Meg Johnson
Johnson inEmmerdale
Born	Margaret Mary Green (1936-09-30)30 September 1936 Manchester, England
Died	1 July 2023(2023-07-01) (aged 86) Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1961–2020
Spouses	Hibbert Johnson ​ ​ (m. 1956, divorced)​ Charles Foster ​ ​ (m. 1981; died 2023)​
Children	2

Margaret Mary Foster (30 September 1936 – 1 July 2023), better known asMeg Johnson, was an English actress. Over a career spanning almost six decades, she became known for her soap opera roles asEunice Gee inCoronation Street,Brigid McKenna inBrookside, andPearl Ladderbanks inEmmerdale. She also appeared in musicals includingChicago andFollies.

Johnson was born Margaret Mary Green inManchester on 30 September 1936 to Eleanor (née James), a former bus conductor, and Stan Green, a brewery foreman.^[1] Johnson was evacuated toBolton duringWorld War II and made her stage debut there, aged six, singing and dancing at the Grand theatre. After developing asthma, she began singing lessons to improve her breathing.^[2][1]

Johnson's first professional acting role came in May 1961, when she was 24, in a television series titledHere's Harry. She continued in the show until 1964. Subsequent roles includedFamily Solicitor (1961) andThe Referees (1961).^[3] Johnson first appeared in a few episodes of theITV television soap operaCoronation Street in 1972 as a tipsy woman and in 1976 as Brenda Holden, before being cast asEunice Gee in 1981, a role she would play with recurring appearances until 1999.^[2]

In the 1980s, Johnson worked withVictoria Wood, appearing in several episodes of her showsVictoria Wood: As Seen on TV, as well asVictoria Wood Presents.^[4] In 1997, Johnson appeared in theWest End theatre revival ofChicago as Mama Morton.^[5] She also appeared in theatre productions ofFollies andGypsy.^[2]

From 2000 to 2003, Johnson appeared in theChannel 4 soap operaBrookside asBrigid McKenna until the soap's cancellation.^[6][7] Later in 2003, Johnson was cast asPearl Ladderbanks in the ITV soap operaEmmerdale, although due to the number of episodes per week ofBrookside being reduced in its later months, her last appearances as Brigid aired after she had already been seen on screen as Pearl. Johnson played the role of Pearl until March 2020.^[8]

In 1956, Johnson married Hibbert Johnson. The marriage produced a son and a daughter, but later ended in divorce.^[9]

Johnson was married to English actor andITV Granada presenter Charles Foster from 1981 until his death on 23 February 2023.^[2][10][11]

Johnson died at a care home inRochdale called the Willows on 1 July 2023, aged 86.^[12][13] In a statement, her family said that she "haddementia for the last few years, but battled on personally and professionally regardless".^[14][15]Emmerdale paid tribute to her on its social media accounts, describing Johnson as "a kind and wonderful lady, full of warmth and always with a twinkle in her eye" and added that she would be "greatly missed by everyone who knew her".^[16]

• Meg Johnson atIMDb
• Meg Johnson discography atDiscogs

• 1936 births
• 2023 deaths
• 20th-century English actresses
• 21st-century English actresses
• Actresses from Manchester
• Deaths from dementia in England
• English soap opera actresses
• English stage actresses
• English television actresses

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• Short description matches Wikidata
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• Use British English from July 2023
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