Editing Penelope Keith

{{Short description|British actress (born 1940)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2012}}
{{Infobox person
| image        = Penelope Keith (34688820200) (cropped).jpg
| caption      = Keith in 2017
| imagesize    =
| honorific_prefix = [[Dame]]
| name         = Penelope Keith
| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|DBE|DL|commas=on}}
| birth_name   = Penelope Anne Constance Hatfield
| birth_date   = {{Birth date and age|1940|4|2|df=yes}}
| birth_place  = [[Sutton, London|Sutton]], [[Surrey]], England
| death_date   =
| death_place  =
| occupation   = Actress and presenter
| spouse       = {{marriage|Rodney Timson|1978}}
| children     = 2
| years_active = 1959–present
}}

'''Dame Penelope Anne Constance Keith''' (''née'' '''Hatfield'''; born 2 April 1940) is an English actress and presenter, active in film, radio, stage and television and primarily known for her roles in the [[British sitcoms]] ''[[The Good Life (1975 TV series)|The Good Life]]'' and ''[[To the Manor Born]]''. She succeeded [[Laurence Olivier|Lord Olivier]] as president of the Actors' Benevolent Fund after his death in 1989, and was appointed [[Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire]] (DBE) in the [[2014 New Year Honours]] for services to the arts and to charity.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=60728 |supp=y|page=7|date=31 December 2013}}</ref>

Keith joined the [[Royal Shakespeare Company]] in 1963, and went on to win the 1976 [[Laurence Olivier Award for Best Comedy Performance|Olivier Award for Best Comedy Performance]] for the play ''[[Donkeys' Years]]''. She became a household name in the UK playing [[Margo Leadbetter]] in the sitcom ''The Good Life'' (1975–78), winning the 1977 [[British Academy Television Award for Best Entertainment Performance|BAFTA TV Award for Best Light Entertainment Performance]].

In 1978 Keith won the [[British Academy Television Award for Best Actress|BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress]] for ''[[The Norman Conquests]]''. She then starred as Audrey fforbes-Hamilton in the sitcom ''To the Manor Born'' (1979–81), a show that received audiences of more than 20 million. She went on to star in another six sitcoms, including ''[[Executive Stress]]'' (1986–88), ''[[No Job for a Lady]]'' (1990–92) and ''[[Next of Kin (TV series)|Next of Kin]]'' (1995–97). Since 2000, she has worked mainly in the theatre, with her roles including Madam Arcati in ''[[Blithe Spirit (play)|Blithe Spirit]]'' (2004) and Lady Bracknell in ''[[The Importance of Being Earnest]]'' (2007).

==Early life==
Penelope Anne Constance Hatfield was born in [[Sutton, London|Sutton]], [[Surrey]] in 1940.<ref name="BBC News">{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6216985.stm|title=The Good Life of Penelope Keith|work=BBC News|date=29 December 2006}}</ref> Her father, an army officer who was a Major by the end of the [[World War II|Second World War]], left her mother, Connie, when Keith was a baby, and she spent her early years in [[Clacton-on-Sea]], [[Essex]] and [[Clapham]], south London. Her great uncle, John Gurney Nutting, was a partner in the [[coachbuilder|coachbuilding]] firm of [[J Gurney Nutting & Co Limited]], and Keith recalls sitting in the [[Charles III|Prince of Wales]]'s car.<ref name=BBC4FastLady>[[BBC Four]]&nbsp;– [http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00hq4fd Penelope Keith and the Fast Lady], 19 February 2009</ref>

