Maggie Jones (actress)

Maggie Jones
Maggie Jones as Blanche Hunt in Coronation Street
Born	Margaret Jones (1934-06-21)21 June 1934 London, England
Died	2 December 2009(2009-12-02) (aged 75) Pendleton, Greater Manchester, England
Other names	Margaret Stansfield
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1955–2009
Spouse(s)	John Stansfield (1971–1999; his death)

Margaret "Maggie" Jones (21 June 1934 – 2 December 2009) was an English actress, best known for playing Blanche Hunt in the British soap opera Coronation Street, a role which she first portrayed in 1974 and played regularly from the late 1990s until shortly before her death. She won the British Soap Award for Best Comedy Performance in 2005 and 2008.

Jones graduated from the drama school RADA and performed in numerous plays including Pride and Prejudice and The Women on the West End stage. Her first television role came in 1961 when she appeared in one episode of Coronation Street as a policewoman.

Jones's first major television role was in BBC's adaptation of The Forsyte Saga. Jones played the maid, Smither, a small but recurring part. Prior to playing Blanche in Coronation Street her best-known role was in Sam with Mark McManus.

Several years after her first Coronation Street role she had another guest role, as a shoplifter. In 1974 she debuted as Blanche Hunt, the mother of Deirdre. The part had originally been played by Patricia Cutts, who committed suicide after appearing in only two episodes. Jones, who had previously auditioned for the role, accepted an offer to take over the part at short notice as storylines had already been written for Blanche.

Jones remained a regular cast member until 1976. She re-appeared in the show briefly when Blanche's grandchild Tracy was born in 1977, when Deirdre's marriage to Ray Langton collapsed in 1978 and when Deirdre married Ken Barlow in 1981.