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{{Short description|British actress (1933–2014)}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2011}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}

{{Infobox person
| name = Patsy Byrne
| image = Portrait_of_Patsy_Byrne.png
| imagesize =
| caption =
| occupation = Actress
| alma_mater = [[Rose Bruford College]]
| birth_name = Patricia Anne Thirza Byrne
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1933|7|13|df=yes}}
| birth_place = [[Bexhill on Sea|Bexhill]], [[Sussex]], England
| death_date = {{death date and age |2014|6|17 |1933|7|13 |df=yes}}
| death_place = [[Denville Hall]], [[Northwood, London]], England
| spouse =
}}

'''Patricia Anne Thirza Byrne''' (13 July 1933 – 17 June 2014) was an English actress, best known for her role as "Nursie" in ''[[Blackadder II]]'' as well as Malcolm's domineering Mother, Mrs Stoneway in all seven series of the ITV comedy ''[[Watching (TV series)|Watching]]''{{hsp}}<ref name="Slide">Slide, Anthony (1996) ''Some Joe You Don't Know: American Biographical Guide to 100 British Television Personalities'', Greenwood Press; {{ISBN|978-0-313-29550-8}}, p. 11</ref> between 1987 and 1993.

==Biography==
Byrne was educated at [[Highworth Grammar School for Girls|Ashford County Grammar School]]. She studied drama at [[Rose Bruford College]] before joining the [[Royal Shakespeare Company]] playing parts such as Maria in ''[[Twelfth Night]]'' and Gruscha in ''[[The Caucasian Chalk Circle]]'' at the [[Aldwych Theatre]] in the early 1960s. In the 1980s she also worked at [[Chichester Festival Theatre]].

Byrne starred alongside [[Tony Robinson]] in a Series 3 episode of ''[[Maid Marian and her Merry Men]]''.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-27958885|title=Blackadder 'Nursie' actress Patsy Byrne dies aged 80|publisher= BBC|accessdate=22 June 2014|work=BBC News|date=2014-06-22}}</ref> She played Betty the Tea Lady on the BBC children's programme ''[[Playdays]]''. She also played Marge Stoneway, mother of Malcolm, in TV series [[Watching (TV series)|''Watching'']] which ran from 1987 to 1993.

Other roles included appearances in ''[[I, Claudius (TV series)|I, Claudius]]'' (1976), ''[[Stealing Heaven]]'' (1988), ''[[Inspector Morse (TV series)|Inspector Morse]]'' (1989), ''[[2point4 Children]]'' (1991), ''[[Les Misérables (1998 movie)|Les Misérables]]'' (1998), ''[[David Copperfield (1999)|David Copperfield]]'' (1999) and ''[[Kevin & Perry Go Large]]'' (2000), as well as numerous radio plays. Byrne performed in the [[The Silver Chair (1990 TV serial)|1990 BBC production of C. S. Lewis' ''The Silver Chair'']] as the giant nanny in the city of the giants. In 1998 she played Martha Coutts in episode 19 of series 7 of ''[[Heartbeat (British TV series)|Heartbeat]]''.

==Death==
Byrne died at [[Denville Hall]], a retirement home for performers, on 17 June 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://announcements.telegraph.co.uk/deaths/178589/byrne|title=BYRNE – Deaths Announcements|date=21 June 2014|website=The Telegraph|accessdate=21 June 2014}}</ref>

