The family of Dame Penelope Keith have announced that the actress died today (Monday, June 29) at the age of 86 at her home in Surrey after a battle with cancer.
She initially acted on stage as part of the Royal Shakespeare Comany and won an Olivier Award for her performance in Donkeys’ Years in 1976.
Fame followed thanks to her roles in two hugely popular sitcoms, starring as Margo Leadbetter in The Good Life (for which she won a BAFTA) and as Audrey fforbes-Hamilton in To the Manor Born.
Other notable television shows included in The Norman Conquests, for which she won a second BAFTA, Executive Stress, No Job for a Lady and Next of Kin (1995–1997.
She returned to the theatre in the 2000s, receiving critical acclaim for playing Madam Arcati in Blithe Spirit and Lady Bracknell in The Importance of Being Earnest.
Her acting career, and her wide-ranging charity work including succeeding Lord Olivier as president of the Actors's Benevolent Fund, saw her appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2014 New Year Honours.
Here are 15 memorable quotes from the actress over the years.
Make sure you don't miss a moment of breaking news from across Scotland by signing up to our free newsletter here.
13. Penelope Keith on...young people
"Young people don't want to sit at home and watch television; they'd sooner be out doing their own thing." | Getty Images
14. Penelope Keith on...accents
"I'm not against accents - my husband's from Lancashire and has a rural Lancs accent. We've just got back from Scotland yesterday, and I love that Highland burr." | Getty Images
15. Penelope Keith on...communication
"In this great age of communication, there a lot of people you can't actually understand. I know everyone tweets, and twits and texts and all that, but actually we've all got voices, and it is awfully nice to hear them and if you can understand what people are saying." | Getty Images