Wendy Craig facts for kids

Anne Gwendolyn "Wendy" Craig (born 20 June 1934) is a famous English actress. She is best known for her roles in popular TV comedy shows. These include Not in Front of the Children, ...And Mother Makes Three, ...And Mother Makes Five, and Butterflies. She also played Matron in the TV series The Royal from 2003 to 2011.

Wendy Craig's Early Life

Wendy Craig was born on 20 June 1934 in Sacriston, County Durham, England. Her father, George Craig, was a farmer. Her mother's name was Anne. Wendy went to Durham High School for Girls. Later, she attended Darlington High School. When she was twelve, her family moved to Picton, North Yorkshire. She then went to Yarm Grammar School nearby. Wendy trained to be an actress at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London. In 1956, she performed in a play called Man Alive! in London's West End.

Wendy Craig's Acting Career

Wendy Craig started her TV career in the early 1960s. One of her first appearances was in an episode of Danger Man in 1961. She also acted in British films like The Servant (1963) and The Nanny (1965). In The Nanny, she starred alongside the famous actress Bette Davis.

However, Wendy Craig became very well known for her roles in British comedy shows in the late 1960s and 1970s. She often played a slightly clumsy, middle-class housewife.

• From 1967 to 1970, she starred in the BBC show Not in Front of the Children.
• Then, she moved to ITV for ...And Mother Makes Three (1971–1973). In this show, she played a single mother.
• This show then became ...And Mother Makes Five (1974–1976).
• After that, she starred in Butterflies (1978–1983), a very popular comedy on BBC2.

Wendy Craig also acted in drama series. She created and wrote some episodes for the series Nanny (1981–1983). She used the pen name Jonathan Marr for her writing. Later, she played Matron in ITV's The Royal from 2003 to 2011. She also appeared in The Forsyte Saga in 2002.

She continued to appear in comedies, like Brighton Belles (1993–1994). This was the UK version of the American show The Golden Girls. She also played Reggie's mother in the BBC One comedy Reggie Perrin (2009–2010).

In recent years, Wendy Craig has made guest appearances in many TV shows. In 2012, she was on the cooking show MasterChef. In 2014, she appeared in the drama Waterloo Road. She also appeared in the detective series Death in Paradise in 2016. In 2017, she was in the drama Unforgotten. From 2017 to 2019, she starred as Miss Bat in the CBBC show The Worst Witch. She also appeared in the soap operas Emmerdale (2018) and Doctors (2019).

Wendy Craig's Personal Life

Wendy Craig was married to Jack Bentley from 1955 until he passed away in 1994. Jack was a musician, writer, and journalist. Wendy has two sons. She lives in Cookham in Berkshire, England. In 2020, she was given a special award called the Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). This award was for her great work in drama and for her charity efforts.

Selected Filmography

• The Secret Place (1957)
• Room at the Top (1959)
• The Mind Benders (1963)
• The Servant (1963)
• The Nanny (1965)
• Just like a Woman (1967)
• I'll Never Forget What's'isname (1967)
• Joseph Andrews (1977)
• Run for Your Wife (2012)
• The Worst Witch (2017–2019)
• Emmerdale (2018)
• Doctors (2019)