Although not a Roman Catholic, at the age of six she was sent to a Catholic [[convent]] [[boarding school]] run by French nuns in [[Seaford, East Sussex|Seaford]], [[East Sussex]], with [[Judy Cornwell]].<ref name="lady.co.uk n107">{{cite web | title=Keith's Good Life | website=lady.co.uk | url=https://lady.co.uk/keith%E2%80%99s-good-life | access-date=26 April 2024}}</ref><ref name="Cartmill 2022 k254">{{cite web | last=Cartmill | first=Claire | title=Why not find out who the real Dame Penelope Keith is in this documentary? | website=Belfast News Letter | date=6 October 2022 | url=https://www.newsletter.co.uk/arts-and-culture/film-and-tv/unearthing-the-real-penelope-keith-3868211 | access-date=26 April 2024}}</ref> Here she became interested in acting,<ref name="BBC News"/> and she frequently went to matinées in the West End with her mother. When she was eight years old, her mother remarried and she adopted her stepfather's surname, Keith. Whilst she did not get on with her stepfather, her mother was a "rock of love" to her. She was rejected by the [[Central School of Speech and Drama]] on the grounds that at {{convert|5|ft|10|in|m|abbr=on}} she was too tall. However, she was then accepted at the [[Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art]] and spent two years there while working at the [[Hyde Park Hotel]] in the evenings.<ref>{{Cite book|title=A Celebration of The Good Life|publisher=Orion Books|year=2000}}</ref>

Keith began her career working in [[Repertory|repertory theatre]] around Britain, including [[Lincoln, England|Lincoln]], [[Manchester]], and [[Salisbury]]. Keith's earliest appearances were in ''[[The Tunnel of Love]]'', ''[[Gigi (musical)|Gigi]]'', and ''[[Flowering Cherry]]''. In 1963, she joined the [[Royal Shakespeare Company]] and acted with them in [[Stratford-upon-Avon|Stratford]] and at the [[Aldwych Theatre]] in London.<ref name="Shakespeare Birthplace Trust o822">{{cite web | title=RSC Performances | website=Shakespeare Birthplace Trust | url=https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/rsc-performances/search/rsc_person:keith-penelope | access-date=26 April 2024}}</ref>

==Career==
===Early career===
Keith began her television career in programmes such as ''[[The Army Game]]'', ''[[Dixon of Dock Green]]'', ''[[Wild, Wild Women]]'' and ''[[The Avengers (TV series)|The Avengers]]''.<ref name="Express26Oct07"/> In the early 1970s, she appeared in ''[[Morecambe and Wise|The Morecambe & Wise Show]]'', ''[[Ghost Story (1974 film)|Ghost Story]]'' and ''[[The Pallisers]]''. Her film appearances during this time included ''[[Every Home Should Have One]]'', ''[[Take a Girl Like You (film)|Take A Girl Like You]]'', ''[[Rentadick]]'' and ''[[Penny Gold]]''. In 1967, she had a minor role in ''[[Carry On Doctor]]'', but the scene was cut from the final edit.<ref name="Express26Oct07"/><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.carryonline.com/carryonline/reframe.html?http://www.carryonline.com/carryonline/carryondoctor.html|title=Carry On Doctor |website=carryonline.com|access-date=26 May 2019}}</ref> She appeared as a nurse in [[A Touch of Love (1969 film)|''A Touch of Love'']] 1969.

Her best known theatre appearance, in 1974, was playing Sarah in ''[[The Norman Conquests]]'', alongside [[Felicity Kendal]], her co-star in ''The Good Life''. Keith and Kendal would often film ''The Good Life'' during the day and perform on stage in the West End in the evening.{{Citation needed|date=April 2024}}

In 1977 Keith starred in [[Brian Sibley]]'s comedy radio broadcast titled ''...And Yet Another Partridge in a Pear Tree'',<ref>{{Cite web|last=Sibley|first=Brian|date=January 2008|url=https://briansibleytheworks.blogspot.com/2008/01/blog-post.html|title=''...And Yet Another Partridge in a Pear Tree'' (text)|publisher=[[Blogger (service)|Blogger]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Sibley|first=Brian|date=December 9, 2013|url=https://soundcloud.com/brian-sibley/and-yet-another-partridge-in-a|title=''...And Yet Another Partridge in a Pear Tree'' (audio)|publisher=[[SoundCloud]]}}</ref> voicing a woman named Cynthia Bracegirdle whose boyfriend, Algernon Fotherington-Smythe, sends her the 364 gifts mentioned in ''[[The Twelve Days of Christmas (song)|The Twelve Days of Christmas]]''.

