Anita Dobson
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| Anita Dobson | |
|---|---|
| Born | 29 April 1949 Stepney, London, England |
| Spouse | Brian May |
Anita Dobson (born 29 April 1949, Stepney,[1] London) is an English television actress and singer. She gained her highest profile while playing Angie Watts in the BBC soap opera, EastEnders. She plays a regular role on the BBC CBeebies sketch show Gigglebiz as Annette of fishing couple Annette and Rod.[2]
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[edit] Career
Dobson trained at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London.[3]
Dobson appeared in a few series in the early 1980s, including the Jim Davidson sitcom Up the Elephant and Round the Castle (1983), but she is best known for playing the emotionally battered and alcoholic landlady, Angie Watts, in the BBC1 soap opera, EastEnders, a role which she played from the show's inception in 1985 to 1988.
[edit] EastEnders
Dobson was not the first person to be cast as Angie – another actress, Jean Fennell, had already begun recording when it was decided that her performance did not gel with the original idea of the character, and Dobson was substituted in the role. Whilst playing Angie Watts, alcoholic landlady of The Queen Victoria, Dobson worked closely with actor Leslie Grantham, landlord of The Queen Victoria who played her adulterous husband 'Dirty Den Watts'. On Christmas day in 1986, 30.15 million viewers tuned in to witness Den handing Angie her divorce papers, giving the soap its highest ever episode rating, which has yet to be surpassed by any other soap in the UK.
Since quitting EastEnders in 1988, BBC bosses made numerous offers for her to return, but she never accepted any of the offers; recently she commented "Why tarnish the gorgeous creation that was Angie Watts?". Bosses finally gave up hope of ever tempting her to return, and in 2002 the character of Angie Watts died off-screen of an alcohol-related illness and was brought home to be buried by her on-screen daughter Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean), who had recently returned to the show.
[edit] Other roles
Since her exit from EastEnders she has appeared in many television, film and theatre roles, including the BBC sitcoms Red Dwarf, Rab C Nesbitt and her own sitcom series Split Ends (1989), which lasted for only one series. She has also starred in the BBC drama's Dangerfield (1995) and Sunburn (1999); hospital dramas Casualty (2000) Holby City (2003) and Hotel Babylon (2007), and the ITV detective series The Last Detective (2004) among others, along with the film Sweet Revenge (1998). She has also been reunited with fellow EastEnder Leslie Grantham in the Sky production called The Stretch and Five's Horror series Urban Gothic (2000). Dobson worked on the ITV1 police drama The Bill in 2005 and appeared in the radio Doctor Who serial Blood of the Daleks. In an episode aired on 4 July 2009, Anita made a second guest appearance in Casualty, playing a psychic called Cora, and then a third on 16 July 2011 playing a chemist whose husband is stabbed during a robbery for methodone. She also stars in GiggleBiz on CBeebies.
[edit] Musical and stage career
Dobson has had a spell as a singer, with varying degrees of chart success. In August 1986 she reached No. 4 in the UK Singles Chart with "Anyone Can Fall in Love", a song based on the theme music of EastEnders, which was written by Simon May. The song was produced by Dobson's husband, Queen guitarist Brian May. She has also released several other singles and albums with minor chart success.
On stage Dobson has starred as Hazel Fletcher in the short-lived musical Budgie, with Adam Faith. She also appeared in the revived Tom Stoppard musical Rough Crossing and played a holocaust survivor in My Lovely Shayna Maidel.
Dobson most recently played the role of Gertrude in the English Touring Theatre production of Hamlet, at the New Ambassadors Theatre in London's West End, following a UK tour in Autumn 2005.
[edit] Strictly Come Dancing
On 6 September 2011, it was announced that Dobson would take part in the 2011 series of Strictly Come Dancing.[4] In the launch show of Strictly Come Dancing Series 9 on 10 September 2011, it was revealed that she is partnered by Latin specialist Robin Windsor. She was eliminated on 27 November 2011 after Robin Windsor had been unable to dance for a week due to an injury. Anita Dobson therefore rehearsed and danced the Cha Cha Cha and the Swingathon with Brendan Cole [5]
| Week # | Dance/song | Judges' score | Result | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horwood | Goodman | Dixon | Tonioli | Total | |||
| 1 | Waltz / Three Times a Lady—Commodores | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 | N/A |
| 2 | Salsa / Jump In The Line (Shake, Senora)—Harry Belafonte | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 | Safe |
| 3 | Jive / You Can't Stop the Beat—from Hairspray | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 27 | Safe |
| 4 | American Smooth / I've Got You Under My Skin—Frank Sinatra | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 32 | Safe |
| 5 | Tango / Devil Woman—Cliff Richard | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 31 | Safe |
| 6 | Charleston / I Got Rhythm—George Gershwin | 7 | 8* | 8 | 8 | 31 | Safe |
| 7 | Viennese Waltz / Tango—from Cirque du Soleil | 7 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 33 | Bottom Two |
| 8 | Samba / Come On Eileen—Dexys Midnight Runners | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 27 | Safe |
| 9 | Cha Cha Cha /Uptown Girl—Billy Joel | 7 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 30 | Eliminated |
| Swing Marathon/Chattanooga Choo Choo | 2 out of 7 | - | |||||
- In Week 6 Len Goodman was replaced by Jennifer Grey [6]
[edit] Awards
For her time on Eastenders as Angie Watts, Dobson received the Pye Award for Outstanding Female Personality.[7]
Dobson was nominated for a 2003 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress for her performance in Frozen at the Royal National Theatre: Cottesloe.[8]
In 2007, Anita was made a Companion of the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts.
Dobson is a patron of the theatre charity The Music Hall Guild of Great Britain and America.
[edit] Personal life
Dobson is married to Queen guitarist Brian May.[9]
[edit] Filmography
- Get Well Soon (1997)
[edit] References
- ^ Cadden, Avril. "Eastenders veteran Anita Dobson on why she closed door on Albert Square return". Sunday Mail. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/showbiz/celebrity-interviews/2010/11/07/eastenders-veteran-anita-dobson-on-why-she-closed-door-on-albert-square-return-86908-22699559/. Retrieved 10 November 2010.
- ^ The man who puts the "giggle" into Gigglebiz, BBC Press Office, 2011, http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/proginfo/tv/2011/wk3/feature_gigglebiz.shtml, retrieved 2011-11-27
- ^ "Central and Webber Douglas to merge". The Stage. http://www.thestage.co.uk/news/newsstory.php/1774/central-and-webber-douglas-to-merge. Retrieved 10 November 2010.
- ^ "Strictly Come Dancing signs up Lulu and Edwina Currie". BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. 6 September 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-14809342. Retrieved 6 September 2011.
- ^ BBC Strictly Nora. "Strictly Come Dancing: Brendan comes to the rescue again!". BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/strictlycomedancing/2011/11/brendan-comes-to-the-rescue-ag.shtml. Retrieved 2012-01-07.
- ^ BBC Strictly Nora. "Strictly Come Dancing: Jennifer Grey joins the judges on Strictly". BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/strictlycomedancing/2011/10/jennifer-grey-joins-the-judges.shtml. Retrieved 2012-01-07.
- ^ Smith, Julia; Holland, Tony (1987). EastEnders - The Inside Story. Book Club Associates. ISBN 978-0-563-20601-9.
- ^ "British Theatre Guide". http://www.britishtheatreguide.info/news/olivier-nom03.htm. Retrieved 10 November 2010.
- ^ Thomas, David. "Daily Mail article on Queen". Daily Mail. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-331134/We-rock-again.html. Retrieved 10 November 2010.
[edit] External links
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