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Dora Bryan

Dora May Bryan OBE (born 7 February 1923) is 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. In 2013 she was still alive, but very frail, living in a nursing home in Hove, outside Brighton.  Text above based on the Wikipedia article Dora Bryan, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia


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Born:
Feb 7, 1923
Movie/TV Credits:
66
First Appeared:
In the series According To Dora
Latest Project:
Movie MirrorMask 2005-01-25
Known For
Poster of Heartbeat
Poster of Apartment Zero
Poster of A Taste of Honey
Poster of The Cockleshell Heroes
Filmography
Series According To Dora 2025
Movie MirrorMask Aunt Nan 2005-01-25
Movie Absolutely Fabulous: The Last Shout Millie 1996-11-06
Movie Bed Bosom Lady 1995-10-20
Series Heartbeat Unknown 1992-04-10
Series Virtual Murder Unknown 1992-07-24
Series Absolutely Fabulous Unknown 1992-11-12
Series On the Up 1990-09-04
Movie Apartment Zero Margaret McKinney 1989-09-02
Movie Screamtime Emma 1983-01-01
Series Last of the Summer Wine Roz 1973-01-04
Movie Up the Front Cora Crumpington 1972-01-01
Movie Hands of the Ripper Mrs. Golding 1971-10-17
Series Before The Fringe 1967-01-30
Movie Two A Penny Ruby Hopkins 1967-12-31
Movie The Great St. Trinian's Train Robbery Amber Spottiswood 1966-03-11
Movie That Swinging City Mrs. De Vere 1966-07-01
Movie A Taste of Honey Helen 1961-10-01
Movie Alice Through the Looking Box 1960-12-25
Movie The Night We Got the Bird Julie Skidmore 1960-11-03
Movie Operation Bullshine Pvt. Cox 1959-06-30
Movie Desert Mice Gay Bennett 1959-01-05
Movie Carry On Sergeant Norah 1958-08-15
Movie The Man Who Wouldn't Talk Telephonist 1958-01-21
Movie Small Hotel (uncredited) 1957-10-14
Movie Child in the House Cassie 1956-08-14
Movie The Green Man Lily 1956-12-21
Movie The Cockleshell Heroes Myrtie 1955-11-16
Movie You Lucky People Hortense Tipp 1955-01-01
Movie As Long as They're Happy May 1955-03-15
Series This Is Your Life Unknown 1955-07-29
Movie Fast and Loose Mary Rawlings, the maid 1954-02-12
Movie You Know What Sailors Are 1954-02-09
Movie The Crowded Day Marge 1954-10-01
Movie The Young Lovers Switchboard Operator (uncredited) 1954-08-24
Movie Harmony Lane Comedian 1954-11-20
Movie Mad About Men Berengaria 1954-11-16
Movie Women of Twilight Olga 1953-01-16
Movie Street Corner Prostitute 1953-03-17
Movie The Fake Barmaid 1953-09-25
Movie The Intruder Dora Bee 1953-10-18
Movie 13 East Street Valerie 1952-03-01
Movie Whispering Smith Vs. Scotland Yard Miss La Fosse 1952-01-01
Movie Gift Horse Glad Flanagan 1952-06-01
Movie Miss Robin Hood Pearl 1952-11-12
Movie Time, Gentlemen, Please! Peggy Stebbins 1952-07-01
Movie Mother Riley Meets the Vampire Tilly 1952-07-11
Movie The Ringer Mrs. Hackett 1952-11-24
Movie Circle of Danger Bubbles Fitzgerald 1951-04-17
Movie The Quiet Woman Elsie Tripp 1951-03-01
Movie No Highway 1951-06-28
Movie High Treason Mrs. Bowers 1951-11-13
Movie Scarlet Thread Maggie 1951-05-01
Movie Lady Godiva Rides Again Movie Publicist 1951-10-25
Movie The Blue Lamp Maisie 1950-01-19
Movie Something in the City Waitress 1950-09-01
Movie Traveller's Joy Eva 1950-12-25
Movie No Trace Maisie 1950-09-08
Movie Once Upon a Dream Barmaid 1949-02-01
Movie The Perfect Woman Model in Shop 1949-05-23
Movie Adam and Evelyne Blonde Sales Assistant (uncredited) 1949-05-31
Movie The Interrupted Journey the waitress 1949-10-11
Movie Now Barabbas Winnie 1949-05-24
Movie The Fallen Idol Rose 1948-09-30
Movie No Room at the Inn The Girl 1948-11-22
Movie Odd Man Out Girl in Telephone Kiosk (uncredited) 1947-01-30