| Janet Brown | |
|---|---|
| Born | Janet McLuckie Brown 14 December 1923 Rutherglen, Lanarkshire, Scotland |
| Died | 27 May 2011 (aged 87) Hove, East Sussex, England |
| Occupation | Actress, comedian, impressionist |
| Years active | 1946–2009[1] |
| Spouse | Peter Butterworth (1947–1979) (his death) |
| Children | Tyler Butterworth (b.1959) Emma Butterworth (1962-1996) (deceased) |
Janet Brown (14 December 1923 – 27 May 2011)[1] was a Scottish actress, comedian, and impressionist who gained considerable fame in the 1970s and 1980s for her impersonations of Margaret Thatcher.[1]
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Janet McLuckie Brown was born in Rutherglen, Lanarkshire, and educated at Rutherglen Academy.[1]
Early in her performing career, she presented Picture Book on BBC Television in the 1950s. Beginning with Margaret Thatcher's election as the leader of the Conservative Party in 1975, Brown gained increasing prominence because of her realistic impression of the Tory politician. She performed as Thatcher on BBC TV's Mike Yarwood Show, on BBC Radio's The News Huddlines, and on film in the 1981 James Bond film For Your Eyes Only. In 1979, Brown starred as Thatcher on the comedy album Iron Lady: The Coming Of The Leader (see [1] and [2]), written by Private Eye satirist John Wells and produced by Secret Policeman's Ball series co-creator/producer Martin Lewis and Not the Nine O'Clock News series co-creator/producer John Lloyd.[2]
During the 1970s and 1980s, she was occasionally confused by some with fellow actress and comedian Faith Brown because they had the same surname and were both best remembered for their Margaret Thatcher impersonations. In 1990, she recorded a spoken word sequence in her Margaret Thatcher voice for Mike Oldfield's album Amarok.
Still acting in her 80s, Janet Brown's last role was Old Lady Squeamish on the London West End stage in a production of William Wycherley's The Country Wife at the Theatre Royal Haymarket from September 2007.
She entitled her 1986 autobiography "Prime mimicker".[3]
Brown was married to Carry On actor Peter Butterworth from 1947[1] until his death in 1979.[4] They had two children, a son, actor Tyler Butterworth,[4] and a daughter Emma, who died in 1996 aged 34. Janet Brown never remarried and lived the rest of her life in Hove, East Sussex[5] until her death from a short illness while in a nursing home in May 2011.[4] She is buried alongside her husband Peter Butterworth in Danehill Cemetery, in East Sussex.[6]
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