June Brown

Infobox actor


name = June Brown MBE
caption =
birthname = June Brown
birthdate = birth date and age |1927|2|16| df=yes
birthplace = Needham Market, Suffolk, England
deathdate =
deathplace =
othername =
occupation = Actor
yearsactive =
spouse = John Garley (1950–57) Robert Arnold (1958–2003)
awards = British Soap Awards
Best On-Screen Partnership
2002 "EastEnders" 1985
2005 "EastEnders" 1985
Lifetime Achievement Award
2005 "EastEnders" 1985

June Muriel Brown, MBE (born 16 February 1927) is an English actress, best known for her role as Dot Cotton in the British soap opera "EastEnders".

Biography

Born in Suffolk in 1927 (nine years earlier than Dot), she attended Ipswich High School, an independent school for girls. Her father was wealthy, but he 'went bust'. Her baby brother died of pneumonia in 1932 aged 15 days and her elder sister Marise died in 1934 aged 8 from a meningitis-like illness. During the Second World War, she was evacuated to Pontyates, a small village in west Wales. She later served in the Wrens (Royal Navy) during the latter part of the war.

June was classically trained at the Old Vic Drama School in London.

In 1950, she met and married the actor John Garley, but he suffered depression and gassed himself at home in 1957. In 1958, she married Robert Arnold, star of the well-known early BBC television programme "Dixon of Dock Green". They had six children, though her second daughter, Chloe (b. 1960) born premature at 28 weeks, died after only 16 days. The surviving children are Louise (b. 1959), Sophie (b. 1961), (William/Billy b. 1962), Chloe (b. 1964) and Naomi (b. 1966). Chloe suffered paralysis, but June is reported as saying that it went away after she prayed for healing.Brown and Arnold were together for forty-five years, until he died in 2003, and since then she has lived alone in their house in Surrey. [http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/june-brown-all-alone-in-dots-kitchen-774546.html June Brown: All alone in Dot's kitchen - People, News - Independent.co.uk ] ]

Film and 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 (1973/74); 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) and the hugely successful "Mr. Bean" movie spin-off "Bean" (1997),.

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.

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 she has a highly modest attitude towards her role as Dot.

Brown says she is pleased to have been able to restore Dot as a character of depth in her ground-breaking episode, especially after reports that she wanted to leave the series in 2007 because she had disagreed with a storyline in which Dot found a refugee baby abandoned in a church. She signed a £370,000 contract in April 2007 to play Dot Cotton for another year.Fact|date=May 2008 She signed a £570,000 deal in April 2008 to play Dot for another year. June Brown said " I feel better with the writers now, as they are coming up with sustainable storylines for me to play. On top of that, the arrival of John Bardon has boosted my confidence.

On 31 January 2008, June made history by being the first and so far only actress to carry an entire episode single handed in the history of British soap, with a monologue looking back over her past life, dictated to a cassette machine for her husband Jim to listen to in hospital following a stroke. The fact that co-star and close friend John Bardon (who plays Jim) is recovering from a stroke in real life added extra pathos to the episode. [ [http://www.mirror.co.uk/showbiz/2008/01/31/eastender-legend-june-brown-s-rise-from-the-stage-to-the-square-89520-20304013/ EastEnder legend June Brown's rise from the stage to the Square - Mirror.co.uk ] ] [http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/june-brown-all-alone-in-dots-kitchen-774546.html June Brown: All alone in Dot's kitchen - People, News - Independent.co.uk ] ] In an interview on This Morning she claimed it was relatively easy as there were no co-actors fogetting their lines.

She is currently the second longest serving cast member at "Eastenders" behind Adam Woodyatt.

Praise

June's single-handed episode wept praise from critics and viewers alike.

* "As powerful and poignant a piece of drama as you will see on TV all year and destined to be showered with prizes" - Jim Shelly, The Mirror

* "A remarkable episode, June Brown, who plays Dot gives an astonishing performance complimented by stunningly written dialogue which seals Eastenders' return to the top" - Cole Moreton, The Independent

* "June Brown, as Dot, was mesmerising, catching perfectly the joy of her brief childhood idyll in Wales where she was evacuated during the war, and the subsequent pain of being returned to the “filthy” East End and a drunkard mother who didn’t want her. And, of course, seven decades thereafter of unrelenting misery – apart from what cold comfort the Bible gave her." - The Telegraph, Gerard O'Donovan

* "A stellar performance by Mrs Brown that no award title could have the capacity to honour" - Lisa Labonna, The Guardian

* "Once again June's ability to convey drama, emotion, humour, suspense and empathy was tested and again June rose to the challenge in immaculate fashion proving once and for all that she is both the modern day and historic soap matriach. - An internet forum member on 1/02/08.

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. During her early career, she played the roles of Hedda Gabler and Lady Macbeth.

Awards and recognition

Brown received a Lifetime Achievement award at the 2005 British Soap Awards, presented by her close friends Anna Wing formerly "EastEnders"' Lou Beale and Barbara Windsor also known as Peggy Mitchell. She has also won 'Best Onscreen Partnership' at the same awards for her onscreen relationship with Jim Branning for two consecutive years. She also won 'Best Actress' at the Inside Soap Awards in 2001 and 2004 she also again won 'Best Onscreen Partnership' at the same awards.

She was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2008 Birthday Honours for her services to drama and charity. [LondonGazette |issue=58729 |date=14 June 2008 |startpage=14 |supp=yes |notarchive=yes]

Acting roles

Film

*"Sunday Bloody Sunday" (1971)
*"Straw Dogs" (1971)
*"Psychomania" (1972)
*"Murder by Decree" (1979)
*"Nijinsky" (1980)
*"The Mambo Kings" (1992)
*"" (1997)

Television

*"Angels" (1974 episode)
*"Churchill's People"
*"Coronation Street" (1970)
*"Doctor Who" serial "The Time Warrior" (1973 - 1974), as Lady Eleanor of Wessex
*"Sorry" (1980) one-off BBC play
*"Lace" (1984) TV miniseries
*"The Duchess of Duke Street" (1976 - 1977)
*"EastEnders" (1985 - 1993, 1997 - present)
*"Gormenghast"
*"Margery and Gladys" (2003)
*"Oliver Twist" (1985)
*"Survivors"
*"The Sweeney"
*"The Bill"

Theatre

*"An Inspector Calls"
*"Nightshade"
*"The Lion in Winter"
*"Hedda Gabler"
*"Rebecca"
*"Laura"
*"Absolute Hell"
*"Macbeth"

Directed

*"Double D" (play)

References

External links

*imdb name|id=0113942|name=June Brown