Una Stubbs, Sherlock and Till Death Us Do Part star, dies at 84
Actress Una Stubbs, a mainstay of British TV who appeared on such shows as Sherlock, Till Death Us Do Part, and EastEnders, has died. She was 84.
Stubbs died Thursday at her home in Edinburgh, according to a statement from her family to the BBC. Her longtime agent Rebecca Blond added that the actress had been ill for a few months.
"We are desperately sad to have lost not only a wonderful actress, whose screen and stage career, spanning over 50 years, was so extraordinarily varied, from Till Death Us Do Part to Sherlock, as well as memorable performances in the West End, at the Old Vic, Donmar Warehouse, Sheffield Crucible and National Theatre, but also a wickedly funny, elegant, stylish, graceful, gracious and kind and constant friend," Blond said.
Dave Benett/Getty Images Actress Una Stubbs died Aug. 12, 2021 at age 84.
Born in Hertfordshire, England in 1937, Stubbs began her career as a dancer, working as a chorus girl at the London Palladium. She auditioned as a dancer for the 1963 film Summer Holiday, a musical starring Cliff Richard, and ended up winning a main role that would become her breakout performance. She then went on to star in the popular British sitcom Till Death Us Do Part from 1966 to 1975. (Before her death, Stubbs was the series' last surviving main cast member.)
Stubbs had no formal training as an actor; as she told The Guardian in 2007, "I've been to the school of observation. I learned everything there." It served her well; she worked steadily on British TV throughout her life, with her credits including Fawlty Towers, EastEnders, the beloved children's series Worzel Gummidge, and Midsomer Murders, among many others.
"Offers used to come in, and I'd think, 'Yes, that pays quite well, I'll do that, I'll be able to stop at home for a while if I do that,'" she recalled to The Guardian. "But they weren't exactly career moves. There were times, when I was doing theatre, when I would think, 'Oh gosh, this is so shabby.' When you could see the piece wasn't being crafted, it was just flung on stage; there was no attention to detail, you had two weeks' rehearsal and it was all, 'Oh, that'll do...'"
© Robert Viglasky/Hartswood Films and BBC Wales for BBC One and MASTERPIECE Una Stubbs as Mrs. Hudson on 'Sherlock'
Later in her career, Stubbs went on to appear in what she called "quality productions" on stage and screen, including a 1997 revival of Terence Rattigan's The Deep Blue Sea. Her last major role was as Mrs. Hudson, the title character's landlady on Sherlock, alongside Benedict Cumberbatch.
"It was one of the great joys of my life to work so closely with and to adore Una Stubbs," Sherlock co-creator Mark Gatiss wrote on Twitter. "She was a wonderful, wonderful woman and a great and serenely graceful actor. Mischief was in her blood. We were so blessed that she became our imperishable Mrs. Hudson. Goodbye, darling."
His fellow co-creator, Steven Moffat, wrote on Instagram, "The loveliest light on Baker Street has gone out. What a woman, what a talent, what a star — and just about the kindest, nicest, funniest person you could meet."
Stubbs married twice, to actors Peter Gilmore and Nicky Henson, and divorced both of them. She is survived by three sons, Joe and Christian Henson and Jason Gilmore.
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