===Television fame===
Keith achieved popular fame in 1975 when the [[BBC]] [[British sitcom|sitcom]] ''[[The Good Life (1975 TV series)|The Good Life]]'' began. In the first episode, she was only heard and not seen in her role as Margo Leadbetter, but as the episodes and series went on, the scope of her role increased. In 1977, Keith won a [[British Academy Television Awards|BAFTA]] award for "Best Light Entertainment Performance" for her role of Margo Leadbetter.<ref name="BAFTA Awards w649">{{cite web | title=Television in 1977 | website=BAFTA Awards | url=https://awards.bafta.org/award/1977/television | access-date=26 April 2024}}</ref>

From 1979 to 1981, she played the lead role of Audrey fforbes-Hamilton in the TV series ''[[To the Manor Born]]''. Following ''To the Manor Born'', Keith has appeared in the lead role in six other sitcoms: ''[[Sweet Sixteen (TV series)|Sweet Sixteen]]'', ''[[Moving (British TV series)|Moving]]'', ''[[Executive Stress]]'', ''[[No Job for a Lady]]'', ''[[Law and Disorder (TV series)|Law and Disorder]]'' and ''[[Next of Kin (TV series)|Next of Kin]]''. She also had the starring role in a TV adaptation of [[Agatha Christie]]'s play ''[[Spider's Web (play)#Publication and further adaptations|Spider's Web]]''. She won a second BAFTA award as "[[British Academy Television Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]" in 1978 for ''The Norman Conquests''.<ref name="BAFTA Awards e097">{{cite web | title=Television in 1978 | website=BAFTA Awards | url=https://awards.bafta.org/award/1978/television | access-date=26 April 2024}}</ref>

In 1982 Keith starred in a TV production of Frederick Lonsdale's ''On Approval''. In 1988, she hosted one series of the [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] panel show ''[[What's My Line? (British game show)|What's My Line?]]'', following the death of its former presenter, [[Eamonn Andrews]]. She had a featured role in the 1998 ITV serial ''[[Coming Home (TV serial)|Coming Home]]''.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}

===Work===
Keith has regularly appeared on stage, taking the classics and new plays across the UK. These include Shakespeare, Shaw, Sheridan, Wilde, Rattigan and Congreve. She played Lorraine in [[Noël Coward]]'s ''Star Quality'', while in 2004 she played Madame Arcati in Coward's ''[[Blithe Spirit (play)|Blithe Spirit]]'' at the [[Savoy Theatre]]. In 2004, Keith starred in the first of ten full-cast BBC radio dramatisations of [[Marion Chesney|M.C. Beaton]]'s ''[[Agatha Raisin]]'' novels, playing the title role. Two years later, she appeared at the [[Chichester Festival Theatre|Chichester Festival]] in the premiere of [[Richard Everett]]'s comedy ''Entertaining Angels'', which she later took on tour.<ref name="Gardner 2006 w990">{{cite web | last=Gardner | first=Lyn | title=Entertaining Angels, Chichester Festival Theatre | website=The Guardian | date=11 May 2006 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2006/may/11/theatre | access-date=26 April 2024}}</ref>

In 2007 she played the part of Lady Bracknell in ''[[The Importance of Being Earnest]]'' on tour, which transferred to the West End in 2008, at the [[Vaudeville Theatre]].<ref name="Billington 2008 x603">{{cite web | last=Billington | first=Michael | title=Theatre review: The Importance of Being Earnest / Vaudeville Theatre, London | website=The Guardian | date=1 February 2008 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2008/feb/01/theatre | access-date=26 April 2024}}</ref> She has voiced adverts including ones for [[Pimm's]], [[Lurpak]], [[Tesco]] and most famously, [[Parker Pen Company|The Parker Pen Company]], which was named one of the 100 Greatest Adverts in a [[Channel 4]] programme. In 2012, she starred in Keith Waterstone's ''Good Grief'',<ref name="Live 2012 u734">{{cite web | last=Live | first=Surrey | title=Penelope Keith talks about Good Grief | website=Surrey Live | date=31 October 2012 | url=https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/whats-on/theatre/penelope-keith-talks-good-grief-4808839 | access-date=26 April 2024}}</ref> having previously appeared in the play's premier production in 1998.<ref name="Cooper 2012 a016">{{cite web | last=Cooper | first=Neil | title=Good Grief, King's Theatre, Edinburgh | website=The Herald | date=4 October 2012 | url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/life_style/arts_ents/13075525.good-grief-kings-theatre-edinburgh/ | access-date=26 April 2024}}</ref>

