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Susie Blake | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1950-04-19)19 April 1950 (age 75) |
| Education | Arts Educational Schools, London London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1973–present |
| Notable work | Coronation Street Mrs. Brown's Boys |
| Mother | Molly Blake |
| Relatives | Annette Mills (grandmother) Sir John Mills (great uncle) Juliet Mills (cousin) Hayley Mills (cousin) |
Susie Blake (born 19 April 1950)[1] is an English television, radio and stage actress.
She is best known for her portrayal of the snobbish TV announcer inVictoria Wood: As Seen on TV and ofBev Unwin inCoronation Street, a role she played between 2003 and 2006, before a brief return in 2015. She has also playedHillary Nicholson inMrs. Brown's Boys since 2011.
Blake was born inHighgate, London to David andMolly Blake. Her mother was an illustrator and children's television presenter.[2] Susie's maternal grandmother was the children's entertainerAnnette Mills, her cousins are the actressesJuliet andHayley Mills, whilst her uncle was the actorJohn Mills.[1]
Blake regularly appeared inVictoria Wood's television programmes and has extensive radio credits. She appeared in the first episode of the sitcomOne Foot in the Grave in which her character was responsible for firingVictor Meldrew, thus setting the events of the show in motion. She appeared asBev Unwin in theITV soap operaCoronation Street until her departure in December 2006.
Blake played the character ofMadame Morrible in theWest End production ofWicked, replacingMiriam Margolyes on 2 April 2007.[3] Her final performance was on 12 April 2008, before she was succeeded byHarriet Thorpe.[4] Blake appeared as a witch in thepantomimeWizard of Oz atThe Lowry Theatre and Gallery,Salford, in 2004/2005.
In late 2008 to early 2009, she starred in the national UK tour ofBoeing Boeing, and appeared as Judith in an episode of the third series ofWild at Heart. She was also in a national tour ofGrumpy Old Women 2 in 2009 withJenny Eclair andWendi Peters.
Blake appeared asHillary Nicholson in theRTÉ andBBC comedyMrs. Brown's Boys, replacingSorcha Cusack, who played Hillary in the first series. In 2015, she playedThe Queen in a theatre tour of the West End hitHandbagged.
Blake briefly reprised herCoronation Street role of Bev Unwin in July 2015 to help the long-running characterDeirdre Barlow (played byAnne Kirkbride, who had recently died) bow out of the soap in January 2015.
In March 2019, Blake portrayedAgatha Christie'sMiss Marple in a theatre production ofThe Mirror Crack'd at theSalisbury Playhouse.[5] Then from 2023 to 2024, she will appear in a touring production ofMurder in the Dark.[6]
