Jean Boht
Boht at Save TV Centre Studios in 2013
Born
Jean Dance

(1932-03-06)6 March 1932
Bebington, Cheshire, England
Died12 September 2023(2023-09-12) (aged 91)
Northwood, London, England
EducationLiverpool Playhouse
OccupationActress
Years active1962–2018
Known forBread (1986–1991)[1]
Spouses
William Boht
​
​
(m. 1954; div. 1970)​
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1970; died 2023)​
    Children2

    Jean Boht (née Dance; 6 March 1932 – 12 September 2023) was an English actress, most famous for the role of Nellie Boswell in Carla Lane's sitcom Bread, one of several actors to remain with the show for its entire seven series tenure from 1986 to 1991.

    Early life

    Boht was born as Jean Dance on 6 March 1932 in Bebington, then in Cheshire; her mother was pianist Edna May "Teddy" Dance. She was educated at Wirral Grammar School for Girls.[2]

    Career

    Boht trained at the Liverpool Playhouse, where she started her career as a theatre actress, before touring the United Kingdom in stage roles, working in numerous West End Theatres including the Royal National Theatre and the Bristol Old Vic.[1] In a career spanning from 1962 to 2018, she appeared largely in television productions. These included guesting parts in Softly, Softly (1971), Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em (1978), Grange Hill (1978), Last of the Summer Wine (1978), Boys from the Blackstuff (1982), Scully (1984) and Juliet Bravo in the mid-1980s.

    In was through her regular role in the sitcom Bread (1986–91), as matriarch Nellie Boswell, which she found her largest audience, with the series attracting some 20 million viewers.[1]

    In 1989, she was the subject of This Is Your Life, and in 2008 she made a guest appearance in BBC One's daytime TV soap, Doctors.

    Boht starred in The Brighton Belles, an unsuccessful British adaptation of the American sitcom The Golden Girls as the character of Josephine, based on Sophia Petrillo, the part made famous by Estelle Getty.[1]

    On stage, Boht appeared with Jeremy Irons in Embers (2006) at the Duke of York's Theatre in London.[3]

    Boht also appeared in the film Mothers and Daughters (2004), and starred in Chris Shepherd's award-winning short film Bad Night for the Blues (2010).

    Personal life, illness and death

    Commemorative plaque honouring Jean's mother Teddy Dance

    Her first marriage to William Boht ended in divorce. She married the American-British conductor and composer Carl Davis on 28 December 1970.[4] They had two daughters, filmmakers Hannah (born 1972) and Jessie (born 1974).[4] Boht and Davis were executive producers on Hannah Davis's film The Understudy and they appeared in the film as a married couple.[5][6] Davis died on 3 August 2023.[7]

    Boht was diagnosed with vascular dementia and Alzheimer's disease. She was a resident at Denville Hall, a retirement home in Northwood, London, for actors and other members of the entertainment industry.[8]

    Boht died from complications of dementia on 12 September 2023, aged 91.[1][9]

    Awards

    Boht won a British Comedy Award (now known as the "National Comedy Awards") for Best Comedy Actress in 1990.[8]

    Filmography

    Film

    Year Film Role Director Notes
    1978 Rapunzel Let Down Your Hair Mother Susan Shapiro
    Esther Ronay
    Francine Winham
    1988 Distant Voices, Still Lives Aunty Nell Terence Davies
    1988 The Girl in a Swing Mrs. Taswell Gordon Hessler
    1994 Heaven's a Drag Mrs. Downs Peter Mackenzie Litten
    2000 The Asylum Mrs. Brindle John Stewart
    2004 Mothers & Daughters Mary David Conolly
    Hannah Davis
    2007 Tug Kathleen David Andrew Ward Short film
    2007 Smallfilm Ada Richard Lawrence Short film
    2008 The Understudy Mrs. Davidovitz David Conolly
    Hannah Davis
    2009 Kin Mum Brian Welsh
    2009 To Cancer and Beyond Mrs. Taggert Veronica Walsh Short film
    2010 Bad Night for the Blues Glad Chris Shepherd Short film
    2018 Brexicuted Short film Chris Shepherd

