Paula Tilbrook
Born(1930-01-16)16 January 1930
Salford, Lancashire, England
Died1 December 2019(2019-12-01) (aged 89)
OccupationActress
Years active1969–2015
Known forRole of Betty Eagleton in Emmerdale (1994–2015)
Spouse
Leslie Hall
​
​
(m. 1952; died 1985)​
Children2

Paula Tilbrook (16 January 1930 – 1 December 2019) was an English actress who played Betty Eagleton in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale from 1994 to 2015.

Career

Born in Salford,[1] Tilbrook begun her career performing on stage across North East England. After a break from acting to raise her children, she moved into television, appearing in the sitcom The Dustbinmen in 1969 and alongside Ken Dodd in Ken Dodd and the Diddymen from 1969 to 1973; thereafter, she became a regular on Dodd's radio programmes.[2][3]

In 1977, Tilbrook made an appearance as Estelle Plimpton in Coronation Street, and followed this by appearances as Olive Taylor-Brown in the same show in 1978 and 1980, and Vivian Barford from 1991 to 1993.[1] In 1979 she appeared in Tales of the Unexpected. In 1988, Tilbrook played Flo Capp in the sitcom Andy Capp. She appeared as dog-lover Mrs Tattersall in Open All Hours and played three roles in Last of the Summer Wine.[1] Her other credits include Crown Court, Brookside and two episodes of the BBC's Play for Today. Tilbrook's film credits include Yanks and Alan Bennett's A Private Function.[4]

In 1994, Tilbrook joined the ITV soap opera Emmerdale as Betty Eagleton, a character known for her love of gossip and her on-screen relationship with Seth Armstrong (played by Stan Richards).[4] Initially signed to appear in only three episodes, she remained in the role for 21 years, and at the time of her departure was the longest-running female cast member.[5][6] In April 2015, it was announced that Tilbrook would be retiring from acting and her final scenes as Betty aired on 25 May, which saw the character leave for Australia.[7] She briefly reprised her role in Emmerdale on Christmas Day 2015, when Betty appeared via Skype to speak to the villagers.[1]

Personal life

Tilbrook was married to Leslie Hall from 1952 until his death in 1985 from Alzheimer's disease. They had a son, Greg (born November 1953), and a daughter, Gaynor (born January 1957).[2] From 1962, she lived in Altrincham.[8]

Tilbrook died on 1 December 2019 aged 89; her death was not announced by her family until July 2020.[3][4]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Obituary: Paula Tilbrook". Sunday Independent. 19 July 2020. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Paula Tilbrook obituary". The Guardian. 21 July 2020. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  3. 1 2 Quinn, Michael (15 July 2020). "Obituary: Paula Tilbrook". The Stage. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 "Paula Tilbrook: Emmerdale actress dies at 89". BBC News. 15 July 2020. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  5. ↑ Kilkelly, Daniel (17 April 2015). "Emmerdale star Paula Tilbrook to leave Betty Eagleton role". Digital Spy. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
  6. ↑ "Emmerdale pays tribute to Paula Tilbrook after death at 89". Wales Farmer. 15 July 2020. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  7. ↑ "Emmerdale says goodbye to actress Paula Tilbrook who retires after 21 years". Press Centre. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
  8. ↑ Kirby, Dean (18 April 2010). "Actress wins trellis case". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 1 April 2021.


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