| Pat Phoenix |
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| english soap opera actors | |
| phoenix, patricia | |
| english film actors | |
| english television actors | |
| actors from manchester | |
| phoenix, pat | |
| lung cancer deaths | |
| 1923 births | |
| 1986 deaths | |
Patricia Phoenix ( actress who became one of the first sex symbols of British television. EARLY LIFE AND CAREER Phoenix attended Fallowfield Central School, Manchester. As a child she nursed early theatrical ambitions, appearing regularly on the radio in '' Children's Hour ''. After leaving school, she worked as a filing clerk for the gas department of Manchester Corporation, performing in amateur dramatics in her spare time. Her break came in 1948, playing Sandy Powell 's wife in the Mancunian Film Studios ' motion picture '' Cup-tie Honeymoon '', followed by a summer season in Blackpool with Thora Hird . Exposure led to more serious work with Joan Littlewood 's Theatre Workshop , at the Theatre Royal, Stratford East . She also worked as Scriptwriter for Ventriloquist Terry Hall and comedian Harry Worth . Though some undistinguished film work followed in 1958 (''Blood of the Vampire'' and ''Jack the Ripper''), in 1960 she returned to Manchester with her ambition all but spent. CORONATION STREET Her fortunes improved when she was given her best known role as Elsie Tanner , the devil-may-care divorcée who lived at No 11 '' Coronation Street ''. Phoenix featured in the programme from 1960 to 1973 and again from 1976 to 1984. Her character became known for her fiery red hair, and was described by Prime Minister James Callaghan as "the sexiest thing on television". However, during her periods of absence from "The Street", she failed in her attempts to find suitable alternative roles. OTHER TELEVISION AND FILM ROLES She did appear in a one-act television play, entitled ''Hidden Talents'' in 1986 (ironically playing a woman dying of cancer), and starred in a short-lived Sitcom ''Constant Hot Water'' in the same year, as a Blackpool landlady. Her popularity also gained her a part in the film '' The L-Shaped Room '', starring alongside actress Leslie Caron . 'SMITHS' RECORD COVER In 1985 she was interviewed for a magazine by long-time fan, the singer Morrissey , who also featured her on the cover of one of The Smiths ' singles, ''Shakespeare's Sister''. PERSONAL LIFE Her parents divorced when she was a child and her mother later remarried. Her love life was fodder for tabloid stories. She married her ''Corrie'' co-star Alan Browning , and both had alcoholism problems. Later she married actor Anthony Booth . By this final marriage, Patricia became the stepmother of Cherie Blair and mother-in-law of Tony Blair . Her marriage to Booth on September 10 1986 came just eight days before she died of Lung Cancer , aged 62. By her request, her funeral service was performed at Manchester Cathedral , with a large Brass Band ; according to ''Coronation Street'' histories written by show historian Daran Little , she wished the event that marked her death be as lively as her life. AUTOBIOGRAPHY She wrote two volumes of autobiography: ''All My Burning Bridges'' (1974) and ''Love, Curiosity, Freckles and Doubt'' (1983). REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS |
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