Линда Беллингем: Жизнь и карьера актрисы

English actress, broadcaster, and author (1948–2014)

Lynda Bellingham OBE ('/b//ɛ//l//ɪ//ŋ//ə//m/ BELin gəm; 31 May 194819 October 2014) was an English actress, broadcaster and author. She acted in television series such as All Creatures Great and Small, Doctor Who, Second Thoughts and Faith in the Future. She was also known for her appearances as the mother in the long running series of "Oxo Family" British TV advertisements between 1983 and 1999, and as a panellist on the ITV lunchtime chat show Loose Women between 2007 and 2011.

Bellingham was born Meredith Hughes in Montreal to a single mother, but was given up for adoption because she was born out of wedlock in a strict church going family. She was adopted when she was four months old. Bellingham was educated at Aylesbury High School and trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama. along with its sequel Faith in the Future. With her Oxo Family co star, Michael Redfern she appeared in an episode of Filthy Rich and Catflap. Bellingham appeared as the Inquisitor in the 14 part Doctor Who serial The Trial of a Time Lord in 1986. She reprised the character for the Big Finish Productions audio series Gallifrey, and in the Big Finish Productions audio drama Trial of the Valeyard, (which she recorded only a few months before announcing her cancer). She starred as Emily Marlowe in the film The Scarlet Tunic in 1998, She had a recurring role in The Bill as villainess Irene Radford for several months in 2004, and appeared as Marlene in Devil's Gate the same year. She also appeared in Midsomer Murders "The Fisher King" as Jane Willows. She had a role in the ITV comedy Bonkers playing Mrs Wadlow, a man eating suburban housewife who seduces her neighbour's teenage son and turns him into her gigolo. Later that year, she filmed guest appearances in episodes of Love Soup and Robin Hood. She played DCI Karen Hardwick in a 2007 episode of New Tricks (S4:E1).

Bellingham played the central character in the long running "Oxo Family" series of TV commercials, starting in 1983, playing a mother who binds her family together by cooking them meals featuring Oxo products. The advertisements typically featured the family sitting down to a meal at which Oxo gravy would be served. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the family was seen to grow older. When the campaign was retired in 1999, the family moved out of the house.

On 17 December 2010, Bellingham guest presented the ITV programme Lorraine. In 2012, she presented her own cookery series called My Tasty Travels with Lynda Bellingham. The following year, she presented the ITV programme Country House Sunday.

Bellingham joined Loose Women on 10 April 2007, appearing alongside Carol McGiffin and Coleen Nolan, and continued as a regular on the show until 2011. In all, Bellingham made more than 300 appearances on the show, including a special appearance in 2014 shortly before her death. Two editions of Loose Women were dedicated to Bellingham after her death.

Twice in the 1960s, Bellingham appeared in the Pendley Open Air Shakespeare Festival. In January 2005, she appeared in a play entitled Losing Louis at Hampstead Theatre before transferring to the Trafalgar Studios in London. Her performance received critical acclaim, especially from Michael Billington. In October 2007, she appeared in the play Vincent River at the Trafalgar Studios in London. From September 2008 to July 2009, Bellingham played the role of Chris Harper in the stage version of the hit film Calendar Girls on tour and at the Noël Coward Theatre in the West End. She returned to the show for further tours in 2010, 2011 and 2012. Over the Christmas/New Year period of 2011/12, she played the Fairy Godmother in the pantomime Cinderella at the Birmingham Hippodrome. She played the role again at the Alhambra Theatre, Bradford over the Christmas/New Year period of 2012/13. Bellingham was due to star in Kay Mellor's play A Passionate Woman at the Sheffield Crucible, followed by a national tour, however, it was announced in July 2013 that the show had to be postponed owing to Bellingham's cancer treatment.

In 2010, Bellingham launched her book Lost and Found, a story of her life and career and toured the country for private readings. Her final story, The Boy I Love was published posthumously in November 2014.

Bellingham was married three times, first in 1975 to film and theatre producer Greg Smith. According to Bellingham in her 2010 autobiography, the marriage was one driven primarily by sex, with Smith later admitting to numerous affairs with other actresses, including some who sent nude photos to their home. Her second marriage (1981–96) was to restaurateur Nunzio Peluso, with whom she had two sons, Michael and Robbie. The couple were introduced to each other at the Italian restaurant La Famiglia in Chelsea, London, in the early 1980s by friend and fellow actor Christopher Biggins. After a whirlwind courtship and romance, the couple married but the relationship was marred by Peluso's jealousy of Bellingham's former lovers leading to a series of altercations, fights and domestic abuse towards her. Around the same time as Bellingham was being abused by Peluso, she was starring in the Oxo adverts and felt bound to hide the truth about her marriage for fear of spoiling her image in the commercials. As Bellingham revealed in her 2010 autobiography Lost & Found: My Story: "maybe if my private life had been happier I would have enjoyed doing it more. As it was, I felt I was living a lie. Being the nation's favourite mum on screen and going home to an abusive relationship was heartbreaking [ ] the irony was horrific. Here I was, the Oxo mum, hiding behind closed doors, isolated from her friends and family." The couple divorced in 1996, Bellingham giving her former husband half of everything she owned, although he continued to intimidate her. A restraining order was granted in 2000 to keep Peluso away from his former wife. On 31 May 2008, Bellingham married her boyfriend, Spain based timeshare salesman, Michael Pattemore (known on Loose Women as "Mr Spain"), at St Stephen Walbrook on her 60th birthday. Bellingham was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2014 New Year Honours for voluntary service to charitable giving.

