Dame Penelope Keith: key obituary facts
Is Dame Penelope Keith dead? Yes. Dame Penelope Keith died on June 29, 2026, at age 86.
Cause of death: Dame Penelope Keith's cause of death was reported as Cancer.
What was Dame Penelope Keith known for?
She was an English actress (1940–2026).
More about Dame Penelope Keith
Born: 2 April 1940.
Place of birth: Sutton.
Gender: female.
Occupation: actor, film actor, stage actor, film director.
Nationality: United Kingdom.
Education: Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art.
Awards: Laurence Olivier Awards, Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire, Commander of the Order of the British Empire, Officer of the Order of the British Empire.
Career began: 1959.
Also known as: Penelope Anne Constance Keith, Penelope Hatfield, Penelope Anne Constance Hatfield, Dame Penelope Anne Constance Keith.
Occupations: Actress and presenter.
Years active: 1959–2026.
Dame Penelope Keith, the English actress best known for The Good Life and To the Manor Born, died on June 29, 2026, at the age of 86; her death was announced as the result of cancer.
Born Penelope Anne Constance Hatfield in Sutton on April 2, 1940, she trained at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art and began her career in 1959. She joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1963 and later won an Olivier Award for Best Comedy Performance for Donkeys’ Years in 1976.
Keith became a familiar figure on British television as Margo Leadbetter in The Good Life and as Audrey fforbes-Hamilton in To the Manor Born, before continuing with series including Executive Stress. Her honours included appointment as a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire.