Shirley Ann Pithers (12 June 1935 – 9 March 2017),[1] better known as Jane Freeman, was an English-born Welsh actress who was best known for her work on British television, mostly notably for her role as Ivy in Last of the Summer Wine.
Jane Freeman | |
|---|---|
| Born | Shirley Ann Pithers 12 June 1935 Brentford, Middlesex, England |
| Died | 9 March 2017 (aged 81) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1962–2010 |
| Spouse | Michael Simpson (1971–2007, his death) |
Freeman was born in Brentford, Middlesex, in 1935, the daughter of railway engineer Arthur Pithers and his wife, Joan Pithers, née Dewhurst.[2] She was raised in Merthyr Tydfil following the death of her father in an accident when she was 9 years old and her mother's subsequent remarriage[1] to Russell Evans. For a time, she used his surname and was known as Jane Evans.[2] She graduated from the Cardiff College of Music and Drama[3] in 1955.
After a stay in London, Freeman joined the Osiris Repertory Theatre touring company, based in Gloucestershire. She joined the Arena Theatre, Sutton Coldfield in 1958, followed by Birmingham Rep from 1968. Her stage appearances include Margaret More in the Welsh Theatre Company's first production, A Man for All Seasons, at Cardiff's New Theatre in 1962.[1]
Freeman’s television roles include Diary Of a Young Man (1964), Crossroads (1964), Touch And Go (1978), and Hannah (1980). She was best known for her role as the abrasive but ultimately kind-hearted café owner Ivy, one of the main characters in the long-running British television comedy Last of the Summer Wine. She was one of only two actors to appear in all series of the show, from 1973 until 2010 (the other being Peter Sallis, who played Norman Clegg): however, unlike Sallis, Freeman did not appear in all of the episodes.[citation needed]
Her film credits included Ghost In The Water (1982), Scrubbers (1982) and Silas Marner: The Weaver of Raveloe (1986).
In 1971, Freeman married Michael Simpson, whom she met when he became artistic director of the Birmingham Rep while she was a member of that group.[3]
Freeman died on 9 March 2017 at the age of 81 from lung cancer.[3] Her age was often incorrectly reported as being 96 at the time of her death, but official birth records prove that she was born in 1935.[4]
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Diary of a Young Man | Nurse |
| 1964 | Crossroads | Emily Burrell |
| 1972 | The Fishing Party (Play for Today) | Audrey |
| 1973 to 2010 | Last of the Summer Wine | Ivy |
| 1973 | Play for Today | Housing Official |
| 1973 | Trinity Tales | Cashier |
| 1973 | Play for Today | Housing Official |
| 1975 | Within These Walls | Madge Boyle |
| 1975 | Play for Today | Martha Paisley |
| 1976 | Within These Walls | Ethel Cumberpatch |
| 1978 | Play for Today | Mrs. Scully |
| 1978 | Touch and Go | Mrs. Meighan |
| 1979 | Prince Regent | Lady de Clifford |
| 1980 | Hannah | Lilla Spencer-Smith |
| 1980 | ITV Playhouse | Mrs. Allen |
| 1981 | BBC2 Playhouse | Aunt Anna |
| 1983 | The Hard Word | Labour candidate |
| 1983 | The Black Adder | Mrs Applebottom |
| 1984 | Letty | Florence Jones |
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | All Day on the Sands | Mrs. Cattley |
| 1980 | Dark Water | Managers's Wife |
| 1982 | Scrubbers | Sister |
| 1982 | Ghost in the Water | Mrs. Willets |
| 1985 | Silas Marner: The Weaver of Raveloe | Mrs. Kimble |
Jane Freeman at Find a Grave