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| Authority control databases: Artists |
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Patricia Greene | |
|---|---|
| Born | Patricia Honor Greene 1931 (age 93–94) Allenton, Derby, England |
| Education | Royal Central School of Speech and Drama |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1957–present |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 1 |
Patricia Honor Greene [1] (born 1931) [2] is an English actress who is known for voicing matriarch Jill Archer in the radio serial The Archers . She has played the role continuously since 1957, making her the world's longest serving actor in a soap opera in any medium (radio, television or internet). Greene also briefly acted in television and film.
Greene was born in Allenton, Derby, England, in the first quarter of 1931, [3] the second daughter of Edward Greene, a piano salesman, and his wife Agnes Johnson, a housewife. [4] Her grandfather, Edward Fitzgerald Greene, who lived in Derby, was a butler. Greene has recalled experiences of her mother having an extramarital affair, in which her mother would bring the man home and order Greene to not tell her father. She remarked that it was not the best way to bring up a child. [4] Her family moved to Campion Street in the New Zealand part of the city, where she attended Ashgate Infants School on Ashbourne Road. Later she moved to Kirk Street, Chester Green, attending St Paul's Junior School and the Parkfields Cedars Grammar School. [5]
Greene began working as a ward orderly at the Derbyshire Children's Hospital and in the sheet metal factory of Hawk Industries, but noticed her father crying at a theatre performance. She credited that moment with her wanting to become an actress as she wanted to make people emote. [4] She then went to the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London in 1951. [6] During a microphone technique class, a teacher told her that she would never be on television due to sounding like a "fairy in hockey boots". [4]
In 1957, she auditioned for the role of Jill Archer in the BBC Radio 4 soap The Archers . She was preceded by six experienced radio actresses in the audition process and felt that she would not get it. [4] However, she was cast in the role and has remained since. [7] She found the first six weeks of appearing on The Archers tough due to her inexperience. She recalled that on her second day, she took stage directions too far and threw a glass of water over Norman Painting, who portrayed Phil Archer, and nearly electrocuted him. This impressed series creator Godfrey Baseley and he kept her on the series. [4]
Greene married English actor George Selway in 1959. They later divorced and she married Cyril Austen Richardson in 1972, with whom she had a son, born in 1972. She was widowed in 1986. [8] Greene was tempted to leave The Archers when her son was a toddler but felt a loyalty to the programme and stayed. [4] In March 2000, she appeared in the first episode of the BBC medical soap opera Doctors as Margaret Richmond. She reprised the role a month later, as well as appearing in an episode of the BBC medical drama Casualty later in 2000. [9]
Greene was awarded the MBE in 1997 [10] and was conferred an honorary Master of Arts degree by the University of Derby in 2017. [11]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1957–present | The Archers | Jill Archer (voice) | Radio series; regular role |
| 1957 | A Man for All Seasons | Woman | Television film |
| 1961 | The Kitchen | Anne | Film |
| 1964 | It's a Woman's World | Mary | 1 episode |
| 1965–1969 | Crossroads | Margaret Robson Mrs. Lynch Mrs. Grey | Various roles |
| 1990 | One Foot in the Grave | Jill Archer (voice) | 1 episode |
| 2000 | Doctors | Margaret Richmond | 2 episodes |
| 2000 | Casualty | Ivy Watson | 1 episode |
| Authority control databases: Artists |
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Norman George Painting was an English actor, broadcaster and writer. He played Phil Archer in the BBC Radio 4 soap opera The Archers from the pilot episodes aired on the BBC Midlands Home Service in summer 1950, after the series went national on the Light Programme on 1 January 1951, until his death in 2009, when he was the longest-serving member of the cast. His last episode, recorded two days before he died, was broadcast on 22 November 2009. The character lived on until Phil was "found dead" in his armchair in February 2010. According to Guinness World Records, Painting held the world record for an actor playing a continuous role, a total of 59 years, which has now been surpassed by co-actor Lesley Saweard and co-star Patricia Greene.
