Amanda Barrie facts for kids

Amanda Barrie (born Shirley Anne Broadbent on 14 September 1935) is a well-known English actress. She became famous for her roles in two Carry On films. Later, she joined the popular ITV soap opera Coronation Street as Alma Halliwell. She played this role for 20 years. From 2003 to 2006, she also played Bev Tull in the ITV drama Bad Girls. Amanda Barrie has had a long career in both theatre and television.

Early Life and Training

Amanda Barrie was born Shirley Anne Broadbent in Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, England. Her parents were Herbert Broadbent and Connie Pike. She went to St Anne's College in Lytham St Annes. After that, she trained to be an actress at the Arts Educational Schools in London. She also studied at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.

Acting Career Highlights

Amanda Barrie started acting when she was a child. She performed in pantomimes and worked as a dancer. Her first big acting chance came after many years as a chorus girl in London's West End. She changed her name to Amanda Barrie before her West End debut in 1961.

Early Stage and Film Roles

Throughout the 1960s, Barrie performed in many stage shows. These included Cabaret, Private Lives, and Aladdin. She first appeared on screen in the comedy film Operation Bullshine in 1959. This led to roles in other popular films like What a Whopper.

She also starred in two of the famous British comedy films called the Carry On films. She was a taxi driver in Carry On Cabby (1963). Then, she played the main character in Carry On Cleo (1964). In 1965, Barrie acted with singer Billy Fury in his film I've Gotta Horse.

Television Work and Coronation Street

Amanda Barrie continued to appear in many television series in the 1970s. She also presented a show called Hickory House from 1973 to 1977. In 1975, she was in the Walt Disney film One of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing. She also had a guest role in the BBC comedy Are You Being Served? in 1979.

Barrie is most famous for playing Alma Sedgewick (later Baldwin) in Coronation Street. She first appeared in the early 1980s. In 1988, she was offered a full contract, and her character became very important to the show. She stayed in the role until 2001. In the story, Alma became ill with cervical cancer and sadly passed away.

After Coronation Street

After leaving Coronation Street, Amanda Barrie kept acting. She played Margo Phillips in the BBC medical soap opera Doctors. She also joined the ITV1 prison series Bad Girls. She played inmate Bev Tull from the fifth series until the end. She often acted alongside Stephanie Beacham, and their characters were known as "The Costa Cons."

She also took part in the TV show Hell's Kitchen. In 2005, she played the Wicked Witch of the West in a pantomime version of The Wizard of Oz. She has played the Fairy Godmother in many pantomime versions of Cinderella across the UK. In 2012, she appeared in the BBC drama Holby City.

In 2014, Barrie returned to the set of Coronation Street for a special documentary. From 2015 to 2017, she had a regular role as Psychic Sue in the sitcom Benidorm. In 2018, she took part in Celebrity Big Brother. In 2019, she appeared in Celebrity 5 Go Barging, exploring canals by narrowboat.

Personal Life

Amanda Barrie was married to theatre director and actor Robin Hunter in 1967. They separated in the mid-1980s, but they never divorced. Robin Hunter passed away in 2004. They did not have any children. On 12 September 2014, she married her long-term partner Hilary Bonner. They live in homes in Somerset and London.

Amanda Barrie is a distant cousin of her Coronation Street co-star Sally Ann Matthews, who plays Jenny Bradley.

Film Roles

Television Roles

Stage Roles