Windsor was born in Shoreditch, London, in 1937 (though her birth was registered in Stepney),[5] the only child of John Deeks, a bus driver, and his wife, Rose (née Ellis), a dressmaker.[6] The family lived on Angela Street. Her maternal great-grandmother was the daughter of Irish immigrants who fled to Great Britain from Ireland between 1846 and 1851 in order to escape the Great Famine.[7]
In 1939, at the start of World War II, Windsor's father was called up for the war, so Windsor and her mother went to live with her mother's family in Yoakley Road, Stoke Newington, where Windsor attended St Mary's Infants' School in nearby Lordship Road.[6][8]
Windsor's mother initially refused to let her be evacuated, but conceded after one of Windsor's school friends was killed by a bomb during an air raid.[9] Aged six, Windsor was evacuated to Blackpool to live with a couple, but they attempted to sexually abuse her.[6] A neighbour heard Windsor's screams and alerted the authorities. The couple were arrested and were found to not be married, but to be brother and sister.[10]
Windsor moved in with a schoolfriend and her parents, although they struggled to cope with her loud behaviour. They sent Windsor to dancing school, which sparked her interest in performing, although one night after a class, Windsor found her friend's father kissing another woman in a bus shelter.[11] Humiliated by this, Windsor was sent back to London in 1944 along with a note from her dance teacher which read: "Barbara is a born show-off who loves to perform."[6]
Impressed by this, Windsor's mother sent her to Madame Behenna's Juvenile Jollities, a drama school at which she appeared in several charity concerts and pantomimes. After the war, she passed her 11-plus exams, gaining the top mark in North London, and earned a scholarship for a place at Our Lady's Catholic High School, Stamford Hill,[6] although she was expelled because she argued with the reverend mother after the latter refused to let Barbara have time off to appear in a pantomime.[12]
Windsor moved to the Aida Foster School, Golders Green, and took elocution lessons. When Windsor's father came to watch a performance, she was ridiculed by the others as her father had begun working as a trolley bus conductor and had come in his uniform. Enraged, Windsor covered the girls in theatrical face powder, throwing more over the chaperone who tried to stop her.[13] Despite this, Windsor was chosen to appear in the chorus of the successful musical Love From Judy in the West End in 1952, which ran for two years.[14] Her stage name of "Windsor" was inspired by the Coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953.[15] By the time she was 16, Windsor's parents divorced, and she was unwillingly made to testify against her father in court. Awarded to her mother, following the divorce, Windsor's father ceased all contact with Barbara, and would ignore her if he saw her in the street for many years afterwards.[16]
Career
Windsor made her film debut as an uncredited extra in 1954 playing a schoolgirl in The Belles of St. Trinians;[17] she followed this with several other uncredited roles until she appeared in Too Hot to Handle (1960) with Jayne Mansfield. According to Windsor, Mansfield demanded that she appear at the back of the scene they shared, as she was worried Windsor's blonde hair and large chest would overshadow her own.[18] After this, Windsor made her television debut when Johnny Brandon, with whom Windsor had starred in Love from Judy, asked her to appear in his television series Dreamer's Highway. Windsor later appeared in musical shows Variety Parade, The Jack Jackson Show, and Six-Five Special, regularly singing with bands. She then became a regular cabaret act at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in Soho, and went on to do the same at the Winston's club alongside Danny La Rue and Amanda Barrie.[6][19]
Windsor came to prominence with her portrayals of a "good-time girl"[24] in nine Carry On films. Her first was Carry On Spying in 1964 and her final one was Carry On Dick in 1974.[25] She also appeared in several Carry On... television and compilation specials between 1964 and 1977.[26]
One of her best known scenes was in Carry On Camping (1969), where her bikini top flew off during outdoor aerobic exercises. In typical Carry On style, exposure is implied, but little is, in fact, seen.[27]
From 1973 to 1975, she appeared with several of the Carry On team in the West End revue Carry On London!.[28]
She was strongly identified with the Carry On films for many years, which restricted the roles she was offered later in her career.[29]
In 1970, she landed the role of music hall legend Marie Lloyd in the musical-biopic Sing A Rude Song. In 1972, she appeared in the West End in Tony Richardson's The Threepenny Opera with Vanessa Redgrave. In 1975, she toured the UK, New Zealand, and South Africa in her own show, Carry On Barbara!, and followed this with the role of Maria in Twelfth Night at the Chichester Festival Theatre.[6]
