Elizabeth Dawn
Encyclopedia
Elizabeth 'Liz' Dawn MBE (born Sylvia Butterfield on 8 November 1939 in Leeds
, England), is an English
actress, best known for her role as Vera Duckworth
in the long-running British soap opera
, Coronation Street
. First starting on the serial in 1974, she had more of a recurring role as a factory worker until her husband, Jack
, (played by William Tarmey
) first appeared in 1979 and later for a more concrete role in 1983.
Dawn started her show business career as a nightclub singer. By the late 1960s Dawn had ventured into acting, often taking small
parts in television programmes as well as advertisements. During the 1970s, she appeared in a variety of programmes including All Creatures Great and Small and Colin Welland
's play Leeds United.
She was also one of the alien voices in the Cadbury's Smash advertisements in the 1970s.
In January 1990, Dawn was featured on This is Your Life
.
Dawn published her autobiography Vera Duckworth – My Story in 1993.
In 2000, Dawn was chosen as the Lady Mayoress of Leeds and was awarded an MBE
in October of that year for her services to charity, having helped raise hundreds of thousands of pounds for hospitals in the Manchester
and Leeds
area.
In mid-2004, Dawn was diagnosed with the incurable lung
disease emphysema
. On 22 July 2007, Granada Television
(makers of Coronation Street) announced that Dawn was to be written out - at her own request - before Christmas, because of further complications with emphysema.
Her final appearance came in the episode screened on 18 January 2008, when Vera Duckworth died in her sleep, thus ending 34 years of the popular, iconic character. Bill Tarmey, who played on screen husband Jack Duckworth
, continued to be a part of the cast of Coronation Street. Dawn stated that the hardest thing about leaving Corrie was saying good-bye to Tarmey, with whom she is best friends. On 8 November 2010 she made a brief one-off return to the soap for the final scenes of her on-screen husband, Jack, who died in the same chair as Vera. Dawn appeared as Vera's spirit, who had come to take Jack on his final journey and the pair enjoyed one final dance together.
Dawn won the Special Achievement Award at the 2008 British Soap Awards
for her 34-year long portrayal of her iconic character.
Dawn is a supporter and an activist for the British Labour Party
and has been seen on campaign trails during elections. Liz is a practising Roman Catholic and was selected to meet Pope John Paul II
during his visit to the UK in 1982.
In May 2009, Dawn agreed to become the "Celebrity Ambassador" of the British Lung Foundation - the only UK charity working on behalf of all people affected by lung disease. She is currently working to raise awareness of COPD - an umbrella term for a list of diseases including chronic bronchitis and emphysema, of which Liz is a sufferer herself. In June 2009 she spearheaded the campaign "Breathe Easy Week", where members of the Breathe Easy network (patient groups associated with the British Lung Foundation) raise awareness of the work of the BLF.
On 12 October 2010, Dawn appeared in a wheelchair
at the naming ceremony of the new Cunard
cruise ship
, MS Queen Elizabeth
in Southampton
. She appeared at the 2011 British Soap Awards giving the Lifetime Achievement Award former to co-star, Bill Tarmey.
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, England), is an English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
actress, best known for her role as Vera Duckworth
Vera Duckworth
Veronica "Vera" Duckworth , played by Elizabeth Dawn, is a fictional character on the British soap opera Coronation Street, first appearing in August 1974 and last appearing in episode 6,734 on 18 January 2008, where the character peacefully died in her sleep at the age of 70 from heart failure...
in the long-running British soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
, Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
. First starting on the serial in 1974, she had more of a recurring role as a factory worker until her husband, Jack
Jack Duckworth
John Harold "Jack" Duckworth is a long-standing fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, a long-running serial drama about working class life in the fictional town of Weatherfield. He is played by actor William Tarmey. The character debuted onscreen during the episode...
, (played by William Tarmey
William Tarmey
Bill Tarmey is an English actor, singer and author, best known for playing Jack Duckworth on the soap opera Coronation Street. First appearing in the role in 1979, he played it continuously from 1983 to 2010.-Life and career:Tarmey was born in Ardwick, Manchester...
) first appeared in 1979 and later for a more concrete role in 1983.
Dawn started her show business career as a nightclub singer. By the late 1960s Dawn had ventured into acting, often taking small
parts in television programmes as well as advertisements. During the 1970s, she appeared in a variety of programmes including All Creatures Great and Small and Colin Welland
Colin Welland
Colin Welland is a British actor and screenwriter. He won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for his script for Chariots of Fire ,,,....
's play Leeds United.
