According to Deadline, British sitcom actress Patricia Routledge (The Curse of King Tut’s Tomb, In Search of the Brontes) recently passed away at the age of 96. Routledge is best known for her character in the show Keeping Up Appearances, which ran for five seasons on the BBC from 1990 to 1995. She played the snobby socialite, Hyacinth Bucket. Routledge portrayed her character as an upper-middle-class lady who was really a working-class woman. Routledge portrayed the character as a rude and snooty woman who was constantly attempting to impress the people around her.
Routledge’s agent stated via the PA Media news agency: “We are deeply saddened to confirm the passing of Dame Patricia Routledge, who died peacefully in her sleep this morning, surrounded by love. Even at 96 years old, Dame Patricia Routledge’s passion for her work and for connecting with live audiences never waned, just new generations of audiences have continued to find her through her beloved television roles. She will be dearly missed by those closest to her and by her devoted admirers mourned the world,” according to Deadline.
According to Deadline, Routledge was born in 1929, and her acting career began at the Liverpool Playhouse in the early 1950s. She soon played at the West End Playhouse on Broadway. Her TV career began as she started delivering monologues on the TV series Talking Heads. She was nominated at the BAFTAs for best actress for her performance in Talking Heads: A Lady of Letters in 1988. Routledge also starred in the crime series Hetty Wainthropp Investigates from 1996 to 1998. Most recently, she appeared in a documentary about Beatrix Potter in 2017.
Jon Petrie, the Director of Comedy for the BBC network, said, “We are so sad to hear of the passing of Dame Patricia Routledge. She was an actor of remarkable range, but her portrayal of Hyacinth Bucket in Keeping Up Appearances has to be one of the most iconic performances in British comedy,” Deadline reported.