Patricia Amy Rowlands (19 January 1931 – 22 January 2005) was an English actress who is best remembered for her roles in the Carry On films series, as Betty Lewis in the ITV Thames sitcom Bless This House, and as Alice Meredith in the Yorkshire Television sitcom Hallelujah!.

Early years Rowlands was born on 19 January 1931 in Palmers Green, Middlesex and attended the Sacred Heart convent school at Whetstone. An elocution teacher spotted her potential and encouraged her to pursue a career in acting. She applied to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and won a scholarship aged 15.

Early career Rowlands began her career in the chorus of Annie Get Your Gun, followed by a summer season in Torquay. She then spent several years with the Players' Theatre in London, before making her West End theatre debut in Sandy Wilson's musical Valmouth.

Rowlands's other West End credits included Semi-Detached with Laurence Olivier and directed by Tony Richardson (with whom she was to work often, appearing in his 1963 film Tom Jones), Shut Your Eyes and Think of England, with Donald Sinden, The Seagull and Ben Travers's The Bed Before Yesterday, both directed by Lindsay Anderson and When We Are Married for Ronald Eyre. She also starred in Cameron Mackintosh's revival of Oliver! in the mid-1990s, as well as playing Jack's mother in the original London cast of Sondheim's Into the Woods. Her final appearance was as Mrs Pearce in the National Theatre's production of My Fair Lady which also starred Jonathan Pryce.

Rowlands also appeared quite frequently on television early in her career. Amongst the various series in which she appeared, were several appearances in Gert and Daisy (1959) as Bonnie, as well as appearing in 2 episodes of Danger Man (as different, unrelated characters) and in The Avengers episode "Love All". Rowlands played the role of a love interest for George called "Beryl" in the 1979 Christmas special and final episode of George and Mildred

From 1969 to 1991 Rowlands made her debut in the Carry On films in Carry On Again Doctor in 1969 and soon became a regular member of the repertory company of performers, usually playing the dowdy, put-upon wife or the long-suffering secretary. Between 1969 and 1975 she appeared in nine of the films in increasingly large roles, appearing in Carry On Again Doctor, Carry On Loving, Carry On Henry, Carry On Matron, Carry On Abroad and Carry On Dick - more substantial roles include Carry On at Your Convenience, Carry On Girls and Carry On Behind.

On 7 March 1971, Rowlands starred in a single episode (You've Really Landed Me In It This Time) of the ITV sitcom Doctor at Large, with Barry Evans and George Layton, as a nymphomaniac secretary, the kind of role she had played in Carry On Loving.

From 1971 to 1976, Rowlands played Betty, the feckless neighbour in the ITV sitcom Bless This House, which starred fellow Carry On star Sid James. Her other television credits at this time included a couple of episodes of For the Love of Ada, playing a pregnant woman in the maternity ward also appearances with comedians such as Les Dawson and Dick Emery. In the early 1980s, she appeared with Thora Hird in the sitcom Hallelujah!, in which they played an aunt and niece in The Salvation Army. In 1991, she appeared in an episode of Zorro filmed in Madrid, Spain.

Rowlands also appeared in screen versions of two of Frances Hodgson Burnett's books: the television film Little Lord Fauntleroy (1980), as Mrs. Dibble, and a TV dramatisation of A Little Princess (1986) as the baker's wife.

Later years Towards the end of her life, Rowlands appeared in several revivals of major musicals such as Oliver! at the London Palladium and My Fair Lady at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.

Rowlands later television credits include The Cazalets, The Canterbury Tales, The Cater Street Hangman, Get Well Soon, Vanity Fair, Murder Most English, and Bottom for the BBC. In 2002, she was a guest on the paranormal series Most Haunted. Rowlands took part in several DVD audio commentaries along with other surviving stars of the Carry On films in 2003.

Illness and death Rowlands developed breast cancer, abandoned her plans to become an acting teacher and retired. She died of the disease in an East Sussex hospice, aged 74.

Filmography Year Title Role Notes1961 On the Fiddle Evie Over the Odds Marilyn In the Doghouse Barmaid 1962 A Kind of Loving Dorothy The Brain Young Woman at Dance Hall Uncredited1963 Tom Jones Honor A Stitch in Time Amy 1964 Love and Maud Carver Maud Carver 1965 Dateline Diamonds Mrs Edgecomb 1969 Carry On Again Doctor Miss Fosdick 1970 Carry On Loving Miss Dempsey 1971 Carry On Henry Ex-Queen Please Sir! Angela Cutforth Carry On at Your Convenience Hortence Withering 1972 Carry On Matron Miss Banks Bless This House Betty Lewis Alice's Adventures in Wonderland Cook Carry On Abroad Miss Dobbs 1973 Carry On Girls Mildred Bumble 1974 Carry On Dick Mrs Giles 1975 Carry On Behind Linda Upmore 1977 Joseph Andrews Gammer Andrews 1978 Sammy's Super T-Shirt Mum 1979 Tess The Landlady 1990 Crimestrike Madame Tepinski 2002 The Princess and the Pea Sasha Voice

Television roles Year Title Role Notes1959 Gert and Daisy Bonnie 1960Stuff and NonsenseJune PrimbleTV movie1961One Way PendulumSylvia GroomkirbyThe Final TestCora1961-1964 Danger Man Mrs. Harkness/Mrs. Farebrother 2 episodes1962The Amazing Dr ClitterhouseDaisyTV movieNot At AllMrs. Chas 1964 The Massingham Affair Georgina Deverel 5 episodes1965Out of the Unknown Anne LovejoyEpisode: "Come Buttercup, Come Daisy, Come..."1966Take A SapphireLeopoldinaTV movie 1968-1970 Inside George Webley Rosemary Webley 1969The AvengersThelmaEpisode: "Love All"1970JackanoryNarratorStory: "Mrs. Pepperpot"1971 Doctor at Large Liz Hickle Episode: "You've Really Landed Me In It This Time"1971-1972Tottering TowersMiss Twitty1971-1976 Bless This House Betty Lewis 1974-1977 The Squirrels Susan 1975Not on Your NellieClarissa Cholmondeley-BurnsideEpisode: "High Society"The Basil Brush ShowDazzie1 episode19793-2-1Herself1 episode George and Mildred Beryl, the barmaid Episode: "The Twenty-Six Year Itch"1980 The Nesbitts Are Coming WPC Naylor Little Lord FauntleroyMrs. DibbleTV movie1981Dangerous Davies: The Last DetectiveMadame Tarantella Kinvig Netta Kinvig The Incredible Mr Tanner Martha Episode: "The Better Hair"1982-1986 In Loving Memory Tiger-Lilly Longstaff 1986The CollectorsCaterina ZanoniEpisode 4: “The great ice-cream wars”1989 Never the Twain Pamela Davenport Episode: "Neighbours"1983-1984 Hallelujah! Alice Meredith 1987When We Are MarriedLottie GradyTV movie1987-1992RainbowAuntie5 episodes1992 Bottom Lil Potato Episode: "Parade"In DreamsRoyalist HousewifeTV movie1997 Get Well Soon Mrs Clapton 4 episodes1998The Cater Street HangmanMrs. DumphyTV movie2001The CazaletsThe GovernessMiniseries

References

External links

Obituary in The Guardian Obituary in The Independent