In 1997 she starred in the radio adaptations of ''[[To the Manor Born]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007jpzw|title=To the Manor Born, The Rhythms of the Earth |publisher=BBC |access-date=29 May 2017}}</ref> In 2003, she appeared opposite [[June Brown]] in the television film ''[[Margery & Gladys]]''. In 2007, she starred in a one-off ''To the Manor Born'' Christmas Special, Keith also voiced The Bear with Brown Fuzzy Hair in ''[[Teletubbies]]''.{{Citation needed|date=December 2024}}

In 2009 she presented ''Penelope Keith and the Fast Lady'', a one-off documentary for [[BBC Four]] about [[Dorothy Levitt]], the [[Edwardian period|Edwardian]] motoring pioneer. She presented the four-part BBC documentary ''The Manor Reborn'' in 2011.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-14430516|work=BBC News|title=Penelope Keith hosts 'The Manor Reborn' at Avebury|date=6 August 2011}}</ref>

In 2013 she played the part of [[Lady Catherine de Bourgh]] in the BBC [[period drama]] ''[[Death Comes to Pemberley (TV series)|Death Comes to Pemberley]]'', an adaptation of the best-selling 2011 [[P. D. James]] [[Death Comes to Pemberley|novel of the same name]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=De |first1=Robert |title=The Good Life's Penelope Keith makes TV return in Pride and Prejudice sequel Death Comes to Pemberley |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/the-good-life-s-penelope-keith-makes-tv-return-in-pride-and-prejudice-sequel-death-comes-to-pemberley-8662249.html |access-date=18 January 2025 |work=The Independent |publisher=Independent Digital News and Media Ltd |date=17 June 2013}}</ref>

Since 2014, she has presented all three series of the [[More4]]/[[Channel 4]] programme ''Penelope Keith's Hidden Villages'' and in June 2016 she presented ''Penelope Keith at Her Majesty's Service'' again for Channel 4.<ref name="Parker">{{cite news|last1=Parker|first1=Olivia|title=Penelope Keith: 'Westminster doesn't understand rural problems'|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/countryside/11842600/Penelope-Keith-Westminster-doesnt-understand-rural-problems.html|access-date=26 February 2016|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=3 September 2015}}</ref><ref name="Graham">{{cite web|last1=Graham|first1=Alison|title=Penelope Keith at Her Majesty's Service|url=http://www.radiotimes.com/tv-programme/e/d6vyx7/penelope-keith-at-her-majestys-service--series-1-episode-1|website=www.radiotimes.com|publisher=The Radio Times|access-date=12 June 2016}}</ref>

In December 2017, she presented ''Penelope Keith's Coastal Villages'', a continuation of the ''Hidden Villages'' series.
In early 2018, she presented the [[Channel 4]] series ''Village of the Year with Penelope Keith''. It was announced in February 2018 that Keith would be starring as Mrs St Maugham in the [[Chichester Festival Theatre]] production of [[Enid Bagnold]]'s ''[[The Chalk Garden]]'' from 25 May to 16 June 2018.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cft.org.uk/whats-on/event/the-chalk-garden|title=The Chalk Garden {{!}} Chichester Festival Theatre|date=18 February 2018|website=Chichester Festival Theatre|access-date=18 February 2018}}</ref>

