The Return of the Classic Films Obituary Thread

[CBHagman]

78. Dame Patricia Routledge, 96, actor and singer

Best known in the United States for her comic turn in the series Keeping Up Appearances, Patricia Routledge appeared on the stage, TV, and silver screen.

https://www.npr.org/2025/10/06/nx-s1-5563830/patricia-routledge-star-of-bbcs-keeping-up-appearances-dies-at-96

From NPR's coverage:

["Keeping Up Appearances" is] a sitcom about a middle-class woman named Hyacinth who is hellbent on trying to convince people she's upper-crust. She's always embellishing parts of her life, including the pronunciation of her last name.

Which was spelled B-U-C-K-E-T. So, OK, she's Hyacinth Bucket. But of course, that was far too pedestrian for Hyacinth. As she made clear throughout the show's entire run, B-U-C-K-E-T is pronounced bouquet. In Routledge's hands, a woman who could have been insufferable was instead beloved and responsible for many laughs around the world.

Routledge got her start in theater at the Liverpool Playhouse. She performed in London's West End and later on Broadway, winning an Olivier Award and a Tony. She was also a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, and audiences got to see her on the big screen in "To Sir, With Love," starring Sidney Poitier.

Her IMDB credits:

]https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0746151/