When EastEnders was launched in 1985, the producers said they would not cast well-known actors (although Wendy Richard was a rare exception). Windsor has said that she would have liked to have been part of the original cast.[31] By 1994, this policy was relaxed, and Windsor accepted an offer to join EastEnders. She took over the role of Peggy Mitchell (who was previously a minor character played by Jo Warne in 1991). Peggy was the widowed mother of established key characters Phil and Grant Mitchell, and younger sister Samantha. For this role, she received the Best Actress award at the 1999 British Soap Awards,[32] and a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2009 British Soap Awards.[6]
A debilitating case of the Epstein–Barr virus forced a two-year absence from the role between 2003 and 2005, although Windsor was able to make a two-episode guest appearance in 2004. She rejoined the cast full-time in the summer of 2005. In October 2009, Windsor announced she was to leave her role as Peggy Mitchell, saying she wanted to spend more time with her husband.[33] On 10 September 2010, her character left Albert Square after a fire destroyed the Queen Victoria pub, of which she was the owner.[34]
In July 2013, it was announced that Windsor was to return for one episode, which aired on 20 September 2013.[35] She again returned for a single episode on 25 September 2014,[36] and made a further appearance for EastEnders 30th anniversary on 17 February 2015.[37] In February 2015, Windsor, along with Pam St Clement (Pat Evans), took part in EastEnders: Back to Ours to celebrate 30 years of EastEnders. Windsor and St. Clement looked back on some of their characters' most dramatic moments.[38]
In November 2015, Windsor secretly filmed a return to EastEnders, which was shown in January 2016. After this, the character was confirmed to be killed off later in the year. This was Windsor's decision, as she said that she would always be open to a return to the show unless bosses decided to kill the character off.[39] Her last appearance aired on BBC One on 17 May 2016.[40] On 25 January 2022, by which time Windsor had died, an episode aired in which Peggy's son Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) hears his mother's voice giving him advice. The scene was made using archived audio from previous episodes.[41]
Later life
Windsor hosted two series of the BBC documentary Disaster Masters in 2005.[42] She provided the voice of the Dormouse in Walt Disney's live-action adaptation of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland (2010), directed by Tim Burton.[43] Windsor appeared in the pantomime Dick Whittington at the Bristol Hippodrome over the Christmas/New Year period of 2010/2011.[44] In September 2010, it was announced that Windsor would be fronting a TV campaign for online bingo site Jackpotjoy as the Queen of Bingo.[45] She appeared as herself in one episode of Come Fly with Me in January 2011.[46]
In May 2017, Windsor appeared in a cameo role as herself in BBC Television's biopic about her life, Babs, written by EastEnders scriptwriter Tony Jordan. It showed Windsor in the 1990s as she prepared to go on stage, and recalled events from her life, including her childhood, marriage to gangster Ronnie Knight, and her roles in the Carry On films.[49]
Personal life
Windsor was married three times, and had no children. She was married to:
Stephen Hollings, chef/restaurateur (married 12 April 1986 in Jamaica,[51] divorced 1995)
Scott Mitchell, former actor and recruitment consultant (married 8 April 2000)[52]
Prior to her marriage to Knight, Windsor had a one-night stand with East End criminal Reggie Kray, and a longer relationship with his older brother Charlie Kray.[53] During the time of making her later Carry On films, she had a well-publicised affair with her fellow actor and co-star Sid James, which lasted three years, until 1976.[2] Windsor was initially uninterested in James, 24 years her senior, but later stated that she thought she would have sex with him once, and then he would leave her alone;[54] however, James reportedly became obsessed with Windsor and suffocatingly possessive of her, to the extent that during the Carry On London! stage show, he shouted at Bernard Bresslaw because he had helped Windsor off the stage, the only reason being that Bresslaw had touched Windsor.[55]
James, who, like Windsor, was also already married, would send her a dozen red roses with a note attached with the words "Love Romeo", and even arranged to see her in Australia during her Carry On Barbara one-woman show, as he could not bear to be without her.[56] He would also state his love for her in public and to Windsor's friends, but after the affair began damaging Windsor's mental health, she ended it. Devastated by her decision, James became depressed and started to drink whisky; he died soon afterwards from a heart attack.[57]