On 16 July 2013, it was announced that Bellingham had been diagnosed with colorectal cancer. She released a statement saying she was "not going to die." In September 2014, Bellingham confirmed that her cancer had metastasised to her lungs and liver and that she had "months to live". She announced that she had made the choice in August 2014 to stop chemotherapy in November, so that she could have "one last Christmas" with her family and die in January 2015. Bellingham died in a London hospital on 19 October 2014 with her husband Michael by her side. On 3 November 2014, her funeral took place at St Bartholomew's Church in Crewkerne. Bellingham was buried in Crewkerne Townsend Cemetery. Her headstone names her as Lynda Bellingham Pattemore.

Year Title Role Notes 1971 The Misfit Wee Jeanie Episode: "On the New Establishment" 1971 ITV Sunday Night Theatre Nurse Mary Tiller Episode: "Mr. Pargiter" 1971 Kate Hattie 2 Episodes 1971 A Family at War Chrissie 3 Episodes 1972 The Fenn Street Gang Liza Episode: "From Sudbury with Love" 1972–1973 General Hospital Nurse Hilda Price 27 Episodes 1973 Tell Tarby Nurse Norma Snockers 6 Episodes 1974 Z Cars Pauline Tyson Episode: "Pressure" 1974 A Little Bit of Wisdom Gwen Morgan Episode: "A Little Bit of Respect" 1974 Billy Liar Alison Episode: "Billy and the New Life" 1975 Within These Walls Yvonne Melton Episode: "The Slap" 1975 Z Cars Irene 3 Episodes 1975 The Sweeney Nancy King Episode: "Trojan Bus" 1976 Couples Jack 6 Episodes1976Whodunnit?Suzy BoothEpisode: "Dead Ball" 1976 Yus My Dear Carole Episode: "Woman Trouble" 1977 Yes, Honestly Amanda Episode: "Entertaining Mr. Roscoe" 1977 Doctor on the Go Eleanor Wilcox Episode: "What's in a Name?" 1977 Big Boy Now! Brenda Bollington Episode: "Supergirl"1977Cottage to LetBarbaraEpisode: "Second Opinion" 1977 The Fuzz WPC Pamela ‘Purrfect’ Purvis All 7 Episodes 1978 The Pink Medicine Show Various All 6 Episodes 1979 Don't Forget to Write! Angela Episode: "Enter Hitler" 1979 Hazell Vanessa Episode: "Hazell Gets the Part" 1979 Shoestring Nicola Episode: "Find the Lady" 1980 The Professionals Betty Hope Episode: "Slush Fund" 1980 Mackenzie Ruth Isaacs All 12 Episodes 1981 Funny Man Gwen 11 Episodes 1981 Blake's 7 Vena Episode: "Headhunter" 1982 Murphy's Mob Elaine Murphy 12 Episodes 1982 Angels Kathy Stone 5 Episodes 1982 Educating Marmalade Registrar Episode: "Walkies" 1984 The Gentle Touch Alison Fairbrother 2 Episodes 1986 Doctor Who The Inquisitor 14 Episodes 1987 Filthy Rich & Catflap Ms Tomkins Episode: #1.4 1987 Screen Two Mary Morris Episode: "The Vision" 1988–1990 All Creatures Great and Small Helen Herriot 47 Episodes 1990–1993 Jackanory Storyteller 9 Episodes 1991–1994 Second Thoughts Faith Greyshott All 49 Episodes 1994 Martin Chuzzlewit Mrs. Lupin 5 Episodes 1995 Julia Jekyll and Harriet Hyde Aunt Cassandra Episode: "A Fright for Aunt Cassandra" 1995–1998 Faith in the Future Faith Greyshott All 22 Episodes 1998 Casualty Steph Yates Episode: "Trust" 2000–2003 At Home with the Braithwaites Pauline Farnell 19 Episodes 2000 Reach for the Moon Penny Martin All 6 Episodes 2000 Bob Martin Lynda Bellingham Episode: "Mr. and Mrs." 2001 Waking the Dead Mary Mantel 2 Episodes 2001 My Uncle Silas Mrs. Gadsby Episode: "The Widder" 2002 Happy Together Teresa TV film 2003 Hans Christian Andersen: My Life as a Fairytale Landlady TV film 2004 Midsomer Murders Jane Willows Episode: "The Fisher King" 2004 Dalziel and Pascoe Jess Pitman Episode: "Great Escapes" 2004 The Last Detective Councillor Marjorie Balsam Episode: "The Long Bank Holiday" 2004 Monkey Trousers Various TV film 2004 The Bill Irene Radford 19 Episodes 2004 Odd Socks Magdalena Unaired TV series 2005 Murder in Suburbia Milly Goodman Episode: "The Wedding" 2006 Holby City Caitlin Lucas Episode: "Brother's Keeper" 2007 Bonkers Mrs. Wadlow 5 episodes 2007 New Tricks Det. Supt. Karen Hardwick Episode: "Casualty" 2007 Robin Hood Queen Eleanor Episode: "Treasure of the Nation" 2008 Re extinct Marg Precious TV film 2008 Love Soup Matilda Episode: "Whose God Is It Anyway?" 2009 Mister Eleven Shirley Both 2 Episodes 2011 Just Rosie Lynda Bellingham TV film 2014–2015 Too Close for Comfort Mary All 4 Episodes