1923-02-07 Parbold, Lancashire, England, UK
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.
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MirrorMask | Aunt Nan | 2005-01-25 |
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Thora Hird Tribute | Self (archive footage, uncredited) | 2003-03-30 |
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Absolutely Fabulous: The Last Shout | Millie | 1996-11-06 |
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Bed | Bosom Lady | 1995-10-20 |
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Palmer | Monica | 1991-01-05 |
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Apartment Zero | Margaret McKinney | 1989-09-02 |
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Screamtime | Emma | 1983-01-01 |
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Up the Front | Cora Crumpington | 1972-01-01 |
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Hands of the Ripper | Mrs. Golding | 1971-10-17 |
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Two A Penny | Ruby Hopkins | 1967-12-31 |
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The Sandwich Man | Mrs. De Vere | 1966-07-01 |
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The Great St. Trinian's Train Robbery | Amber Spottiswood | 1966-03-11 |
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The Dream Machine | Self | 1964-11-11 |
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A Taste of Honey | Helen | 1961-10-01 |
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Hello London | herself | 1960-11-05 |
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Follow That Horse! | 1960-07-11 | |
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The Night We Got the Bird | Julie Skidmore | 1960-11-03 |
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Alice Through the Looking Box | Queen | 1960-12-25 |
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Desert Mice | Gay Bennett | 1959-01-05 |
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Operation Bullshine | Pvt. Cox | 1959-06-30 |
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The Man Who Wouldn't Talk | Telephonist | 1958-01-21 |
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Carry On Sergeant | Norah | 1958-08-31 |
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Small Hotel | (uncredited) | 1957-10-14 |
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Child in the House | Cassie | 1956-08-14 |
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The Green Man | Lily | 1956-12-21 |
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The Cockleshell Heroes | Myrtie | 1955-11-16 |
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As Long as They're Happy | May | 1955-03-15 |
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You Lucky People! | Hortense Tipp | 1955-01-01 |
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The Young Lovers | Switchboard Operator (uncredited) | 1954-08-24 |
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Harmony Lane | Comedian | 1954-11-20 |
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You Know What Sailors Are | 1954-02-09 | |
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Fast and Loose | Mary Rawlings, the maid | 1954-02-12 |
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The Crowded Day | Marge | 1954-10-01 |
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Mad About Men | Berengaria | 1954-11-16 |
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The Fake | Barmaid | 1953-09-25 |
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The Real Thing | Dora | 1953-01-01 |
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Street Corner | Prostitute | 1953-03-17 |
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The Intruder | Dora Bee | 1953-10-18 |
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Women of Twilight | Olga | 1953-01-16 |
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Miss Robin Hood | Pearl | 1952-11-12 |
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Whispering Smith Hits London | Miss La Fosse | 1952-01-01 |
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The Ringer | Mrs. Hackett | 1952-11-24 |
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Time, Gentlemen, Please! | Peggy Stebbins | 1952-07-01 |
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Gift Horse | Glad Flanagan | 1952-06-01 |
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13 East Street | Valerie | 1952-03-01 |
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Mother Riley Meets the Vampire | Tilly | 1952-07-11 |
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Lady Godiva Rides Again | Movie Publicist | 1951-10-25 |
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No Highway in the Sky | 1951-06-28 | |
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Scarlet Thread | Maggie | 1951-05-01 |
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High Treason | Mrs. Bowers | 1951-11-13 |
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The Quiet Woman | Elsie Tripp | 1951-03-01 |
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Circle of Danger | Bubbles Fitzgerald | 1951-04-17 |
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Something in the City | Waitress | 1950-09-01 |
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Traveller's Joy | Eva | 1950-12-25 |
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The Blue Lamp | Maisie | 1950-01-19 |
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No Trace | Maisie | 1950-09-08 |
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The Perfect Woman | Model in Shop | 1949-05-23 |
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Don't Ever Leave Me | Talkative Hairdresser (uncredited) | 1949-07-19 |
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Adam and Evelyne | Blonde Sales Assistant (uncredited) | 1949-05-31 |
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Now Barabbas | Winnie | 1949-05-24 |
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The Interrupted Journey | the waitress | 1949-10-11 |
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The Cure for Love | Jenny Jenkins | 1949-12-29 |
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Once Upon a Dream | Barmaid | 1949-02-01 |
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The Fallen Idol | Rose | 1948-09-30 |
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No Room at the Inn | The Girl | 1948-11-22 |
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Odd Man Out | Girl in Telephone Kiosk (uncredited) | 1947-01-30 |
