Una Merkel

Una Merkel has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contributions to Motion Pictures, at 6230 Hollywood Boulevard. (The second series used Nichols' own death as an excuse to kill off the character and dealt with Alf's experience of widowhood.). She died in Los Angeles, California. She reprised her role as Else in the first series of the sequel, In Sickness and in Health. Her final film role was in the 1966 Elvis Presley film Spinout. Prior to the series, Dandy Nichols had been a minor comedy actress, appearing in many old British films. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Summer and Smoke (1961). Alf often referred to Else as a "silly old moo" (the word "cow" would have been unacceptable to contemporary audiences).

She made a comeback as a middle aged woman playing mothers and maiden aunts, and in 1956 won a Tony Award for her role in The Ponder Heart. Dandy Nichols (1907, London - February 6, 1986) was an actress most noted for her role as Else Garnett, the long-suffering wife of the racially bigoted and misogynistic character Alf Garnett in the BBC sitcom Till Death Us Do Part. Her career went into decline during the 1940s and although she continued working it was in less prestigious productions. She played Ann Rutledge in the 1930 film Abraham Lincoln and during the 1930s became a popular second lead in a number of films, usually playing the wisecracking best friend of the heroine. She returned to Hollywood and achieved her greatest success with the advent of "talkies".

She appeared in several films during the silent era but spent most of her time in New York working on Broadway. Born in Covington, Kentucky, Merkel resembled the popular actress Lillian Gish, and her resemblance allowed her to enter films in 1920 as Gish's double in the film Way Down East. Una Merkel (December 10, 1903 – January 2, 1986) was an American film actress.