Googie Withers

Withers was made Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2002. In 2003, she was listed in The Observer as one of the 50 funniest people in British comedy. Withers' most recent screen performance was as the music teacher in the film Shine (1996) for which she and the other cast members were nominated for a Screen Actors Guild for "Outstanding Performance By A Cast". She was awarded the OBE in 1997. They are the parents of the actors Nicholas McCallum and Joanna McCallum. She has starred in several series of her own, including:. Married to Australian actor John McCallum since 1948, the couple met on a film set in Britain, and returned to Australia where both worked frequently in television together and appeared in a number of stage productions. They have two children, Grace and Henry.

Throughout her career she has appeared frequently in film, television, and theater. Wood married magician Geoffrey Durham in March 1980, but they separated in October 2002. Among her successes of the 1940s was One of Our Aircraft is Missing (1942), a topical World War II drama in which she played a resistance fighter who helps British airmen return to safety from behind enemy lines. Her sitcom Dinnerladies in particualar is often regarded along with The Royle Family as one of the prime example of dialogue-based TV comedy, shows in which the focus is more on discussion between characters than story or action, though Dinnerladies episodes usually did have a strong storyline also. Her best known work of the period was as one of Margaret Lockwood's friends in Alfred Hitchcock's The Lady Vanishes (1938). Wood is often regarded as among the top sitcom writers in Britain due to her understanding of British culture and high command of the English language. During the 1930s she was constantly in demand in lead roles in minor films and supporting roles in more prestigious productions. Her first play, Talent (1978) won her an award for Most Promising New Writer, and she has since won many awards for her light entertainment performances.

She arrived on the set to find one of the major players in the production had been dismissed, and she was immediately asked to step into the role. Wood was born in Ramsbottom, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, and studied drama at the University of Birmingham, beginning her show business career during her time as an undergraduate. Her first big break was as a novelty act on the BBC's consumer affairs programme, That's Life in 1976. She was a dancer in a West End production when she was offered work as a film extra. She has written and starred in sketches, plays and sitcoms, and her live stand-up comedy act is interspersed with songs of her own composition, which she accompanies on piano. Born Georgette Lizette Withers she began acting at the age of 12. Victoria Wood (born May 19, 1953) is a British comedienne, actress, singer and writer. Googie Withers (born March 12, 1917 in Karachi, Pakistan) is a British actress. Dinnerladies (sitcom) (1999).

A television film, Pat and Margaret starring Wood and Julie Walters as long-lost sisters with very different lifestyles. Victoria Wood As Seen On Television (1984). Wood and Walters (1981) (with Julie Walters).