Peggy Mount

Margaret Rose "Peggy" Mount, OBE (2 May 1915 – 13 November 2001), was an English actress. As a child she found acting an escape from an unhappy home life. After playing in amateur productions, she was taken on by a repertory company and spent nine years in various British towns, learning her craft. In 1955 she got her big break in the comic play Sailor Beware!: she created the leading role in a repertory production and, though unknown to London audiences, was given the part when the play was presented in the West End. She became known for playing domineering middle aged women in plays, films and television shows.

Mount occasionally played in classic comedies, including works by Shakespeare, Jonson, Goldsmith and Sheridan, and she was a member of the Old Vic, National Theatre and Royal Shakespeare companies in the 1960s, '70s and '80s respectively.

Later in her career Mount was cast more frequently in serious parts, including the title role of Bertolt Brecht's Mother Courage on stage, and in several television dramas. She retired after going blind, and spent her last years in the actors' retirement home, Denville Hall, in northwest London.

My older sister was a brilliant pianist and she was always held up as an example to me. I lived entirely in her shadow. My mother told me I was wicked and worthless. Now, when I look back, it is clear that my mother never loved me. She didn't even like me, and I grew up without affection or love from her.

Mount was born in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, the younger child of Alfred John Mount, a grocer's assistant, and his wife, Rose, née Penney. Her childhood was unhappy; her father was an invalid who struggled to support his family, and her mother displayed no sign of affection for their younger daughter. Peggy was educated at Leigh North Street School, Leigh-on-Sea, where she first discovered her talent for acting, playing Rose in Snow White and Rose Red. Her father died when she was fourteen; her schooling came to an end and she began working as a secretary.

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