The actor Angela Thorne, best known for starring in the popular BBC sitcom To the Manor Born, has died aged 84.
Thorne played Marjory Frobisher in To the Manor Born opposite the actors Penelope Keith and Peter Bowles from 1979 to 1981 and appeared in a string of long-running shows including Midsomer Murders.
She was nominated for an Olivier award for her portrayal of Margaret Thatcher in Anyone for Denis? when she turned her hand to the stage.
Her sons Rupert and Laurence Penry-Jones followed her into acting, the former performing in shows including Spooks, Silk and Whitechapel and the latter in Waking the Dead and Doctors.
A statement from Rupert Penry-Jones said: “The actress Angela Thorne died peacefully at her home on the 16th of June. She was 84 years old.
“She was the beloved wife of Peter Penry-Jones, and is survived by her two sons Rupert and Laurie Penry-Jones and her grandchildren, Florence, Peter, Giorgio and Delilah. We will all miss her very much.”
Thorne trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama on a scholarship and later performed in repertory seasons.
Her on-screen credits included the 1980s BBC One sitcom Three Up, Two Down, the police drama series Heartbeat and the drama series Elizabeth R, which starred the late Glenda Jackson.
She voiced the Queen of England in the animated 1989 film adaptation of The BFG.
In 2013, she appeared in a stage adaptation of Alexander Mackendrick’s 1955 black comedy The Ladykillers alongside Ralf Little, Simon Day and John Gordon Sinclair.