    Television

    Year Title Role Notes
    1968 Mr. Rose Woman 3.01 "The Less-Than-Iron-Duke"
    1970 Scene Mrs. Potter 3.04 "£60 Single, £100 Return"
    1971 Softly, Softly: Task Force Mrs. Lacey 2.22 "Games"
    1973 Six Days of Justice Mrs. Taylor 2.02 "A Clear-Cut Case"
    1973 Ego Hugo Madame Mars-George Television film
    1973 Z-Cars Clerk of the Court 9.08 "The Cinder Path"
    1975 Couples Mrs. Bannister 6 episodes
    1976 Where Adam Stood Mary Teague Television film
    1976 Bill Brand Edna Copple 1.10 "Revisions"
    1977 Esther Waters Mrs. Spires 1.02 "Episode Two"
    1977 Last of the Summer Wine Maureen 4.05 "Who Made a Bit of a Splash in Wales Then?"
    1978 Grange Hill First Shop Assistant 1.05 "Episode Five"
    1978 The Sweeney Woman Neighbour 4.11 "Hearts and Mind"
    1978 Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em Mrs. Lewis 3.01 "Moving House"
    3.03 "Scottish Dancing"
    1979 Mother Nature's Bloomers Various characters 6 episodes
    1981 Sons and Lovers Mrs. Leivers Television miniseries
    1981 Funny Man Elsie 13 episodes
    1981 Juliet Bravo Mrs. Stannard 2.04 "Lies and Liars"
    1982 Triangle Mrs. Carter 7 episodes
    1982 Juliet Bravo Mrs. Fairchild 3.07 "Nothing to Report"
    1982 Boys from the Blackstuff D.O.E. - Miss Sutcliffe 1.03 "Shop Thy Neighbour"
    1983 Goodnight and God Bless Doris 1.05 "Ronnie's Wonderful Day"
    1983 Maybury Lucy Wildego 2.06 "Love's Labour: Part 1"
    1983 Spyship Mrs. Silvers Television miniseries
    1983 Juliet Bravo Mrs. Jackson 4.12 "Off Duty"
    1983 Bergerac Mrs. Farrell 3.03 "Holiday Snaps"
    1984 Scully Gran Television miniseries
    1984 Arthur's Hallowed Ground Betty Television film
    1985–1986 I Woke Up One Morning Mrs. Hamilton 8 episodes
    1986–1991 Bread Nellie Boswell 74 episodes
    1987 Agatha Christie's Miss Marple Madame Joliet 1.09 "4:50 from Paddington"
    1988 Screenplay Mrs. Bing 3.04 "Eskimos Do It"
    1992 The Cloning of Joanna May Mrs. Love Television miniseries
    1992 Cluedo Sister Concepta 3.05 "And Then There Were Nuns"
    1993 Comedy Playhouse Josephine 1.03 "Brighton Belles: Pilot"
    1993–1994 Brighton Belles Josephine 11 episodes
    1995 The Big Game Mrs. Harper Television film
    1996 Jim's Gift Mrs. Leaver Television film
    1998 Casualty Lil Clarke 13.15 "No Place Like Home"
    2000 Doctors Sylvia Wharton 1.27 "Loose Ends"
    1.32 "Twist of Fate"
    1.41 "To Have and to Hold"
    2002 Holby City Anita Reynolds 4.31 "Hearts and Minds"
    2003 The Bill Winnie Kettering 19.48 "123: High Speed Chaos"
    2003 Trial & Retribution Female Neighbour 7.02 "Suspicion: Part 2"
    2005 Celebrate 'Oliver!' Widow Corney Television film
    2006 Doctors Jean Clarkson 8.105 "Before the Fall"
    2007 Holby City Rosemary Mulligan 9.34 "Another Country"
    2007 The Bill Rose Harrison 23.59 "Deadly Secrets"
    2008 Doctors Norah Joyce 10.107 "Ben and Norah"
    2009 Casualty Dorothy Gilbert 23.45 "Ashes"
    2010 Missing Barbara Mansfield 2.08 "Proving the Point"
    2010 Doctors Billie Cannon 12.84 "A Call of Nature"
    2011 Skins Doreen 5.08 "Everyone"
    2011 Justice Mrs. Roden 1.02 "Like Father Like Son"
    2012 Casualty Doris Quinn 26.21 "The Only One You Love"
    2012 Doctors Doreen Bennett 14.70 "Good Citizens"

    Video games

    Year Title Role Notes
    1996 The Animals of Farthing Wood Voice

    References

    1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Jean Boht: Bread actress dies at 91". BBC News. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
    2. ↑ Miss Jean Boht Authorised Biography Debrett's People of Today. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
    3. ↑ Newsdesk, BWW. "Photo Coverage: Jeremy Irons on the West End in Embers". Broadwayworld.com. Retrieved 12 May 2012.
    4. 1 2 "Jean Boht". FullMovieReview.com. 2010. Archived from the original on 18 August 2011. Retrieved 19 April 2011.
    5. ↑ "The Understudy". Carl Davis Collection. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
    6. ↑ "The Understudy (2008) – Cast & Crew on MUBI". mubi.com. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
    7. ↑ "In Memoriam: Carl Davis CBE (1936-2023) | Faber Music". Faber Music. 3 August 2023.
    8. 1 2 "Jean Boht: 'Beloved and renowned' Bread star dies aged 91". Sky News. 13 September 2023. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
    9. ↑ "Jean Boht, formidable Bread actress, dies at 91". The Times. 13 September 2023. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
    This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.