Personal Info
Known For:
Acting
Birthday:
February 7, 1923
Place of Birth:
Parbold, Lancashire, England, UK
Social Media
Dora Bryan
Biography
Dora May Bryan OBE was an English actress of stage, film and television. Born Dora May Broadbent, her career began in pantomime as a child actor. In World War II she joined the ENSA in Italy to entertain British troops.
After having established herself as a versatile stage actress, covering everything from drama and comedy to musicals, she started to appear in film in the late 1940s, and in 1968 she even had her own TV series, "According to Dora". At one point in her career she was Britain's highest-paid star.
She was active on stage until the mid 1990s and continued to work in film and television until 2005, when she finally had to give up the acting profession as she could no longer remember her lines.
Her autobiography According To Dora was published in 1987. In 1996, she was awarded an OBE in recognition of her services to acting and the same year she was also awarded the Laurence Olivier Award for her role in the West End production of the Harold Pinter play "The Birthday Party".
She was married to British cricket player Bill Lawton from 1954 to his death in 2008. She lived in a nursing home in Hove, outside Brighton, until her death in 2014.
Known For
Filmography
| Year | Movie | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | MirrorMask | Aunt Nan |
| 1996 | Absolutely Fabulous: The Last Shout | Millie |
| 1995 | Bed | Bosom Lady |
| 1991 | Palmer | Monica |
| 1989 | Apartment Zero | Margaret McKinney |
| 1983 | Screamtime | Emma |
| 1972 | Up the Front | Cora Crumpington |
| 1971 | Hands of the Ripper | Mrs. Golding |
| 1967 | Two A Penny | Ruby Hopkins |
| 1966 | The Great St. Trinian's Train Robbery | Amber Spottiswood |
| 1966 | The Sandwich Man | Mrs. De Vere |
| 1964 | The Dream Machine | Self |
| 1961 | A Taste of Honey | Helen |
| 1960 | The Night We Got the Bird | Julie Skidmore |
| 1960 | Alice Through the Looking Box | |
| 1960 | Follow That Horse! | |
| 1960 | Hello London | herself |
| 1959 | Operation Bullshine | Pvt. Cox |
| 1959 | Desert Mice | Gay Bennett |
| 1958 | Carry On Sergeant | Norah |
| 1958 | The Man Who Wouldn't Talk | Telephonist |
| 1957 | Small Hotel | (uncredited) |
| 1956 | Child in the House | Cassie |
| 1956 | The Green Man | Lily |
| 1955 | The Cockleshell Heroes | Myrtie |
| 1955 | You Lucky People! | Hortense Tipp |
| 1955 | As Long as They're Happy | May |
| 1954 | Mad About Men | Berengaria |
| 1954 | Fast and Loose | Mary Rawlings, the maid |
| 1954 | You Know What Sailors Are | |
| 1954 | Harmony Lane | Comedian |
| 1954 | The Young Lovers | Switchboard Operator (uncredited) |
| 1954 | The Crowded Day | Marge |
| 1953 | The Fake | Barmaid |
| 1953 | The Real Thing | Dora |
| 1953 | Street Corner | Prostitute |
| 1953 | Women of Twilight | Olga |
| 1953 | The Intruder | Dora Bee |
| 1952 | Miss Robin Hood | Pearl |
| 1952 | The Ringer | Mrs. Hackett |
| 1952 | Mother Riley Meets the Vampire | Tilly |
| 1952 | Gift Horse | Glad Flanagan |
| 1952 | 13 East Street | Valerie |
| 1952 | Whispering Smith Vs. Scotland Yard | Miss La Fosse |
| 1952 | Time, Gentlemen, Please! | Peggy Stebbins |
| 1951 | High Treason | Mrs. Bowers |
| 1951 | Scarlet Thread | Maggie |
| 1951 | The Quiet Woman | Elsie Tripp |
| 1951 | Lady Godiva Rides Again | Movie Publicist |
| 1951 | Circle of Danger | Bubbles Fitzgerald |
| 1951 | No Highway in the Sky | |
| 1950 | No Trace | Maisie |
| 1950 | The Blue Lamp | Maisie |
| 1950 | Traveller's Joy | Eva |
| 1950 | Something in the City | Waitress |
| 1949 | Now Barabbas | Winnie |
| 1949 | The Interrupted Journey | the waitress |
| 1949 | Once Upon a Dream | Barmaid |
| 1949 | The Cure for Love | Jenny Jenkins |
| 1949 | Adam and Evelyne | Blonde Sales Assistant (uncredited) |
| 1949 | The Perfect Woman | Model in Shop |
| 1949 | Don't Ever Leave Me | Talkative Hairdresser (uncredited) |
| 1948 | The Fallen Idol | Rose |
| 1948 | No Room at the Inn | The Girl |
| 1947 | Odd Man Out | Girl in Telephone Kiosk (uncredited) |
| Year | TV Show | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Doctors | Lily Anderson |
| 1998 | dinnerladies | Connie |
| 1994 | Mother's Ruin | |
| 1993 | Frank Stubbs Promotes | Molly Bramley |
| 1992 | Heartbeat | Jane Thompson |
| 1992 | Absolutely Fabulous | Dolly |
| 1992 | Virtual Murder | |
| 1991 | Performance | Bosom Lady |
| 1990 | On the Up | |
| 1986 | Casualty | Hester Blewett |
| 1978 | An Audience with... | Self |
| 1973 | Last of the Summer Wine | Roz |
| 1972 | Both Ends Meet | Dora Page |
| 1967 | Before The Fringe | |
| 1955 | The Sooty Show | Herself |
| According To Dora |