Betty Marsden was a British comedy actress, renowned for her multifaceted performances in various radio shows on BBC, particularly the Kenneth Horne series in the 1960s.
Born on February 24, 1919, in Liverpool, Marsden began her acting career at a young age, making her stage debut at Bath Pavilion as the First Fairy in A Midsummer Night's Dream at the tender age of 11. She later made her London debut as the Prince in The Windmill Man (Victoria Palace),a fairy play with music, later that year.
Marsden received a scholarship to attend the Italia Conti Stage School for six years, after which she started her West End career with the production of Closing at Sunrise (Royalty, 1935). Her other notable pre-war performances include Autumn (1937),Comedienne (1938),and Johnson Over Jordan (1939).
During World War II, Marsden entertained the troops with ENSA and continued to perform in the war-torn West End in the American comedy, Junior Miss (1943). Her notable post-war performances include Dr Angelus (1947) and Don't Listen, Ladies! (1948).
In the 1950s, Marsden spent 12 years in intimate revue, starting at the tiny Irving Theatre Club in London and later performing at the Royal Court in Airs on a Shoestring (1953-55) and From Here and There.
In the 1960s, Marsden reached the peak of her career, starring in BBC radio's Round the Horne alongside Kenneth Williams. She delighted millions of listeners with her radio characters, including Daphne Whitethigh, the cookery expert, and her regular double-act with Hugh Paddick.
Marsden's most famous film role is undoubtedly the character of Harriet Potter in Carry on Camping (1969),alongside Terry Scott and Charles Hawtrey. She also appeared in character roles on French and Saunders (1987) and Casualty (1986).
In her later years, Marsden suffered from heart problems and pneumonia before passing away on July 15, 1998, at the age of 79, exactly as she had wished, with a glass of gin in her hand.
