Dora May Bryan OBE (born 7 February 1923) is an English actress of stage, film and television. Born Dora May Broadbent, her career began in pantomime as a child actor. In World War II she joined the ENSA in Italy to entertain British troops. After having established herself as a versatile stage actress, covering everything from drama and comedy to musicals, she started to appear in film in the late 1940s, and in 1968 she even had her own TV series, "According to Dora". At one point in her career she was Britain's highest-paid star. She was active on stage until the mid 1990s and continued to work in film and television until 2005, when she finally had to give up the acting profession as she could no longer remember her lines. Her autobiography According To Dora was published in 1987. In 1996, she was awarded an OBE in recognition of her services to acting and the same year she was also awarded the Laurence Olivier Award for her role in the West End production of the Harold Pinter play "The Birthday Party". She was married to British cricket player Bill Lawton from 1954 to his death in 2008. In 2013 she was still alive, but very frail, living in a nursing home in Hove, outside Brighton. Text above based on the Wikipedia article Dora Bryan, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia
Series | According To Dora | 2025 | |
Movie | MirrorMask | Aunt Nan | 2005-01-25 |
Series | Doctors | Lily Anderson | 2000-03-27 |
Movie | Absolutely Fabulous: The Last Shout | Millie | 1996-11-06 |
Movie | Bed | Bosom Lady | 1995-10-20 |
Series | Absolutely Fabulous | Unknown | 1992-11-12 |
Series | Heartbeat | Unknown | 1992-04-10 |
Series | Virtual Murder | Unknown | 1992-07-24 |
Series | On the Up | 1990-09-04 | |
Movie | Apartment Zero | Margaret McKinney | 1989-09-02 |
Series | Casualty | Hester Blewett | 1986-09-06 |
Movie | Screamtime | Emma | 1983-01-01 |
Series | An Audience with... | Herself | 1978-01-08 |
Series | Last of the Summer Wine | Roz | 1973-01-04 |
Movie | Up the Front | Cora Crumpington | 1972-01-01 |
Movie | Hands of the Ripper | Mrs. Golding | 1971-10-17 |
Series | Before The Fringe | 1967-01-30 | |
Movie | Two A Penny | Ruby Hopkins | 1967-12-31 |
Movie | The Sandwich Man | Mrs. De Vere | 1966-07-01 |
Movie | The Great St. Trinian's Train Robbery | Amber Spottiswood | 1966-03-11 |
Movie | A Taste of Honey | Helen | 1961-10-01 |
Movie | Follow That Horse! | 1960-07-11 | |
Movie | Alice Through the Looking Box | 1960-12-25 | |
Movie | Hello London | herself | 1960-11-05 |
Movie | The Night We Got the Bird | Julie Skidmore | 1960-11-03 |
Movie | Operation Bullshine | Pvt. Cox | 1959-06-30 |
Movie | Desert Mice | Gay Bennett | 1959-01-05 |
Movie | Carry On Sergeant | Norah | 1958-08-15 |
Movie | The Man Who Wouldn't Talk | Telephonist | 1958-01-21 |
Movie | Small Hotel | (uncredited) | 1957-10-14 |
Movie | The Green Man | Lily | 1956-12-21 |
Movie | Child in the House | Cassie | 1956-08-14 |
Series | The Sooty Show | Herself | 1955-01-16 |
Movie | You Lucky People | Hortense Tipp | 1955-01-01 |
Movie | The Cockleshell Heroes | Myrtie | 1955-11-16 |
Movie | As Long as They're Happy | May | 1955-03-15 |
Series | This Is Your Life | Unknown | 1955-07-29 |
Movie | Fast and Loose | Mary Rawlings, the maid | 1954-02-12 |
Movie | The Young Lovers | Switchboard Operator (uncredited) | 1954-08-24 |
Movie | You Know What Sailors Are | 1954-02-09 | |
Movie | Mad About Men | Berengaria | 1954-11-16 |
Movie | Harmony Lane | Comedian | 1954-11-20 |
Movie | The Crowded Day | Marge | 1954-10-01 |
Movie | Women of Twilight | Olga | 1953-01-16 |
Movie | Street Corner | Prostitute | 1953-03-17 |
Movie | The Fake | Barmaid | 1953-09-25 |
Movie | The Intruder | Dora Bee | 1953-10-18 |
Movie | 13 East Street | Valerie | 1952-03-01 |
Movie | Gift Horse | Glad Flanagan | 1952-06-01 |
Movie | Whispering Smith Vs. Scotland Yard | Miss La Fosse | 1952-01-01 |
Movie | The Ringer | Mrs. Hackett | 1952-11-24 |
Movie | Time, Gentlemen, Please! | Peggy Stebbins | 1952-07-01 |
Movie | Miss Robin Hood | Pearl | 1952-11-12 |
Movie | Mother Riley Meets the Vampire | Tilly | 1952-07-11 |
Movie | The Quiet Woman | Elsie Tripp | 1951-03-01 |
Movie | Circle of Danger | Bubbles Fitzgerald | 1951-04-17 |
Movie | No Highway | 1951-06-28 | |
Movie | Lady Godiva Rides Again | Movie Publicist | 1951-10-25 |
Movie | Scarlet Thread | Maggie | 1951-05-01 |
Movie | High Treason | Mrs. Bowers | 1951-11-13 |
Movie | The Blue Lamp | Maisie | 1950-01-19 |
Movie | No Trace | Maisie | 1950-09-08 |
Movie | Something in the City | Waitress | 1950-09-01 |
Movie | Traveller's Joy | Eva | 1950-12-25 |
Movie | Once Upon a Dream | Barmaid | 1949-02-01 |
Movie | The Perfect Woman | Model in Shop | 1949-05-23 |
Movie | Now Barabbas | Winnie | 1949-05-24 |
Movie | Adam and Evelyne | Blonde Sales Assistant (uncredited) | 1949-05-31 |
Movie | The Interrupted Journey | the waitress | 1949-10-11 |
Movie | No Room at the Inn | The Girl | 1948-11-22 |
Movie | The Fallen Idol | Rose | 1948-09-30 |
Movie | Odd Man Out | Girl in Telephone Kiosk (uncredited) | 1947-01-30 |