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Ruth Alexandra Elisabeth Jones is a Welsh actress, comedian, writer and producer. She co-wrote and co-starred in the critically acclaimed BBC sitcom Gavin & Stacey. She also co-wrote and starred in the Sky One comedy-drama Stella (2012–2017), for which she was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Female Comedy Performance and won the BAFTA Cymru Award for Best Screenwriter.
Philip Walter Archer is a fictional character from the British BBC Radio 4 soap opera The Archers, played by Norman Painting. He made his first appearance on 29 May 1950, the show's pilot episode. The character later became the longest serving male character in the series. His longevity gave him something of the status of a 'patriarch' in Ambridge.
Vicky Lee McClure is an English actress, model and presenter. She is known for her roles as Detective Inspector Kate Fleming in the BBC series Line of Duty (2012–2021) and Lol Jenkins in Shane Meadows's film This Is England (2006) and its Channel 4 sequel mini-series This Is England '86 (2010), This Is England '88 (2011), and This Is England '90 (2015). Before This is England, she appeared in another of Meadows' films, A Room for Romeo Brass (1999), where she played Ladine. She won the RTS Award and British Academy Television Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Lol in This is England '86 in 2011.
June Rosalind Spencer was an English actress best known for her long-running role as Peggy Woolley in the BBC Radio 4 soap opera The Archers. Spencer played the character from 1950 to 1953, and again from 1962 to 2022.
New Zealand is an inner-city suburb of Derby in Derbyshire, England. It is surrounded by the Mackworth Estate, Rowditch and The West End suburbs. New Zealand also incorporates an area called the Morley Estate.
Clare Perkins is an English actress, known for her roles as Denise Boulter in Family Affairs and Ava Hartman in EastEnders.
Sarah Gordy, MBE is a British actress who has Down syndrome. She is best known for her roles as Katie Thorne in The A Word and Ralph & Katie, Orlando Quine in Strike: The Silkworm, Lady Pamela Holland in the BBC TV series of Upstairs Downstairs, and Lucy Craddle in The Long Call. She has also acted in episodes of Call the Midwife, Holby City and Doctors. As well as these TV shows, she has acted in short films, radio dramas, commercials, and many theatre productions. In 2018 she became the first woman with Down syndrome to be made an MBE and the first person with Down syndrome to receive an honorary degree from a UK university.
Colin Skipp was a British actor, best known for playing Tony Archer in the BBC radio series The Archers for 46 years.
Helen Monks is an English writer, actress and comedian. She is best known for her roles in Raised by Wolves, Upstart Crow, The Archers, Holby City, The Last Kingdom, Genius, and Inside No. 9.
Jill Archer is a fictional character from the BBC Radio 4 soap opera The Archers. She has been portrayed by Patricia Greene since 1957. Writers for the show paired Jill with Phil Archer, their marriage lasting until Phil's death in 2010. Greene is one of the world's longest-serving actors in a soap opera, in any medium. In 2018, Jill was featured in 37 of the show's almost 300 episodes for the year and continues to play a prominent role in the show.
Christine Barford is a fictional character from the British BBC Radio 4 soap opera, The Archers. The character was introduced as the sister of Phil Archer in 1951, and the daughter of Dan and Doris Archer. The character was a skilled horsewoman, who for many years ran the Ambridge riding stables. British actress Lesley Saweard played the role from 1953 to 2019, with a six-year break in the mid-1960s, making her one of the longest-serving soap opera actors in the world. Saweard was last heard in the episode broadcast 30 December 2019.
Jennifer Aldridge is a fictional character from the BBC Radio 4 soap opera The Archers. The character first appeared in 1951. The role was played by a variety of actresses, until Angela Piper joined the cast in June 1963. Piper was on the show for almost 60 years and was the second-longest-running cast member, until Jennifer died during the episode broadcast on 22 January 2023. The Telegraph had called Piper's voice "somehow sharp and yielding at the same time, like a scone topped with homemade jam."
Angela Piper is an English actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Jennifer Aldridge in the BBC radio drama The Archers, a role she played from 1963 to 2022.
