Rita Webb
| Rita Webb | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
Olive Rita Thompson 25 February 1904 Willesden, Middlesex, England |
| Died | 30 August 1981 (aged 77) Westminster, London, England |
| Nationality | English |
| Occupation | Comedy actress |
| Years active | 1950–1981 |
| Spouse(s) | Lionel Stanley "Thommie" Thompson (separated) |
| Relatives | Brother Henry Webb, actor half-brother George Webb, actor |
Rita Webb (25 February 1904 – 30 August 1981) born as Olive Rita Thompson, was an English character actress, mainly in comedy roles. She was the eldest child of Henry Augustus Webb (1880-1926) and Rose Jeannette Keysor. She had a younger brother, Henry Richard Webb, also an actor, and two elder identical twin half-brothers, Leslie and Gordon Durlacher, from her mother's first marriage to Samuel Durlacher. She was the niece of Leonard Keysor, the first Jewish serviceman to win the Victoria Cross in the First World War. A half-brother was the actor George Webb.
Born in Willesden, Middlesex, England, she is best known for her appearances as a stooge for Benny Hill in his long-running Thames Television series. At under five feet tall, with a booming voice and dyed flame-red hair, she was often cast as a blowsey mother-in-law or Cockney type character. Her vital statistics were 48-inch (120 cm) bust, 46-inch (120 cm) waist, 46-inch (120 cm) hips, 4 feet 10 inches (1.47 m) in height and 15 stone (210 lb; 95 kg) in weight.
Following her separation from her husband she lived with Al Jeffery "Jeffie", an accomplished banjo player, whom she adored. She was called "Podge" by Jeffie and was proud that she still had all her own teeth. She signed her letters: "Dame Rita Webb" and had refused to be on the This is Your Life TV show. She and her brother were exceptionally close and they talked every night on the telephone until her death.
In the 1960s she made a number of television appearances with Billy Cotton and alongside Arthur Haynes. Her many television credits include several appearances in Spike Milligan's Q series, Dixon of Dock Green, Till Death Us Do Part, Sykes, Up Pompeii! with Frankie Howerd and Steptoe and Son. She also appeared in supporting roles in many films including To Sir, with Love (1967), The Magic Christian (1969), Alfred Hitchcock's Frenzy (1972), Confessions of a Pop Performer (1975) and Come Play with Me (1977).
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