Maggie Steed (born Margaret Baker; 1 December 1946) is an English actress and comedian.
Career After studying drama at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in Bristol in the late 1960s, Steed left the theatre for several years, until she was about 30 years old, 1976 or 1977. She stated: "Actresses in those days had to be 'dolly birds' and I was just Margaret Baker from Plymouth, tall with very gappy teeth, so I became a secretary instead. It was only years later, when I'd grown up politically and become interested in theatre, that I started again and ended up at Coventry's Belgrade Theatre with Clive Russell and Sue Johnston."The Independent, 22 March 2000
Steed has performed with the Royal National Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company and with Belt and Braces, the political theatre troupe run by Gavin Richards as well as working as a comedian in alternative cabaret.
She was one of the first women to become involved in the alternative comedy scene when it sprang into existence in 1979, and performing at the Comedy Store, with the group Alternative Cabaret and elsewhere. Her material was personal and confessional.
Her first major television role was playing Rita Moon in the series Shine on Harvey Moon. She played Margaret Crabbe in Pie in the Sky in the mid 1990s and Phyllis Woolf in Born and Bred. Her television credits include appearances on Fox, Minder, Sensitive Skin and Jam & Jerusalem.
In 2008, Steed appeared on tour in Michael Frayn's comedy Noises Off as Mrs Clackett, produced by the Ambassador Theatre Group, which included the New Victoria Theatre, Woking. The cast included Sophie Bould, Colin Baker and Jonathan Coy. In 2010 she appeared in the short film The Miserables, and the following year onstage in a comedy duo role with actress Jackie Clune in a production of The Belle's Stratagem.
In April 2017, it was announced that Steed was joining the cast of EastEnders as Joyce Murray. It was announced in March 2018 that her character had been written out of the series and subsequently would be killed off.
Political activism Steed was active in the Campaign Against Racism in the Media. She appeared in an edition of the BBC's Open Door series on 1 March 1979 (with the academic Stuart Hall) entitled "It Ain't Half Racist, Mum", criticising British television's discussion and representation of immigration and racial stereotypes.
She helped write and perform in the comedy benefit concert An Evening for Nicaragua, at the Shaftesbury Theatre, which was shown on British television in 1983. The cast included Ben Elton, Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Emma Thompson and Rik Mayall. Steed visited Nicaragua in 1982 with Andy de la Tour.
Film Year Title Role1980 Babylon Woman at Lockup1990 Blood Rights Tess Barker1992 Clothes in the Wardrobe Mrs. RaffaldGrowing Rich Raelene1993 Olly's Prison Ellen1999 Simon Magus Muttchen2000 Stardom British Fashion Reporter2004 Lawrence of Arabia Close Doris2006 The Painted Veil Mrs Garstin2009 The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus Louis Vuitton Woman2010 The Miserables Evelyn Pickleton2013 A Promise Frau HermannAlpha: Omega Dee 2014 Pudsey the Dog: The Movie Mrs Willoughby2016 Florence Foster Jenkins Mrs O'Flaherty Juliet Remembered Juliet A Cure for Wellness Mrs Abramov2017 Transformers: The Last Knight Vivian's GrandmotherPaddington 2 Mrs Gertrude Biggleswade2019 Fisherman's Friends Maggie2022 Fisherman's Friends: One and All Maggie
Television Year Title Role Notes1970 Coronation Street Ellen Smith 4 episodes1980 Fox Bette Greene 5 episodes1981 The History Man Myra Beamish 4 episodes1982 Minder Sherry Episode: "Broken Arrow"The Young Ones Woman from Council Episode: "Demolition"1982-95 Shine on Harvey Moon Rita Moon 41 episodes1983 Crown Court Clare Forsyth QC 3 episodes1984 Charlie Ella Pearce 4 episodesThe Young Ones Witch Episode: "Sick" Rosemary Episode: "Summer Holiday"1985-7 Victoria Wood As Seen on TV Shopper/Marion Clune 2 episodes1987 Intimate Contact Becca Crichton 4 episodes1991 Lovejoy Joanna Episode: "One Born Every Minute"1991The Gravy Train Goes East Mrs Steadman episode 31992 Red Dwarf Dr Hildegarde Lanstrom Episode: "Quarantine"Van Der Valk Maria Thomp Episode: "Proof of Life"Growing Rich Raelene 6 Episodes1993 Lipstick on Your Collar Aunt Vickie 6 episodes1994 Martin Chuzzlewit Mrs Todgers 5 episodes1994-7 Pie in the Sky Margaret Crabbe 33 episodes1997 Inspector Morse Angela Stoors Episode: "Death Is Now My Neighbour"1998-2004 French and Saunders Various 3 episodes1999 Let Them Eat Cake Madame Vigée-Lebrun Episode: "The Portrait"2000 Midsomer Murders Rosemary Furman Episode: "Judgement Day"2002 Foyle's War Margaret Ellis Episode: "The White Feather"2002-5 Born and Bred Phyllis Woolf 36 episodes2005-7 Sensitive Skin Victoria Dawkins 6 episodes2006 New Tricks Rose Dyer Episode: "Dockers"2006-9 Jam & Jerusalem Eileen Pike 19 episodes2008 Midsomer Murders Lynne Fox Episode: "Left for Dead"2009 Lark Rise to Candleford Mrs Herring 1 episodeMy Family Mrs Philbin Episode: "Dog Dazed"2010 Whites Celia 5 episodes2011 32 Brinkburn Street Elizabeth 5 episodea2012 Stella Meg 8 episodes2013 Midsomer Murders Sylvia Mountford Episode: "Schooled in Murder"2015-7 Chewing Gum Esther 10 episodes2017-8 EastEndersJoyce Murray 59 episodes2019 Father Brown Dorothy Parnell Episode: "The Whistle in the Dark"Elizabeth Is Missing Elizabeth Television film2022 Ten Percent Stella Hart 8 episodes2023 Sister Boniface Mysteries Vivienne Bonham-Crane 2 episodes2024 Changing Ends Nan Episode: "Mad Dogs and English Nans"Rivals Lady Gosling 3 episodesRidley Celia Machin 2 episodes2025 Silent Witness Dr Harriet Maven 8 episodes
Theatre The Heiress – as Aunt Lavinia (National Theatre) (2000) The Importance of Being Earnest – as Lady Bracknell (2005) Relative Values – as the Countess of Marshwood (Salisbury Playhouse production) (2005) The History Boys – replaced Frances de la Tour as Mrs. Lintott (National Theatre) (2006) Noises Off – as Dotty Otley (UK Touring Production) (2008) Hay Fever – as Judith Bliss (West Yorkshire Playhouse) (2010)
References
External links
"The Miserables", at IMDb
The History Boys on Broadway "Review: Relative Values" at bbc.co.uk