Another of Windsor's Carry On co-stars, Kenneth Williams, accompanied Windsor and Knight on their honeymoon, also bringing his mother and sister with him.[58]
Windsor also dated Gary Crosby in the 1960s[59] and had brief sexual encounters with Victor Mature,[59]Anthony Newley,[60]Ronnie Scott,[61]James Booth,[62]George Best[63] and Maurice Gibb,[64] the latter two while she was still married. In the late 1950s, Windsor became engaged to singer Cliff Lawrence, but he physically beat her.[59] In her autobiography, All of Me, Windsor stated that she often turned up at Winston's, the club where she sang, with a black eye, and detailed one occasion when Lawrence dragged her down the street by her hair.[59] Windsor ended the relationship, and then started dating Knight. Windsor said that Lawrence would spy on her and Knight from telephone boxes, only leaving them alone after Knight threatened him.[65]
In her autobiography, Windsor discussed her five abortions: three in her 20s, and the last at the age of 42. She said that she never wanted children as a result of her father rejecting her after her parents' divorce.[66]
Windsor was best friends with fellow actress Anna Karen, whom she met while filming Carry On Camping and who later went on to play Peggy Mitchell's sister Aunt Sal in EastEnders on and off for 20 years.[67]
In April 2014, Windsor was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. She chose not to make news of the condition public, but it was known to her friends and colleagues. On 10 May 2018, Windsor's husband, Scott Mitchell, publicly revealed her condition.[69] In January 2019, Mitchell and some of Windsor's former co-stars from EastEnders announced that they would be running the London Marathon in aid of a dementia campaign.[70] Mitchell said that Windsor's health and mental state had been deteriorating, and she had moments when she no longer recognised him.[71]
On Windsor's 82nd birthday in August 2019, she and Mitchell became ambassadors for the Alzheimer's Society. On the same day, Mitchell and Windsor appeared in a video for the charity, in which Windsor said, "Unite with me, against dementia". Mitchell highlighted the problems many face with the disease, and urged viewers to sign a letter to Prime MinisterBoris Johnson, saying he "urgently needs to address these challenges."[72] In August 2020, BBC News reported that Windsor had been moved into a care home in London.[73]
Death
Windsor died at Anita Dorfman House, a Jewish Care home in Stanmore, north London, on 10 December 2020, aged 83.[74][75][76]
Windsor's funeral took place on 8 January 2021. Her body was cremated at Golders Green Crematorium. The service was attended by Anna Karen, Christopher Biggins, Ross Kemp, David Walliams and Matt Lucas, amongst others, although numbers were limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Floral decorations on Windsor's coffin spelled out the words "The Dame", "Saucy" (Windsor's catchphrase in the Carry On films) and "The Queen Peggy". Windsor's funeral programme featured the famous photo of her in Carry On Camping, a photo that she said "will follow me right to the end".[81]
In popular culture
Windsor was played by Samantha Spiro in Terry Johnson's play Cleo, Camping, Emmanuelle and Dick, which premiered at the National Theatre in 1998.[82] Rachel Clarke took over the role of Windsor in the touring production of the play in 2001.[83] Spiro reprised the role in the subsequent TV film adaptation, Cor, Blimey! (2000). The latter also featured a cameo appearance from Windsor, playing herself.[84]
^"New Year's Honours 2016". Government of the United Kingdom. 30 December 2015. Archived from the original on 30 December 2015. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
1984 video game 1984 video gameBoulder DashDeveloper(s)Data East (1990 arcade, NES)Beam Software (Game Boy)Publisher(s)NA: First Star SoftwareEU: MirrorsoftDesigner(s)Peter LiepaChris GrayProgrammer(s)Kazunori IshiguriToshiyuki SakaiHisatada Ohta (1990 arcade)Composer(s)Azusa HaraFuse (1990 arcade)Platform(s) Atari 8-bit Acorn Electron, Amstrad CPC, Apple II, Arcade, Atari 2600, BBC Micro, ColecoVision, Commodore 64, FM-7, Game Boy, IBM PC, Intellivision, iOS, MSX, NES, PC-88, PMD 85, Super C...
Tetrafluoroetana (suatu haloalkana) adalah cairan tak berwarna yang mendidih di bawah suhu kamar (seperti yang terlihat di sini) dan dapat diekstraksi dari tabung udara kalengan umum dengan hanya membalik mereka selama penggunaan. Haloalkana (disebut pula sebagai halogenoalkana atau alkil halida) merupakan suatu kelompok senyawa kimia yang berasal dari alkana yang mengandung satu atau lebih halogen. Mereka adalah bagian dari kelas umum halokarbon, meskipun perbedaan tersebut tidak sering dila...
