Dame Penelope Keith: The Good Life's funny and formidable star

Image source, WireImage via Getty Images By Rebecca Thomas Published 2 minutes ago Dame Penelope Keith was one of Britain's best-loved comedy actresses thanks to her inimitable portrayal of Margo Leadbeatter in 1970s sitcom The Good Life, among other roles. As Margo, the formidable social-climbing snob with a cut-glass voice but a soft interior, Keith ensured her place in the nation's hearts. And her transition to her next comedy hit To the Manor Born, playing true-blue aristocrat Audrey fforbes-Hamilton, felt seamless. Image caption, The Good Life made Penelope Keith a household name Keith starred in several other sitcoms before later fronting shows about her passion for the British countryside. Over a career that began in the late 1950s, Keith also remained devoted to her theatre roots, performing up and down the UK. For her contribution to entertainment, and charity, Keith was rewarded with TV Baftas, an Olivier, an OBE, a CBE and ultimately a damehood in 2013 - not forgetting the rose named in her honour. In an interview with the Daily Mail, , external she summed up her love of making people smile. "Humour is power and a force for good because if you can laugh, particularly at yourself, you are some way to being able to make sense of things," she said. Image source, WPA via Getty Images Image caption, Penelope Keith was made a dame for her services to entertainment and charity While Keith's voice contributed to her success, it also gave a false impression of her background. Keith (nee Hatfield) was from relatively humble stock. Born in Sutton, Surrey, in 1940, she grew up in Clapham, south London, in the thick of World War Two. Her mother Connie worked as a hotel child entertainment organiser and was often away, so the young Penelope spent a lot of time with her grandparents. Her father had left when she was very young and Connie later remarried, but although she took his surname, Keith wouldn't talk about him. Aged six, she went to a boarding school run by nuns, where the performing arts and elocution lessons were encouraged. It became the happiest of times for the would-be actress. "I apparently came home from school one day and sat in the bath and said to my mother that when I grow older I was going to be either a nun or an actress," she told chat show host Michael Parkinson in 1977. "She was a bit taken aback and said, 'Darling, nuns can't wear pretty clothes'. So I said, 'Well, I'll be an actress then.'" Image caption, Penelope Keith (second from left) appearing in a production of Pioneers of Social Change in 1962 But out in the "real" world, the 5'10" stature that had landed her lead roles at school became an issue. Top drama school Rada rejected her for being too tall, and although she found a place at the Webber-Douglas acting school, tutors made clear her perceived limitations. 'Gag girl' "I was very tall and very plain; I think this is where the comedy came from because I wasn't going to get very far on my looks. So I thought I'd be