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Dora May Broadbent came from Oldham and her acting career began in pantomime when she was 12. Dora joined the Oldham Rep, changed her name to Dora Bryan and during the war, she joined ENSA in Italy to entertain British troops.
Back in post-war London, Dora began to get small dramatic roles in plays and films as "waitress-barmaid-floozy-goodtime girl" types as well as developing her scatty, comic blonde character. Roles in revue, stage musicals and major films followed including "Carry On Sergeant". Dora married the cricketer Bill Lawton and they purchased a hotel in Brighton, Clarges, which they ran for a number of years and which became quite well-known. In 1961 Dora appeared in the award-winning film "A Taste of Honey", winning the BAFTA for Best Actress.
Throughout her career Dora remained a versatile and popular stage performer, often appearing in musicals such as "Gentleman Prefer Blondes" (1962) and "Hello, Dolly!" (1966-68). She made her Broadway debut as Mrs Pierce in "Pygmalion" (1987) and other notable credits include her first Shakespearean role, Mistress Quickly in "The Merry Wives of Windsor" (1984), Mrs Hardcastle in "She Stoops to Conquer" (1985) and Carlotta Campion (singing "I'm Still Here") in the 1987 London production of "Follies".
In 1999 she made an appearance in "Dinnerladies" and in 2000 she joined the cast of "Last of the Summer Wine". In 2001 she was a guest star on "Absolutely Fabulous". Dora Bryan passed away on 23 July 2014 at the age of 91.
New interviews include: Paul O'Grady, Sons William and Daniel Lawton, Richard Mawbey, Agent Barry Burnett, Russell Davies, Johnny Mans, "Last Of The Summer Wine" director Alan JW Bell and from the archive... Dora Bryan herself.