==Selected filmography==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
|1957
|[[Sunday Night Theatre|''BBC Sunday Night Theatre'']]
|Susan Barwell
|"The Mayor's Nest"
|-
|1962|| ''[[The Cherry Orchard]]'' || Dunyasha, the maid ||
|-
|1963
|[[Espionage (TV series)|''Espionage'']]
|Maid
|"The Frantic Rebel"
|-
| rowspan="2" |1970
|''[[The Wednesday Play]]''
|Markenka
|"The Cellar and the Almond Tree"
|-
|''[[Z Cars]]: [[List of Z-Cars episodes|"Lost"]]''
|Bessie Laidlaw
|2 episodes
|-
|1971
|''[[Doomwatch]]''
|Mary Franklin
|Episode: "By the Picking of My Thumbs"
|-
| rowspan="2" |1972
|''[[The Alf Garnett Saga]]''
|Mrs. Frewin
|
|-
| ''[[The Ruling Class (film)|The Ruling Class]]''|| Mrs. Pamela Treadwell ||
|-
|1973|| ''Z Cars''|| Mary Walker || Episode: "Nuisance"
|-
|1974
|[[The Gathering Storm (1974 film)|''The Gathering Storm'']]
|Cook
|TV movie
|-
|1976|| ''[[I, Claudius]]''|| Martina || Episode: "Some Justice"
|-
| rowspan="2" |1977
|''[[Eleanor Marx]]''
|Lenchen
|3 episodes (TV mini-series)
|-
|''[[Just William (1977 TV series)|Just William]]''
|Mrs. Coombe
|Episode: "The Great Detective"
|-
| rowspan="4" |1978
|''[[All Creatures Great and Small (1978 TV series)|All Creatures Great and Small]]''
|Mrs. Hammond
|Episode: "A Dog's Life"
|-
| ''[[The Class of Miss MacMichael]]''|| Mrs. Green ||
|-
|''[[The Devil's Crown]]''
|Florence
|3 episodes (TV mini-series)
|-
|''[[Hazell (TV series)|Hazell]]''
|Mrs. Dobson
|Episode: "Hazell Settles the Accounts"
|-
|1979
|[[My Son, My Son (TV series)|''My Son, My Son'']]
|Mrs. O'Riordan
|1 episode
|-
|1979–1980
|''[[The Old Curiosity Shop (TV series)|The Old Curiosity Shop]]''
|Mrs. Nubbles
|4 episodes (TV mini-series)
|-
|1980
|''A Little Silver Trumpet''
|Mrs. Cleaver
|5 episodes
|-
|1980–1984
|''The Setbacks''
|Lily Setback
|17 episodes
|-
| rowspan="4" |1982
|''[[Britannia Hospital]]''
|Nurse
|
|-
|[[Marmalade Atkins|''Educating Marmalade'']]
|MP's Nanny
|Episode: "Nanny"
|-
| ''[[The Return of the Soldier (film)|The Return of the Soldier]]'' || Mrs. Plummer ||
|-
| ''[[Tales of the Unexpected (TV series)|Tales of the Unexpected]]'' || Jean ||"The Absence of Emily"
|-
|1983–1984
|''[[Miracles Take Longer]]''
|Betty Hackforth
|36 episodes
|-
|1984
|[[Danger: Marmalade At Work|''Danger, Marmalade at Work'']]
|Miss Peach
|Episode: "Social Worker"
|-
|1985
|''[[Bleak House (1985 TV serial)|Bleak House]]''
|Mrs. Blinder
|1 episode (TV mini-series)
|-
| rowspan="3" |1986
|''[[Blackadder II]]''
|Nursie
|6 episodes
|-
| ''[[Mr. Love]]'' || Mrs. Lunt ||
|-
| ''[[Screen Two]]'' || Mrs. Dempster || "Hotel du Lac"
|-
|1987
|''[[A Dorothy L. Sayers Mystery]]: "[[Strong Poison]]"''
|Mrs. Pettican
|2 episodes (TV mini-series)
|-
|1987–1993|| ''[[Watching (TV series)|Watching]]'' || Mrs. Stoneway ||50 episodes
|-
| rowspan="4" |1988
|''[[A Taste for Death (James novel)|A Taste for Death]]''
|Millicent Gentle
|2 episodes (TV mini-series)
|-
| ''[[Hanna's War]]'' || Rosie ||
|-
| ''[[Stealing Heaven]]'' || Agnes ||
|-
| ''[[Blackadder's Christmas Carol]]'' || Nursie, Bernard || TV special
