear in film in the late 1940s, and in 1968 she even had her own TV series, "According to Dora". At one point in her career she was Britain's highest-paid star.

She was active on stage until the mid 1990s and continued to work in film and television until 2005, when she finally had to give up the acting profession as she could no longer remember her lines. 

Her autobiography According To Dora was published in 1987. In 1996, she was awarded an OBE in recognition of her services to acting and the same year she was also awarded the Laurence Olivier Award for her role in the West End production of the Harold Pinter play "The Birthday Party".

She was married to British cricket player Bill Lawton from 1954 to his death in 2008. She lived in a nursing home in Hove, outside Brighton, until her death in 2014. 

External Links

🎬 IMDb

Known For

The Fallen Idol
The Fallen Idol Rose 1948
MirrorMask
MirrorMask Aunt Nan 2005
The Green Man
The Green Man Lily 1956
Odd Man Out
Odd Man Out Girl in Telephone Kiosk (uncredited) 1947
No Highway in the Sky
No Highway in the Sky 1951

Filmography

Acting Credits (87)

MirrorMask
MirrorMask Aunt Nan 2005
Thora Hird Tribute
Thora Hird Tribute Self (archive footage, uncredited) 2003
Doctors
Doctors Lily Anderson 2000
Hippies
Hippies Dame Nelly Fletcher 1999
dinnerladies
dinnerladies Connie 1998
Absolutely Fabulous: The Last Shout
Absolutely Fabulous: The Last Shout Millie 1996
Bed
Bed Bosom Lady 1995
Mother's Ruin
Mother's Ruin 1994
Frank Stubbs Promotes
Frank Stubbs Promotes Molly Bramley 1993
Absolutely Fabulous
Absolutely Fabulous Dolly 1992
Virtual Murder
Virtual Murder Mrs Mim 1992
Heartbeat
Heartbeat Jane Thompson 1992
Performance
Performance Bosom Lady 1991
Palmer
Palmer Monica 1991
On the Up
On the Up 1990
Apartment Zero
Apartment Zero Margaret McKinney 1989
Casualty
Casualty Hester Blewett 1986
Screamtime
Screamtime Emma 1983
An Audience with...
An Audience with... Self 1978
Last of the Summer Wine
Last of the Summer Wine Roz 1973
Up the Front
Up the Front Auntie Cora Crumpington 1972
Both Ends Meet
Both Ends Meet Dora Page 1972
Hands of the Ripper
Hands of the Ripper Mrs. Golding 1971
Two a Penny
Two a Penny Ruby Hopkins 1967
Before The Fringe
Before The Fringe 1967
The Sandwich Man
The Sandwich Man Mrs. De Vere 1966
The Great St Trinian's Train Robbery
The Great St Trinian's Train Robbery Amber Spottiswood 1966
The Dream Machine
The Dream Machine Self 1964
World in Action
World in Action 1963
A Taste of Honey
A Taste of Honey Helen 1961
Happily Ever After
Happily Ever After Dora Morgan 1961
Alice Through the Looking Box
Alice Through the Looking Box Queen 1960
Hello London
Hello London herself 1960
The Night We Got the Bird
The Night We Got the Bird Julie Skidmore 1960
Follow That Horse!
Follow That Horse! 1960
Operation Bullshine
Operation Bullshine Pvt. Cox 1959
Desert Mice
Desert Mice Gay Bennett 1959
Educating Archie
Educating Archie 1958
Carry On Sergeant
Carry On Sergeant Norah 1958
The Man Who Wouldn't Talk
The Man Who Wouldn't Talk Telephonist 1958
Small Hotel
Small Hotel (uncredited) 1957
Theatre Night
Theatre Night Julie Skidmore 1957
The Green Man
The Green Man Lily 1956
Child in the House
Child in the House Cassie 1956
The Cockleshell Heroes
The Cockleshell Heroes Myrtie 1955
You Lucky People!
You Lucky People! Hortense Tipp 1955
As Long as They're Happy
As Long as They're Happy May 1955
The Sooty Show
The Sooty Show Herself 1955
Harmony Lane
Harmony Lane Comedian 1954
Mad About Men
Mad About Men Berengaria 1954
The Crowded Day
The Crowded Day Marge 1954
The Young Lovers
The Young Lovers Switchboard Operator (uncredited) 1954
Fast and Loose
Fast and Loose Mary Rawlings, the maid 1954
You Know What Sailors Are
You Know What Sailors Are 1954
The Intruder
The Intruder Dora Bee 1953
The Fake
The Fake Barmaid 1953
Street Corner
Street Corner Prostitute 1953
Women of Twilight
Women of Twilight Olga 1953
The Real Thing
The Real Thing Dora 1953
The Ringer
The Ringer Mrs. Hackett 1952
Miss Robin Hood
Miss Robin Hood Pearl 1952
Mother Riley Meets the Vampire
Mother Riley Meets the Vampire Tilly 1952
Time, Gentlemen, Please!
Time, Gentlemen, Please! Peggy Stebbins 1952
Gift Horse
Gift Horse Glad Flanagan 1952
13 East Street
13 East Street Valerie 1952
Whispering Smith vs. Scotland Yard
Whispering Smith vs. Scotland Yard Miss La Fosse 1952
High Treason
High Treason Mrs. Bowers 1951
Lady Godiva Rides Again
Lady Godiva Rides Again Movie Publicist 1951
No Highway in the Sky
No Highway in the Sky 1951
Scarlet Thread
Scarlet Thread Maggie 1951
Circle of Danger
Circle of Danger Bubbles Fitzgerald 1951
The Quiet Woman
The Quiet Woman Elsie Tripp 1951
Traveller's Joy
Traveller's Joy Eva 1950
No Trace
No Trace Maisie 1950
Something in the City
Something in the City Waitress 1950
The Blue Lamp
The Blue Lamp Maisie 1950
The Cure for Love
The Cure for Love Jenny Jenkins 1949
The Interrupted Journey
The Interrupted Journey the waitress 1949
Don't Ever Leave Me
Don't Ever Leave Me Talkative Hairdresser (uncredited) 1949
Adam and Evelyne
Adam and Evelyne Blonde Sales Assistant (uncredited) 1949
Now Barabbas
Now Barabbas Winnie 1949
The Perfect Woman
The Perfect Woman Model in Shop 1949
Once Upon a Dream
Once Upon a Dream Barmaid 1949
No Room at the Inn
No Room at the Inn The Girl 1948
The Fallen Idol
The Fallen Idol Rose 1948
Odd Man Out
Odd Man Out Girl in Telephone Kiosk (uncredited) 1947
According To Dora
According To Dora

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