She was also one of the alien voices in the Cadbury's Smash advertisements in the 1970s.
In January 1990, Dawn was featured on This is Your Life
This Is Your Life
This Is Your Life is an American television documentary series broadcast on NBC, originally hosted by its producer, Ralph Edwards from 1952 to 1961. In the show, the host surprises a guest, and proceeds to take them through their life in front of an audience including friends and family.Edwards...
.
Dawn published her autobiography Vera Duckworth – My Story in 1993.
In 2000, Dawn was chosen as the Lady Mayoress of Leeds and was awarded an MBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in October of that year for her services to charity, having helped raise hundreds of thousands of pounds for hospitals in the Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
and Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
area.
In mid-2004, Dawn was diagnosed with the incurable lung
Lung
The lung is the essential respiration organ in many air-breathing animals, including most tetrapods, a few fish and a few snails. In mammals and the more complex life forms, the two lungs are located near the backbone on either side of the heart...
disease emphysema
Emphysema
Emphysema is a long-term, progressive disease of the lungs that primarily causes shortness of breath. In people with emphysema, the tissues necessary to support the physical shape and function of the lungs are destroyed. It is included in a group of diseases called chronic obstructive pulmonary...
. On 22 July 2007, Granada Television
Granada Television
Granada Television is the ITV contractor for North West England. Based in Manchester since its inception, it is the only surviving original ITA franchisee from 1954 and is ITV's most successful....
(makers of Coronation Street) announced that Dawn was to be written out - at her own request - before Christmas, because of further complications with emphysema.
Her final appearance came in the episode screened on 18 January 2008, when Vera Duckworth died in her sleep, thus ending 34 years of the popular, iconic character. Bill Tarmey, who played on screen husband Jack Duckworth
Jack Duckworth
John Harold "Jack" Duckworth is a long-standing fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, a long-running serial drama about working class life in the fictional town of Weatherfield. He is played by actor William Tarmey. The character debuted onscreen during the episode...
, continued to be a part of the cast of Coronation Street. Dawn stated that the hardest thing about leaving Corrie was saying good-bye to Tarmey, with whom she is best friends. On 8 November 2010 she made a brief one-off return to the soap for the final scenes of her on-screen husband, Jack, who died in the same chair as Vera. Dawn appeared as Vera's spirit, who had come to take Jack on his final journey and the pair enjoyed one final dance together.
Dawn won the Special Achievement Award at the 2008 British Soap Awards
British Soap Awards
The British Soap Awards is an annual awards ceremony to honour the best of British soap operas.The first event took place in 1999 and takes place in May each year. Although it is an ITV production, the events were held at the BBC Television Centre, in London until 2010. The 2011 awards relocated to...
for her 34-year long portrayal of her iconic character.
Dawn is a supporter and an activist for the British Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
and has been seen on campaign trails during elections. Liz is a practising Roman Catholic and was selected to meet Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
during his visit to the UK in 1982.
In May 2009, Dawn agreed to become the "Celebrity Ambassador" of the British Lung Foundation - the only UK charity working on behalf of all people affected by lung disease. She is currently working to raise awareness of COPD - an umbrella term for a list of diseases including chronic bronchitis and emphysema, of which Liz is a sufferer herself. In June 2009 she spearheaded the campaign "Breathe Easy Week", where members of the Breathe Easy network (patient groups associated with the British Lung Foundation) raise awareness of the work of the BLF.
On 12 October 2010, Dawn appeared in a wheelchair
Wheelchair
A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, designed to be a replacement for walking. The device comes in variations where it is propelled by motors or by the seated occupant turning the rear wheels by hand. Often there are handles behind the seat for someone else to do the pushing...
at the naming ceremony of the new Cunard
Cunard Line
Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century...
cruise ship
Cruise ship
A cruise ship or cruise liner is a passenger ship used for pleasure voyages, where the voyage itself and the ship's amenities are part of the experience, as well as the different destinations along the way...
, MS Queen Elizabeth
MS Queen Elizabeth
MS Queen Elizabeth is a Signature class cruise ship operated by Cunard Line. She is the second largest ship to be built by Cunard, exceeded only by the QM2 and she is running mate to the Queen Victoria, and the Queen Mary 2...
in Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
. She appeared at the 2011 British Soap Awards giving the Lifetime Achievement Award former to co-star, Bill Tarmey.
External links
- Elizabeth Dawn at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- Profile of Elizabeth Dawn at corrie.net
- Profile at Mirror.co.uk
- Vera Duckworth: My Story at amazon.co.uk