|-
|1988–1997
|''[[Playdays]]''
|Betty the Tealady
|Series regular
|-
|1989|| ''[[Inspector Morse (TV series)|Inspector Morse]]'' || Mrs. Maltby || Episode: "[[List of Inspector Morse episodes#Series 3 (1989)|The Ghost in the Machine]]"
|-
|1990
|''[[The Silver Chair (1990 TV serial)|The Silver Chair]]''
|Giant Nanny
|2 episodes (TV mini-series)
|-
| rowspan="4" |1992
|''[[2point4 Children]]''
|Peggy
|Episode: "Thank You Lucky Stars"
|-
|''[[In Sickness and in Health]]''
|Mrs. Jones
|1 episode
|-
| ''Emily's Ghost''|| Mrs. Crabtree ||
|-
|''[[Screen One]]''
|Sarah Stone
|"Adam's Bede"
|-
| rowspan="2" |1993|| ''[[The Higher Mortals]]''|| Matron ||
|-
|''[[Maid Marian and Her Merry Men]]''
|Marian's Mum
|Episode: "Keeping Mum"
|-
| rowspan="2" |1994
|[[Hard Times (1994 mini-series)|''Hard Times'']]
|Old Woman
|1 episode (TV mini-series)
|-
|''[[The Inspector Alleyn Mysteries]]''
|Mrs. Mitchell
|Episode: "Hand in Glove"
|-
|1995
|''[[Casualty (TV series)|Casualty]]''
|Grace Kent
|Episode: "Halfway House"
|-
|1996|| ''[[The Treasure Seekers (1996 film)|The Treasure Seekers]]'' || Mrs. Nesbit ||TV movie
|-
| rowspan="2" |1997
|''[[Bramwell (TV series)|Bramwell]]''
|Mrs. Mills
|1 episode
|-
|''[[Peak Practice]]''
|Mrs. Burns
|Episode: "Lost Feelings"
|-
| rowspan="3" |1998
|''[[Heartbeat (British TV series)|Heartbeat]]''
|Martha Coutts
|Episode: "Appearances"
|-
| ''[[Les Misérables (1998 film)|Les Misérables]]'' || Toussaint ||
|-
|''[[The Ruth Rendell Mysteries]]''
|Daisy Panick
|Episode: "Road Rage – Part Two"
|-
| rowspan="2" |1999|| ''[[Blackadder: Back & Forth]]''<ref>{{cite news |title=Blackadder Back & Forth (1999) |newspaper=Bfi |url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b82f148e4 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180107185525/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b82f148e4 |url-status=dead |archive-date=7 January 2018 |publisher=British Film Institute |access-date=5 December 2020}}</ref> || Nursie ||
|-
|''[[David Copperfield (1999 film)|David Copperfield]]''
|Mrs. Gummidge
|2 episodes (TV mini-series)
|-
|2000|| ''[[Kevin & Perry Go Large]]'' || Old lady ||
|-
|2006
|''[[Holby City]]''
|Esme Taylor
|Episode: "Into Your Own Hands"
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{IMDb name|id=0126268|name=Patsy Byrne}}
*[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/patsy-byrne-nursie-in-blackadder-ii-who-originally-made-her-name--on-the-stage-acclaimed-by-such-critics-as-kenneth-tynan-9557861.html Obituary], independent.co.uk; accessed 25 June 2014.

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Byrne, Patsy}}
[[Category:1933 births]]
[[Category:2014 deaths]]
[[Category:English television actresses]]
[[Category:English film actresses]]
[[Category:People from Bexhill-on-Sea]]
[[Category:Royal Shakespeare Company members]]
[[Category:Alumni of Rose Bruford College]]
[[Category:Actresses from East Sussex]]
[[Category:Actors from Rother District]]

Patsy Byrne - Revision history

imported>ZeroAlpha87: Formatting, capitalisation and punctuation fixes.