Beloved veteran British actress Patricia Routledge celebrates her 87th Birthday this week which is still very hard to believe. Most people in the US know her as the hilarious pretentious Hyacinth Bucket (it’s pronounced bouquet) in the smash hit TV series ‘Keeping Up The Appearances’, back across the Pond though we are aware that is a lot more than that in her long and highly successful career.
Patricia Routledge made her Broadway debut exactly 50 years ago, and two years later won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her role in‘Darling of the Day’. She was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Companyin the UK for years ; starred in Joseph Papps ‘The Pirates of Penzanze’ withKevin Kline in NY’s Central Park; won a Lawrence Oliver Award for her role inBernstein’s Candide in London etc etc. Before she started her most famous role as the biggest snob in surburbia, Patricia earned her place as a fully bona-fide gay icon with a series of monologues she did as ‘Kitty’ for The Victoria Wood TV Show. They are quintessential English gems …. she talks fast though and you may have to play it a couple of time to get all the words if you are not a Brit ….. but trust men, you will soon get hooked.
Happy Birthday Patricia Routledge CBE and we hope you are not too upset that Hyacinth’s precious Sheridan didn’t even bother to send you a card!
