TRIBUTES have been paid to the actress Edna Dore who has passed away at the age of 92.
Ms. Dore will be best remembered for her role in the BBC soap EastEnders. She played battle-axe Mo Butcher (see below) in the show between 1988 and 1990. The role had come towards the end of a long career in which she had enjoyed success in television, films and the theatre.
Born Edna Gorring in Kent, she had started out as chorus girl with ENSA — the forces entertainment organisation during Second World War — before going into repertory theatre.
By the sixties Ms. Dore was beginning to land roles in a range of TV shows, including Z Cars and Dixon of Dock Green, as well films, including More Deadly Than The Male and The Wind Of Change.
In the theatre, there were West End appearances in such shows as Oliver! and Billy. She also worked with the National Theatre for many years.
Director Mike Leigh cast her as Mrs. Bender in the 1988 film High Hopes, a role for which she was named Best Supporting Actor at the European Film Awards.
She continued to remain busy in television and films in recent years with appearances in such shows as Doctor Who, Gavin & Stacey and Midsomer Murders. Her film credits included 44 Inch Chest (2009) and Another Year (2010).
Ms. Dore starred alongside Paul O’Grady in the TV comedy Eyes Down which ran for two series between 2003 and 2004. Mr. O’Grady was among those to pay tribute to the actress. He described her as “a remarkable lady”, adding: “She had a remarkable career. She might be gone but she’s not forgotten by me. I had a ball with Edna, what a laugh she was.”
She is survived by her son Michael. Her husband, the actor Alexander Dore, whom she married in 1946, passed away in 2002.
To view an excerpt from EastEnders, which features Ms. Dore, click here.
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