Penelope Keith has died aged 86

Penelope Keith, the much-loved star of stage and screen, has passed away at the age of 86.

Her family released a statement today, saying: “We are deeply saddened to announce that Dame Penelope Keith died peacefully whilst living with cancer at her home in Surrey, where she had lived for more than 50 years.

“The family is grateful for the care and support she received throughout her treatments, and ask that their privacy be respected at this time.”

The West End will dim its lights at 7pm on Wednesday 1 July to celebrate Keith’s life.

Perhaps best known for her TV roles in classic British sitcoms such as The Good Life and To The Manor Born, Keith was a regular on UK stages. She trained at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art and began her career in repertory theatre, before joining the Royal Shakespeare Company in the early 1960s. Since then, she has appeared in the West End and at many regional venues, including the likes of Theatre Royal Bath and Chichester Festival Theatre.

Her stage credits include The Chalk Garden, The Rivals, The Importance of Being Earnest, Entertaining Angels, Blithe Spirit, Time and the Conways, Mrs Warren’s Profession, How the Other Half Loves, Relatively Speaking, The Deep Blue Sea, Hay Fever, Hobson’s Choice, The Norman Conquests, The House of Bernarda Alba, The Tempest, Richard III, Julius Caesar, and Henry VI, among many others.

She won an Olivier Award in 1976 in the category of Best Comedy Performance for Donkey’s Years and was honoured with a damehood in 2013.