June Whitfield

June Whitfield was an English actress who worked in radio, television and film. Born in Streatham, London, she trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, graduating in 1944, and her early work was on the stage, including in London's West End. Her break came in 1953, when she took over from Joy Nichols in the BBC comedy Take It from Here. On television she had the leading role in the sitcom Beggar My Neighbour, then partnered Terry Scott in Happy Ever After and Terry and June as a suburban married couple. From 1992 to 2016 she played Edina Monsoon's mother in Absolutely Fabulous, and she voiced Miss Marple in radio dramatizations of Agatha Christie's mystery novels for BBC Radio 4. She also appeared in films including Jude (1996) and Carry On Columbus (1992). Honors included a British Comedy Awards lifetime achievement prize in 1994 and a damehood in 2017.