Bagian dari Alkitab KristenPerjanjian BaruLukas 7:36-37 pada Papirus 3 Injil Matius Markus Lukas Yohanes SejarahKisah Para Rasul Surat Surat-surat Paulus Roma 1 Korintus 2 Korintus Galatia Efesus Filipi Kolose 1 Tesalonika 2 Tesalonika 1 Timotius 2 Timotius Titus Filemon Ibrani Surat-surat umum Yakobus 1 Petrus 2 Petrus 1 Yohanes 2 Yohanes 3 Yohanes Yudas ApokalipsWahyu Perjanjian Lama Portal Kristenlbs The first page of Colossians in Minuscule 321 gives its title as προς κολ�...
Peta kekuasaan Amerika Spanyol Bagian dari seri artikel mengenaiKolonisasi Eropa di Amerika Kontak Pra-Columbus Penemuan Benua Amerika Gelombang pertama kolonisasi Kolonisasi Britania Kolonisasi Belanda Kolonisasi Denmark Kolonisasi Hospitaller Kolonisasi Italia Kolonisasi Jerman Kolonisasi Kurlandia Kolonisasi Nordik Kolonisasi Prancis Kolonisasi Portugis Kolonisasi Rusia Kolonisasi Skotlandia Kolonisasi Spanyol Kolonisasi Swedia Dekolonisasi Portal Sejarahlbs Kolonisasi Spanyol di...
Uranium-238, 238Usampel 10 gramUmumSimbol238UNamauranium-238, U-238Proton (Z)92Neutron (N)146Data nuklidaKelimpahan alam99,2745%Waktu paruh (t1/2)4,468×109 tahunIsotop induk242Pu (α)238Pa (β−)Produk peluruhan234ThMassa isotop238,05078826 uSpin0Mode peluruhanMode peluruhanEnergi peluruhan (MeV)Peluruhan alfa4,267Isotop uranium Tabel nuklida lengkap Uranium-238 (238U atau U-238) adalah sebuah isotop uranium yang paling banyak ditemukan di alam, dengan kelimpahan rela...
Kabinet Abe KetigaKabinet Pemerintahan Jepang ke-97Perdana Menteri Shinzō Abe (baris depan, tengah) dengan kabinet yang dipilih kembali dalam Kantei, 24 Desember 2014Dibentuk24 Desember 2014Diselesaikan1 November 2017Struktur pemerintahanKepala negaraKaisar AkihitoKepala pemerintahanShinzō AbeWakil kepala pemerintahanTarō AsōPartai anggotaKoalisi Demokratik Liberal–KomeitoStatus di legislatifHoR: Mayoritas LDP (koalisi supermayoritas) HoC: Koalisi mayoritasPartai oposisiPartai Demokrati...
Italian painter Self-portrait (date unknown) Odoardo Borrani (22 August 1833 – 14 September 1905) was an Italian painter associated with the Macchiaioli group. Biography He was born in Pisa. The Borrani family moved to Florence, where Odoardo enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts in 1853. There, he studied under Gaetano Bianchi [it], Giuseppe Bezzuoli, and Enrico Pollastrini. However, he became independent of the academic styles. Cucitrici di camicie rosse (Sewing red shirts for...
Island and historical province in Sweden Not to be confused with Götaland, Gotland (disambiguation), or Gothland (disambiguation). GotlandGutland (Gutnish)Coat of armsGeographyLocationBaltic SeaCoordinates57°30′N 18°30′E / 57.500°N 18.500°E / 57.500; 18.500ArchipelagoSlite archipelagoTotal islands14 large + a number of smaller islandsMajor islandsGotland, Fårö, Gotska Sandön, Stora Karlsö, Lilla Karlsö, FurillenArea3,183.7 km2 (1,229.2 sq...
Seifuku ga Jama o SuruSingel oleh AKB48dari album Set List: Greatest Songs 2006–2007Sisi-BVirgin LoveDirilis31 Januari 2007 (2007-01-31)FormatCD SingelGenrePopDurasi17:57LabelDefSTAR RecordsPenciptaYasushi Akimoto, Yoshimasa InoueProduserYasushi Akimoto Seifuku ga Jama o Suru (制服が邪魔をするcode: ja is deprecated , Seragam Ini Sangat Mengganggu) adalah singel ke-2 dari grup idola Jepang AKB48 yang dirilis dengan label DefSTAR Records atau singel ke-4 bila dua singel indies ik...
