... HOLLY RODEN Holly Roden, who has died in Nottingham at the age of 79, was an early pupil of Josephine Scott- Matthews who also died recently (In Memoriam, January 13). She and her dear friend, Gladis Robinson, regularly 'cleaned up' at the local drama festivals. Walk- ons with the Court Players and Nottingham Playhouse before the Second World War drew her into the stage as a profession. While ...

... NICK NISSEN Nick Nissen, who has died in Brinsworth House, was one of the most capable performers in variety and music hall, a comedian and acrobat who excelled in both media. A stalwart for many years in summer shows for the Bunny Baron Organisation around the country, he could be seen supporting headliners with his comedy spot. His act was eccen tric, he would sing Valentina one minute and ...

... BUNNEY BROOKE Veteran Australian actress Bunney Brooke has died in Sydney following a long battle with cancer. She was 80. Brooke will best be remem bered for playing Flo Patterson in the ground-breaking seventies soap Number 96, for which she received a Silver Logie Award in 1975. She went on to appear in numerous other series, including The Young Doctors. She played Auntie VI Patchett in E ...

... SYLVIA THORLEY Popular Isle of Wight-based agent Sylvia Thorley died on May 15. following a brave fight against illness, at the age of 64. Such was her total enthusiasm and dedication Sylvia was still conducting business from her hospital bed just a few days before her death. Sylvia had many friends in showbusiness from stars like the Beverley Sisters, Tony Adams, Arthur Bostrom and the late ...

... HENRY BIRD One of Britain's most distin guished and versatile artists, I Henry Bird, who was particularly noted for painting women in the nude, although in the most respectful way, died at the age of 90 on April 16. He was also something of a genuine eccentric, cutting an imposing figure with his flamboyant dress sense and usually seen around art colleges and galleries sporting a large fedora ...

... STEVE EASEY i riDutes nave oeen paia to stage director of the Orchard Theatre, Dartford, Steve Easey, who died suddenly on April 19, aged 47. Known as the Gentle Giant, Steve was one of the most familiar and popular backstage faces at the venue. He started his career as a casual stagehand at the Congress Theatre, Eastbourne, and after reaching the dizzy heights of head flyman, Steve moved to ...

... ALICE MARY JAMES Born Alice Darch in Chorlton- cum-Hardy in 1911, my mother Alice James came from a theatrical family. Her father Frank was playing Charles Surface in School for Scandal at the time; instead of toasting Maria in the carousel scene they toasted the arrival of the little stranger. Ellen Terry was a family friend who was happy to assist at nappy changing times. At this point the ...

... JACK LAWTON My father, veteran organist Jack Lawton who stared alongside Benny Hill, Frankie Howerd, George Formby and Stan Laurel has died at the age of 91. Bom in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire in 1909, he started playing the piano at 11, performing regularly at his local Methodist church. After taking a job with a trio at a nearby cafe, he landed a contract with BBC Radio, and went on to form ...

... ALEXANDER H COHEN A legendary Broadway producer who had strong ties with the West End stage, Alexander H Cohen died at the age of 79 on April 22. From the fifties he had offices in London and had regular dealings with HM Tennent and the formidable Binkie Beaumont. One of his first British successes was the satirical revue At the Drop of a Hat with Michael Panders and Donald Swann, which had a ...

... Doug Fisher, who died suddenly on July 9 of a heart attack, was among the most versatile mem bers of the cornucopia of talent Michael Billington's description of the celebrated generation of actor/writers that emerged from Oxford University Dramatic Society in the early sixties. At Oxford he studied French and Russian, became a soccer blue and a member of Vincent's, and achieved what most ...

... Over the past 40 years or so, many people have been eager to claim an involvement with the Beatles' in their earliest days, but Lord Woodbine, who has died aged 72, could truly say he was closer than most. Bom Harold Phillips in Trinidad in 1928, he came to Britain along with some 500 other West Indian immigrants on the troopship Empire Windrush in June 1948, and was soon dubbed Lord Woodbine ...

... Duncan Whaley, who died at this home in Lancing, Sussex on July 6 at the age of 72, was an interna tionally known ice skating clown who appeared around the world with the Holiday on Ice spectacu lars for 20 years or so, and before that in the famous Vienna Eis Revue. Bom in Brixton, London, in 1928, his father, Eddie Whaley, was the straight man of the famous comedy team Scott and Whaley. ...