Eileen Derbyshire
| Eileen Derbyshire MBE |
|
|---|---|
| Born |
6 October 1930 Urmston, Lancashire, England |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1948– |
| Spouse(s) | Thomas W. Holt (1965–present, 1 child) |
| Children | Oliver Holt |
| Relatives | 3 grandchildren |
Eileen Derbyshire, MBE (born 6 October 1930) is an English actress, best known for her role as Emily Bishop in the soap opera Coronation Street. She has played the character for 55 years as she joined permanently in 1961, making her the longest-serving female cast member in a British soap opera. She is the mother of sports journalist Oliver Holt. She was awarded an MBE in the 2010 Queens Birthday Honours list with her fellow co-star and friend, Barbara Knox.
Derbyshire was born in Urmston, Lancashire and from the age of 17, was appearing in plays broadcast on the radio. After several small parts on television, she joined the cast of Coronation Street, firstly as an extra in episode 4, broadcast Wednesday 21 December 1960. In episode 15, her character was named as Miss Nugent, then a year later she was given the forename Emily.
Derbyshire took a degree in teaching, trained at the Northern School of Music, and also passed her examination at the Royal Academy of Music. She began teaching speech and drama, but had always wanted to act. While on the bus one day, she passed Chorlton Repertory Theatre, and asked for an audition. She was enrolled as a student, and later became assistant stage manager. From there she joined Century Theatre's mobile touring company, and appeared in theatre all over the country, subsequently appearing in repertory theatre throughout Britain.
She married retired engineer Thomas W. Holt on 1 April 1965, and the following year they had a son, Oliver. The couple have a cottage in Cheshire, and Derbyshire's interests include opera, reading, going to concerts and holidaying in Vienna and Venice.
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