In Loving Memory

Caroline Roope remembers the comic and dramatic acting abilities of the much-loved Dame Thora Hird

- Caroline Roope

"A few words of praise, please, for that wonderful couthie, cheerful character, Thora Hird,” read the star letter in the Aberdeen Evening Express on 11 June 1983. “It doesn’t appear to make a great deal of difference whether she is skilfully talking us through Sunday’s Songs of Praise or giving us all a hearty chuckle with her comedy role as Captain Emily Ridley in Hallelujah!, the intense sincerity seems to shine like a beacon.”

Down-to-earth Thora would have been pleased to know the rapturously written letter earned its writer a £5 prize. As the unpretentious daughter of a stage manager from the seaside resort of Morecombe, Lancashire, Thora was proud of her humble roots. She remarked to a newspaper in 1991 that as a northerner, she had: “No swank. I love to be ordinary.”

But Thora’s remarkable acting career was anything but that. Spanning an astonishing 77 years, Dame Thora – as she would become – appeared in more than 100 film and television roles, becoming a household name and a British institution.

Thora was born in 1911 with theatre already in her blood. Not only was her father James a stage and entertainment manager, but her mother Jane was an actress. Her first theatrical appearance was as a baby at the Royalty Theatre in Morecombe when she was carried on-stage in her mother’s arms. At four years old, she was already taking part in entertainment for wounded World War One troops, and at 11 was performing in school productions. On leaving school, she continued to perform in amateur productions while working in the local Co-op, a role she later credited for her ability to convey such a vast range of character types. “I’ve played nearly all of them now,” she quipped in 1998.