| June Brown | ||||||
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| Birth name | June Brown | |||||
| Born | 16 February 1927 Needham Market, Suffolk, England |
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| Occupation | Actress | |||||
| Spouse(s) | John Garley (1950–57) Robert Arnold (1958–2003) |
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June Brown (born 16 February 1927) is an English actress and presenter best known for her role as Dot Cotton in the British soap opera EastEnders. Brown served in the Wrens (Royal Navy), and was classically trained at the Old Vic Drama School.
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Television career
Brown has had a long television career, with small roles in Coronation Street as Mrs Parsons (1970); in the Doctor Who story "The Time Warrior" as Lady Eleanor (1974); medical soap Angels; history-of-Britain Churchill's People; long-running comedy drama Minder; police soap The Bill; and cult sci-fi series Survivors. She also had a bigger part as Mrs Leyton in the very popular costume drama The Duchess of Duke Street (1976), and played Mrs Mann in Oliver Twist (1985). She has also starred in the wartime big band comedy Ain't Misbehavin (1997), and played Nanny Slagg in the BBC's big-budget production of Gormenghast in 2000. She had a number of small roles in several famous movies, appearing as the grieving mother of an undead biker in British horror flick Psychomania (1971), as well as Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971), Straw Dogs (1971), Murder by Decree (1979), Nijinsky (1980), The Mambo Kings (1992), the hugely successful Mr. Bean and the movie adaption Bean (1997),.
EastEnders and Dot
Brown was recommended to producers for the role of Dot by another one of its original cast members, Leslie Grantham, who played the show's villain, Den Watts. Dot is one of the longest-running characters in EastEnders; Brown played the role from 1985 to 1993, and then again from 1997 onwards. Initially a highly unsympathetic character in EastEnders - a sanctimonious, judgemental and two-faced busybody - Dot was originally brought on for a short-term story arc to complement the storyline of her screen son, Nick Cotton, being accused of murder. Dot became a popular character, and has matured into the best loved character in the programme, a 'mother earth' figure who anyone can go to in times of need. On an interview on the Paul O'Grady Show in December 2007 Brown expressed embarrassment at watching herself on screen and has a highly modest atitude towards her role as Dot.
Theatre roles
Brown has also been active in British theatre, directing Pin Money (by Malcolm Needs) in London, and Double D in London and Edinburgh. She played Mrs Danvers in a production of Rebecca. Other plays include An Inspector Calls, The Lion in Winter, A View from the Bridge, and numerous pantomimes including The Witches, in which her sister also performed.
Awards and recognition
Brown received a Lifetime Achievement award at the 2005 British Soap Awards, presented by her close friend Anna Wing, formerly EastEnders' Lou Beale. In 2006, Brown appeared as Aunt Spiker at the Children's Party At The Palace, an all-star event to celebrate the Queen's 80th birthday.
Marriages
- 1) John Garley (1950-1957).
- 2) Bob Arnold (1958-2003); they had six children, though the youngest died in infancy. The surviving children are Louise, Sophie, William (Billy), Chloe and Naomi.
Acting roles
Film
- Bean: The Movie (1997)
- The Mambo Kings (1992)
- Nijinsky (1980)
- Murder by Decree (1979)
- Straw Dogs (1971)
- Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971)
Television
- Angels
- Churchill's People
- Coronation Street (1970)
- Doctor Who, as Lady Eleanor of Wessex in The Time Warrior
- "Sorry", one-off BBC play (1980)
- Lace Mini-series (1984
- The Duchess of Duke Street
- EastEnders (1985 - 1993, 1997 - present)
- Gormenghast
- Margery and Gladys (2003)
- Oliver Twist (1985)
- Survivors
- The Sweeney
- The Bill
- 24
- Galaxy North East Dj
Theatre
- An Inspector Calls
- Nightshade
- The Lion in Winter
- Hedda Gabler
- Rebecca
- Laura
Enter Shikari
June Brown is known for her enjoyment of Enter Shikari's music, and has been reported to have been to at least one Enter Shikari gig since their founding.[1]
Directed
- Double D (play)