У этого термина существуют и другие значения, см. Костомарово. СелоКостомарово 50°41′36″ с. ш. 39°46′06″ в. д.HGЯO Страна Россия Субъект Федерации Воронежская область Муниципальный район Подгоренский Сельское поселение Юдинское История и география Часовой пояс ...
Військово-музичне управління Збройних сил України Тип військове формуванняЗасновано 1992Країна Україна Емблема управління Військово-музичне управління Збройних сил України — структурний підрозділ Генерального штабу Збройних сил України призначений для планува...
2008 video gameDestroy All Humans! Path of the FuronDeveloper(s)Sandblast GamesPublisher(s)THQDirector(s)Jon KnolesWriter(s)Micah WrightJay LenderComposer(s)Garry SchymanSeriesDestroy All Humans!EngineUnreal Engine 3[1]Platform(s)PlayStation 3, Xbox 360[2]ReleaseNA: December 1, 2008 (X360)AU: February 12, 2009EU: February 13, 2009Genre(s)Action-adventureMode(s)Single-player, local multiplayer Destroy All Humans! Path of the Furon is an action-adventure video game developed by...
Highway in Israel and Palestine You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in Hebrew. Click [show] for important translation instructions. Machine translation, like DeepL or Google Translate, is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated text into the English Wikipedia. Do not translate text that appears unrel...
Historic district in North Carolina, United States United States historic placeBath Historic DistrictU.S. National Register of Historic PlacesU.S. Historic district Commercial buildings on Main StreetLocationBounded by Bath Creek, North Carolina Highway 92, and King St., Bath, North CarolinaCoordinates35°28′33″N 76°48′50″W / 35.47583°N 76.81389°W / 35.47583; -76.81389Area80 acres (32 ha)Built1730 (1730)NRHP reference No.70000437[1 ...
Ongoing low-level conflict in Senegal Casamance conflictPainting in Oussouye warning of land mines in the area.Date1982 – 1 May 2014 (main conflict)2015 – present (low-level violence)LocationCasamance, SenegalStatus Ongoing low-level violence Unilateral ceasefire by most MFDC factions[3][7] MFDC extremely weakened by 2021[3]Belligerents Senegal Guinea-Bissau (1998–1999,[1] 2021[2]) Turkey (2021, alleged by MFDC)[3] MFDC Thr...
For other uses, see Grand Prairie (disambiguation). City in TexasGrand Prairie, TexasCityWater tower at Market SquareNickname: G.P.Location of Grand Prairie in Dallas County, TexasGrand Prairie, TexasLocation in the contiguous United StatesCoordinates: 32°42′55″N 97°1′1″W / 32.71528°N 97.01694°W / 32.71528; -97.01694Country United StatesState TexasCountiesDallas, Tarrant, EllisIncorporated as Dechman1863; 161 years ago (1863...
The Tongass National Forest in Alaska is managed by the United States Forest Service Natural resource management (NRM) is the management of natural resources such as land, water, soil, plants and animals, with a particular focus on how management affects the quality of life for both present and future generations (stewardship). Natural resource management deals with managing the way in which people and natural landscapes interact. It brings together natural heritage management, land use plan...
Rt. Hon. Arthur Henderson Pemimpin OposisiMasa jabatan1 September 1931 – 25 Oktober 1932PendahuluStanley BaldwinPenggantiGeorge LansburySecretary of State for Foreign AffairsMasa jabatan7 Juni 1929 – 24 Agustus 1931PendahuluAusten ChamberlainPengganti1st Marquess of ReadingHome SecretaryMasa jabatan23 Januari – 4 November 1924PendahuluWilliam BridgemanPenggantiSir William Joynson-Hicks Informasi pribadiLahir(1863-09-13)13 September 1863Glasgow, SkotlandiaMenin...
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: Tanjung Pengelih – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (January 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message) Tanjung Pengelih is a small town in Pengerang, Kota Tinggi District, Johor, Malaysia. The Tanjung Pengelih historical British Military Oper...
Irene Aderenti Senatrice della Repubblica ItalianaDurata mandato29 aprile 2008 –14 marzo 2013 LegislaturaXVI GruppoparlamentareLega Nord Padania CoalizioneCentro-destra 2008 CircoscrizioneLombardia Sito istituzionale Dati generaliPartito politicoLega Nord (fino al 2019) Titolo di studiodiploma di istituto magistrale Professioneinsegnante Irene Aderenti (Zurigo, 21 febbraio 1955) è una politica italiana. Indice 1 Biografia 1.1 La carriera politica 2 Note 3 Colle...