Pat Coombs
| Pat Coombs | |
|---|---|
Pat Coombs as Marge Green in EastEnders
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| Born |
Patricia Doreen Coombs 27 August 1926 Camberwell, London, England |
| Died | 25 May 2002 (aged 75) Northwood, Greater London, England |
| Cause of death | Emphysema |
| Occupation | Actress |
Patricia Doreen "Pat" Coombs (27 August 1926 – 25 May 2002) was an English actress. She specialised in the portrayal of the eternal downtrodden female, comically under the thumb of stronger personalities. She was known for many roles on radio, film and television sitcoms.
Born in Camberwell, south London, Coombs was one of three children; her father worked in insurance for the Employers' Liability, the forerunner of Commercial Union.
Coombs attended the County School for Girls in Beckenham, Kent. After leaving school she began her working life as a student kindergarten teacher, but soon a keenness to act prompted her to take drama lessons during the Second World War with her friend and neighbour Vivien Merchant. At the age of 19 she won a scholarship to train as an actress at LAMDA, where she subsequently taught dialect.
She first made her name in the post-war era of radio variety as 'Nola', the dim and put-upon daughter of Irene Handl in Arthur Askey's Hello Playmates; their double-act had started as a guest spot on Bob Monkhouse's show. Coombs also gained experience as a comedy stooge in radio shows alongside Ted Ray and Charlie Chester.
An early television break came when she appeared with Tony Hancock in an episode of his series Hancock's Half Hour (1957). She followed this with regular appearances in The Cyril Fletcher Show (1959) and later she became a regular performer in the 1963 series of The Dick Emery Show. She also starred in the sitcoms Barney Is My Darling (1965–66) alongside Irene Handl and Wild, Wild Women (1969) alongside Barbara Windsor.
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