Stephanie Cole facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Stephanie Cole OBE
Cole filming Doc Martin in Port Isaac, June 2009
Born	Patricia Stephanie Cole (1941-10-05) 5 October 1941 (age 83) Solihull, Warwickshire, England
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1968–present
Spouse(s)	Henry Marshall ​ ​ (m. 1973; div. 1986)​ Peter Birrel ​ ​ (m. 1998; died 2004)​
Children	1

Patricia Stephanie Cole (born 5 October 1941) is an English actress. She has been in many popular TV shows, radio programs, and films. Some of her well-known roles include Tenko, Open All Hours, Waiting for God, and Still Open All Hours. She also played Joan Norton in Doc Martin and Sylvia Goodwin in the soap opera Coronation Street.

Stephanie Cole has won awards for her acting. She received Best TV Actress at the 1992 British Comedy Awards for her role in Waiting For God. In 2012, she won Best Comedy Performance at the British Soap Awards for her work in Coronation Street. In 2005, she was honored with an OBE by the Queen for her contributions.

Early Life and Training

Stephanie Cole was born in Solihull, Warwickshire, England. She started her acting training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. This was from 1958 to 1960. After her training, she worked in different repertory theatres across the United Kingdom. This helped her improve her acting skills.

She first appeared on stage at age seventeen. She played an older character, Madame Arcati, in a play called Blithe Spirit. Many years later, in 2004, she played the same role again. This was in a new version of the play in London's Savoy Theatre.

Acting Career Highlights

Stephanie Cole has had many memorable roles throughout her career. She is known for playing characters who are often much older than her actual age.

Television Roles

One of her most famous roles was Dr. Beatrice Mason in the 1980s TV series Tenko. This drama showed the lives of British women held in a Japanese prisoner of war camp. The series was very realistic about the difficult conditions the women faced. Cole played the role of a strict but kind doctor. She was in three series and a special episode from 1981 to 1985.

Around the same time, Cole also played Mrs. Delphine Featherstone in the BBC comedy Open All Hours. Her character was an older, gloomy customer. She was nicknamed "The Black Widow." Mrs. Featherstone was interested in the shopkeeper, Arkwright, because she liked his careful spending habits. Arkwright, played by Ronnie Barker, often tried to avoid her. Stephanie Cole was only in her early forties when she took on this role.

In 1988, Cole was part of the first series of Talking Heads. These were dramatic monologues written by Alan Bennett for BBC Television. Cole performed a half-hour monologue called "Soldiering On." She later performed this monologue on stage and for BBC Radio.

From 1990 to 1994, Cole starred as Diana Trent in the comedy Waiting for God. Diana was a bad-tempered retired photojournalist. Even though Diana was supposed to be a pensioner, Cole was 48 when she started the role. She won an award for Best TV Comedy Actress for this part in 1992.

From 2004 to 2009, Cole played Joan Norton in the ITV comedy-drama Doc Martin. Joan was the aunt of Dr. Martin Ellingham, played by Martin Clunes. In 2006, Cole also appeared in the drama Housewife, 49. She played Mrs. Waite, who was in charge of the local WVS during World War II.

In April 2011, Stephanie Cole joined the cast of Coronation Street. She played Sylvia Goodwin, the mother of Roy Cropper. She left the show in August 2013. Her departure was moved up due to a family matter.

From 2013 to 2019, Cole returned to her role as Mrs. Delphine Featherstone in Still Open All Hours. She acted alongside original cast members like David Jason. In 2018, she guest-starred in a live episode of Inside No 9. In 2019, Cole appeared in the BBC One comedy Scarborough.

Stage Performances

Stephanie Cole has also had a long career in theatre, performing for over fifty years. She has been in several plays in London's West End. These include The Mousetrap in 1968 and Noises Off in 1983. A very important stage role for her was Betty in the comedy A Passionate Woman. This play ran for nine months in 1994.

Radio Work

Cole has also been a part of many radio series. She played Olive in the BBC Radio 4 comedy Ed Reardon's Week. She also starred as Carolyn Knapp-Shappey in the airline sitcom Cabin Pressure. In 2017, she played Queen Victoria in an episode of John Finnemore's Double Acts.

Awards and Recognition

• 1992 British Comedy Awards – Best TV Comedy Actress for Waiting for God
• 2012 British Soap Awards – Best Comedy Performance for Coronation Street

In 2002, the University of Bristol gave Stephanie Cole an honorary Master of Arts degree. In 2005, she was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). This honor was for her services to drama, and her work with charities for the elderly and mental health. In 2006, she was voted Solihull's favorite "Silhillian" in a local competition.

Charity Work

Stephanie Cole is an Ambassador for the medical charity Overseas Plastic Surgery Appeal. This means she helps support their important work.

Personal Life

In 1973, Stephanie Cole married Henry Marshall. He was a fight director and helped found the British Academy of Dramatic Combat. They had one daughter, Emma Battcock, born in 1973. They later divorced in 1988. In 1998, Cole married fellow actor Peter Birrel. They had met many years before while working on a play. Peter Birrel passed away in 2004.

Filmography

Film

Television