Annette Crosbie (born 12 February 1934) is a Scottish actress.^[1] She is best known for her role as Margaret Meldrew in theBBC sitcomOne Foot in the Grave (1990–2000). She twice won theBAFTA TV Award for Best Actress, forThe Six Wives of Henry VIII in 1971 and in 1976 forEdward the Seventh.^[2]

Also in 1976, Crosbie was nominated for theBAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for the 1976 filmThe Slipper and the Rose and she won the award for Best Actress at theEvening Standard British Film Awards for the same role.^[3] Her other film appearances includeThe Pope Must Die (1991),Shooting Fish (1997),The Debt Collector (1999),Calendar Girls (2003) andInto the Woods (2014).

Crosbie was born inGorebridge,Midlothian,Scotland, as Annette Ross Mcleod Crosbie toPresbyterian parents who disapproved of her becoming an actress.^[4] Nevertheless, she joined theBristol Old Vic Theatre School while still in her teens. She began her career with the Glasgow Citizens' Theatre Company in 1956.^[5] She was educated atBoroughmuir High School inEdinburgh.^[6] Her big break came in 1970 when she was cast asCatherine of Aragon in theBBCtelevision seriesThe Six Wives of Henry VIII, for which she won the 1971BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress.^[7] In 1973, she starred alongsideVanessa Redgrave in the BBC serialA Picture of Katherine Mansfield.

In 1975, Crosbie made a similar impact as another queen,Queen Victoria, in the ITVperiod dramaEdward the Seventh, for which she won the 1976BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress. She playedCinderella'sfairy godmother inThe Slipper and the Rose, which was chosen as theRoyal Film Première for 1976. In that film, Crosbie sang theSherman Brothers' song, "Suddenly It Happens". Crosbie voiced the character ofGaladriel inRalph Bakshi's animated movie,The Lord of the Rings, filmed in 1978. In 1980, she played the abbess inHawk the Slayer. In 1986, she appeared as the vicar's wife inParadise Postponed.^[1]

Crosbie's next major role was asMargaret Meldrew, the long-suffering wife of Victor Meldrew (Richard Wilson) in theBBCsitcomOne Foot in the Grave (1990–2000) for which she is best known. She also played Janet, the housekeeper toDr. Finlay, in the 1993–96revival ofA. J. Cronin's popular stories. She also had a poignant role in thethrillerThe Debt Collector (1999).

Crosbie's other roles include playing the monkey-lover Ingrid Strange in an episode ofJonathan Creek (1997), Edith Sparshott inAn Unsuitable Job for a Woman (1997–2001), and Jessie in the filmCalendar Girls (2003).

In 2008, Crosbie appeared in a BBC adaptation ofLittle Dorrit. In 2009 she played Sadie Cairncross in the BBC television seriesHope Springs.^[1] In 2010, Crosbie appeared in theDoctor Who episode "The Eleventh Hour" and in an episode ofNew Tricks. In 2014 Crosbie appeared in the moviesWhat We Did on Our Holiday andInto the Woods. In 2015 she appeared in a BBC adaptation ofCider with Rosie. In 2016 she appeared in the new film version ofDad's Army. In 2019 she appeared in an episode ofCall the Midwife.

In 2020, Crosbie appeared in an episode of the second season ofAfter Life, a Britishblack comedy-drama series created, written, produced and directed byRicky Gervais, which premiered onNetflix.

Crosbie was appointedOfficer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the1998 New Year Honours for services to drama.^[8]

Crosbie was married to Michael Griffiths from 1966 until their divorce in 1985. The marriage produced two children, a son and a daughter. Their daughterSelina Griffiths, is also an actress.^[9]

Crosbie is a campaigner forgreyhound welfare.^[10] From 2003 to 2006, she was president of theLeague Against Cruel Sports.^{[citation needed]} In 2014, she was a vice-president.^[11] She was an honorary vice-president of theScottish SPCA.^[12]

Crosbie lives inWimbledon,London.^[13]

• Good Behaviour (2014) on BBC Radio 4^[28]
• One Foot in the Grave (1995) 4 episodes adapted from theBritish televisionsitcom of the same name, first aired between 21 January 1995 and 11 February 1995 onBBC Radio 2. The episodes are "Alive and Buried", "In Luton Airport, No One Can Hear You Scream", "Timeless Time" and "The Beast in the Cage". They are repeated regularly onBBC Radio 4 Extra.^[29]
• Old Harry's Game as Edith Cordelia Barrington (from series 6 onwards) onBBC Radio 4
• The Price of Fear -Episode: To My Dear, Dear Saladin (6 June 1983) onBBC Radio 4^[30]
• The works of Robert Burns (2016) forBBC Radio Scotland^[31]

• Annette Crosbie atIMDb
• Annette Crosbie atBritish Comedy Guide

• Alumni of Bristol Old Vic Theatre School
• Best Actress BAFTA Award (television) winners
• Officers of the Order of the British Empire
• People from Midlothian
• Scottish animal welfare workers
• Scottish television actresses
• Scottish film actresses
• Scottish radio actresses
• Scottish stage actresses
• Scottish voice actresses
• 1934 births
• Living people
• League Against Cruel Sports workers
• People educated at Boroughmuir High School
• 20th-century Scottish actresses
• 21st-century Scottish actresses

• Webarchive template wayback links
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use dmy dates from September 2023
• Use British English from September 2015
• All Wikipedia articles written in British English
• Articles with hCards
• All articles with unsourced statements
• Articles with unsourced statements from May 2025