==Personal life==
In 1978, the year ''The Good Life'' ended, she married Rodney Timson, a policeman. They had met while he was on duty at [[Chichester Festival Theatre|Chichester Theatre]] where Keith was performing.<ref name="lady.co.uk n107"/> In 1988, ten years after their wedding, they [[adoption|adopted]] two boys, who were brothers.<ref name="BBC News"/> Keith and Timson now live in [[Milford, Surrey]]. Keith has a great passion for gardening. In 1984, she had a rose named after her.<ref name="Express26Oct07">{{Cite news|url=https://www.express.co.uk/expressyourself/23272/Return-of-Lady-Penelope|title=Return of Lady Penelope|first=Simon|last=Edge|work=[[Daily Express]]|date=26 October 2007}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.classicroses.co.uk/roses/p/penelope_keith.html|title=Classic Roses|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929135432/http://www.classicroses.co.uk/roses/p/penelope_keith.html|archive-date=29 September 2007}}</ref> She is president of the [[Surrey|South West Surrey]] chapter of the [[National Trust]].<ref name="NT">{{Cite news|title=The tale of five gardens|publisher=[[National Trust|National Trust Magazine]]|date=Summer 2007}}</ref>

In 2014 she presented ''4 Extra Goes Gardening'' in which she celebrated the work of garden designer [[Gertrude Jekyll]] at her former home, Munstead Wood in [[Godalming]].{{citation needed|date=February 2025}} Keith was President of the Actors' Benevolent Fund from 1990 to 2022,<ref name="guard-benev-fund-13jan24">{{cite news |last1=Butler |first1=Patrick |title=Actors' charity vote to reignite dispute involving Penelope Keith |url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/jan/13/actors-charity-vote-to-reignite-dispute-involving-penelope-keith |access-date=2 March 2024 |work=The Guardian |date=13 January 2024}}</ref> taking over after the death of [[Laurence Olivier]]. She was a Trustee of [[Brooklands Museum]] from 2009 to 2018.{{citation needed|date=February 2025}}

==Filmography==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Film
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 1967
| ''[[Carry On Doctor]]''
| Plain Nurse
| scenes cut
|-
| 1968
| ''[[Secret Ceremony]]''
| Hotel Assistant
| rowspan="2" | uncredited
|-
| 1969
| ''[[A Touch of Love (1969 film)|A Touch of Love]]''
| Nurse
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1970
| ''[[Every Home Should Have One]]''
| Lotte
| 
|-
| ''[[Take a Girl Like You (film)|Take a Girl Like You]]''
| Tory Lady
|
|-
| 1972
| ''[[Rentadick]]''
| Reporter
|
|-
| 1973
| ''[[Penny Gold]]''
| Miss Hartridge
|
|-
| 1974
| ''[[Ghost Story (1974 film)|Ghost Story]]''
| Rennie
|
|-
| 1976
| ''[[Seven Nights in Japan]]''
| Mrs. Hollander (voice)
| 
|-
| 1978
| ''[[The Hound of the Baskervilles (1978 film)|The Hound of the Baskervilles]]''
| Massage Receptionist 
|
|-
| 1981
| ''[[Priest of Love]]''
| [[Dorothy Brett]]
| 
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1992
| ''Beauty and the Beast''
| Madame Bonbec
| rowspan="2" | voice
|-
| ''Aladdin''
| Madam Dim Sum
|}

== Television ==
{{BLP unreferenced section|date=February 2025}}
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Year
!Title
!Role
!Notes
|-
|1957-1961
|''[[The Army Game]]''
|
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |1965
|''[[Dixon of Dock Green]]''
|Miss Nash
|Episode: "A Fine Art"
|-
|''[[Six Shades of Black]]''
|Lady Pandora Brewster
|Episode: "There is a Happy Land..."
|-
|1965,
1967,
1969
|[[The Avengers (TV series)|''The Avengers'']] 
|Bride/ Nanny Brown (scene deleted)/Audrey Long
|3 episodes
|-
|1966
|[[Orlando (TV series)|''Orlando'']]
|Waitress
|Episode: "Find the Lady"
|-
|1966-1967
|''[[Emergency Ward 10]]''
|Miss Willy Williams/Iris Bedford
|5 episodes
|-
|1967
|[[Play of the Week (TV series)|''Play of the Week'']] 
|Betty Brogan
|Episode: "ITV Summer Playhouse #4: Difference of Opinion"
|-
| rowspan="2" |1968
|''[[Comedy Playhouse]]''
| rowspan="2" |Daisy
|Episode: "Wild, Wild Women"
|-
|''[[Wild, Wild Women]]''
|Pilot
|-
| rowspan="3" |1969
|''[[Market in Honey Lane]]''
|Frankie
|2 episodes
|-
|''[[ITV Playhouse]]''
|Housekeeper
|Episode: "Stables Theatre Company #2: Wedding Night"
|-
|[[Hadleigh (TV series)|''Hadleigh'']] 
|Angela Frampton
|Episode: "The Dinner Party"
|-
|1970-1972
|[[Kate (TV series)|''Kate'']] 
|Wanda Padbury
|
|-
|1974
|''[[The Pallisers]]''
|Mrs. Hittaway
|2 episodes
|-
|1975
|[[Two's Company (British TV series)|''Two's Company'']] 
|Mrs. Phillips
|Episode: "The Patient"
|-
|1975-1978
|[[The Good Life (1975 TV series)|''The Good Life'']] 
|Margo Leadbetter
|
|-
|1975-1984
|''[[Jackanory]]''
|Storyteller
|11 episodes
|-
|1977
|[[The Morecambe & Wise Show (1968 TV series)|''The Morecambe & Wise Show'']] 
|Self
|Christmas Special
|-
|1979-1981,
2007
|''[[To the Manor Born]]''
|Audrey fforbes-Hamilton
|
|-
|1982
|''[[BBC Play of the Month]]''
|Maria Wislack
|Episode: "On Approval"
|-
|1983
|[[Sweet Sixteen (TV series)|''Sweet Sixteen'']] 
|Helen Morgan
|
|-
|1984-1987
|''[[Tickle on the Tum]]''
|Dora the Driver
|8 episodes
|-
|1985
|''[[Moving (British TV series)|Moving]]'' 
|Sarah Gladwyn
|
|-
|1986-1988
|''[[Executive Stress]]''
|Caroline Fielding
|
|-
|1989,
1992
|''[[Woof!]]''
|Miss Robson
|2 episodes
|-
|1990-1992
|''[[No Job for a Lady]]''
|Jean Price
|
|-
|1994
|[[Law and Disorder (TV series)|''Law and Disorder'']]
|Phillipa Troy
|
|-
|1995-1997
|[[Next of Kin (TV series)|''Next of Kin'']]
|Maggie Prentice
|
|-
|1997
|''[[Teletubbies]]''
|The Bear (voice)
|Episode: "See-Saw"
|-
|1998
|[[Coming Home (TV serial)|''Coming Home'']]
|Aunt Louise
|Part One
|-
|2003
|''[[Margery & Gladys]]''
|Margery Heywood
|TV movie
|-
|2006
|''[[The Secret Show]]''
|Nanna Poo-Poo
|Episode: "Commando Babies"
|-
|2011
|''[[Tinga Tinga Tales]]''
|Queen Bee
|Episode: "Why Bees Sing"
|-
|2013 
|[[Death Comes to Pemberley (TV series)|''Death Comes to Pemberley'']] 
|[[Lady Catherine de Bourgh]]
|1 episode
|}

== Theatre ==
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Year
!Title
!Role
!Notes
|-
|1959
|''Harlequinade''
|Edna Selby
| [[Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art]]
|-
| rowspan="6" |1963 
|''[[The Tempest]]''
|
| rowspan="6" |[[Royal Shakespeare Theatre]] (press nights)
|-
|[[Julius Caesar (play)|''Julius Caesar'']] 
|
|-
|[[Henry VI (play)|''Henry VI'']]
|Simpcox's Wife
|-
|[[Richard III (play)|''Richard III'']]
|Lord Mayor's Wife
|-
|''[[Oedipus Rex]]''
|Jocasta
|-
|''The Lower-Middle Class Wedding Party''
|Lady
|-
| rowspan="4" |1963-1964
|''Henry VI''
|
| rowspan="4" |[[Royal Shakespeare Company]]
|-
|''Julius Caesar''
|
|-
|''Richard III''
|
|-
|''The Tempest''
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |1964
|''Richard III''
|Lord Mayor's Wife
| rowspan="5" |[[Aldwych Theatre]] (press nights)
|-
|''Henry VI''
|Simpcox's Wife
|-
| rowspan="2" |1965
|''Puntila''
|Dean's Wife
|-
| rowspan="2" |''[[The Investigation (play)|The Investigation]]''
| rowspan="2" |Witness 5
|-
|1965-1966
|-
|1971-1973
|''Suddenly at Home''
|Maggie Howard
|[[Fortune Theatre]]
|-
| rowspan="2" |1973
|''[[The House of Bernarda Alba]]''
|Magdalena
| rowspan="2" |[[Greenwich Theatre]]
|-
|''Catsplay''
|Ilona
|-
|1974-1976
|''[[The Norman Conquests]]''
|Sarah
|[[Globe Theatre]], [[Gielgud Theatre]], [[Apollo Theatre]] and other locations.
|-
|1976-1978
|''[[Donkeys' Years|Donkey's Years]]'' 
|Lady Driver
|Globe Theatre, Gielgud Theatre, [[Richmond Theatre (London)|Richmond Theatre]] and other locations
|-
|1977-1978
|''[[The Apple Cart]]''
|
|[[Phoenix Theatre, London]] and [[Chichester Festival Theatre]]
|-
|1978-1979
|''[[The Millionairess (play)|The Millionairess]]''
|Epifania Ognisanti di Parerga Fitzfassenden
|[[Theatre Royal Haymarket]]
|-
|1981
|''Moving''
|Sarah Gladwin
|[[Sondheim Theatre]]
|-
| rowspan="2" |1982
|[[Hobson's Choice (play)|''Hobson's Choice'']]
|Maggie Hobson
| rowspan="2" |Theatre Royal Haymarket
|-
|''[[Captain Brassbound's Conversion|Captain Brassbound’s Conversion]]''
|Lady Cicely Wayneflete
|-
|1983-1984
|''[[Hay Fever (play)|Hay Fever]]''
|Judith Bliss
|Sondheim Theatre, [[Theatre Royal, Brighton]], and other locations
|-
|1985-1986
|[[The Dragon's Tail (play)|''The Dragon's Tail'']]
|Mary
|Apollo Theatre
|-
|1987
|''Miranda''
|Miranda
|[[Chichester Festival Theatre]]
|-
|1988
|''[[The Deep Blue Sea (play)|The Deep Blue Sea]]''
|
|Theatre Royal Haymarket
|-
|1991
|''[[The Importance of Being Earnest]]''
|Lady Bracknell
|[[Theatre Royal, Bath]], [[Alhambra Theatre, Bradford]], and other location
|-
|1991-1992
|''[[On Approval (play)|On Approval]]''
|
|Theatre Royal, Bath
|-
|1992-1993
|''[[Relatively Speaking (play anthology)|Relatively Speaking]]''
| rowspan="2" |Director
|Theatre Royal, Bath, [[Theatre Royal, Windsor]], and other locations
|-
|1994
|''[[How the Other Half Loves]]''
|Theatre Royal, Windsor and Richmond Theatre
|-
|1997
|''[[Mrs. Warren's Profession|Mrs Warren’s Profession]]''
|Mrs. Warren
|Theatre Royal, Bath, [[Yvonne Arnaud Theatre]] 
|-
|1998
|''Good Grief, Pericles Productions''
|June Pepper
|Theatre Royal, Bath, [[Yvonne Arnaud Theatre]] and other locations
|-
|2001-2002
| rowspan="2" | ''[[Star Quality (play)|Star Quality]]''
| rowspan="2" |Lorraine Barrie
|Apollo Theatre, Theatre Royal, Windsor, and other locations
|-
|2001
|Theatre Royal, Bath
|-
|2003-2004
| ''[[Time and the Conways]]''
|Mrs. Conway
|[[Belgrade Theatre, Coventry]], Theatre Royal, Bath, and other locations
|-
|2004-2005
|[[Blithe Spirit (play)|''Blithe Spirit'']]
|Madame Arcati
|[[Savoy Theatre]]
|-
|2006
|[[Entertaining Angels (play)|''Entertaining Angels'']]
|Grace
|Theatre Royal, Bath, Chichester Festival Theatre, and other locations
|-
|2008
|''The Importance of Being Earnest''
|Lady Bracknell
|[[Vaudeville Theatre|Vaudeville Theatre, (Strand) London]]
|-
|2009
|''Entertaining Angels''
|Grace
|Chichester Festival Theatre, [[The Lowry|The Lowry, Salford]], and other locations
|-
|2010-2011
|''[[The Rivals]]''
|
|Theatre Royal, Haymarket, London, Theatre Royal, Bath, and other locations
|-
|2012
|''The Way of the World''
|Lady Wishfort
| rowspan="2" |Chichester Festival Theatre
|-
|2018
|''[[The Chalk Garden]]''
|Mrs St Maugham
|-
|2020
|''Theatrical Digs''
|Performer
|Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford and Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford
|}

==Awards and honours==
On 2 April 2002, her 62nd birthday, Keith began a one-year term as [[High Sheriff of Surrey]],<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=56531|page=4283|date=9 April 2002}}</ref> the third woman to hold the post. She has also served in the past as a [[Deputy Lieutenant]] of [[Lord Lieutenant of Surrey|Surrey]].<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=57207|page=1979|date=16 February 2004}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/southern_counties/6218219.stm|title=Actress honoured for charity work|publisher=BBC|date=30 December 2006}}</ref>

Keith was appointed an [[Order of the British Empire|Officer of the Order of the British Empire]] (OBE) in the 1989 New Year Honours.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=51578|page=10 |supp=y|date=30 December 1988}}</ref> She was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the [[New Year Honours 2007|2007 New Year Honours]] for "charitable services".<ref name="BBC News"/><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=58196|page=8 |supp=y|date=30 December 2006}}</ref> In the [[2014 New Year Honours]], she was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) for services to the Arts and to Charity.<ref>Staff (31 December 2013), [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-25550751 "New Year's Honours: Lansbury and Keith become dames"], ''BBC News''; retrieved 17 March 2014.</ref>

{|class=wikitable
|-
!Year
!Award
!Work
!Result
|-
|rowspan=2|1976
|[[Laurence Olivier Award for Actress of the Year in a New Play|Olivier Award for Best Actress in a New Play]]
|rowspan=2|''[[Donkeys' Years|Donkey's Years]]'' <ref name="years">{{cite web|url=http://www.olivierawards.com/winners/view/item98510/olivier-winners-1976/ |title=Previous Winners: Olivier Winners 1976 |publisher=Olivier Awards |access-date=1 May 2015}}</ref>
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[Laurence Olivier Award for Best Comedy Performance|Olivier Award for Best Comedy Performance]]
|{{won}}
|-
|rowspan=2|1977
|[[British Academy Television Award for Best Actress|BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress]]
|''[[Private Lives]]''
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[British Academy Television Award for Best Entertainment Performance|BAFTA TV Award for Best Light Entertainment Performance]]
|''[[The Good Life (1975 TV series)|The Good Life]]''
|{{won}}
|-
|rowspan=2|1978
|BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress
|''The Norman Conquests'' / ''Saving it for Albie''
|{{won}}
|-
| rowspan="2" |BAFTA TV Award for Best Light Entertainment Performance
|''The Good Life'' / ''[[The Morecambe & Wise Show (1968 TV series)|The Morecambe & Wise Show]]''
|{{nom}}
|-
|1980
|''[[To the Manor Born]]''
|{{nom}}
|}

==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
*{{IMDb name|0445285}}

{{Navboxes
|title= Awards for Penelope Keith
|list1=
{{British Academy Television Award for Best Actress 1960-1979}}
{{British Academy Television Award for Best Entertainment Performance}}
{{OlivierAward ComedyPerformance}}
}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Keith, Penelope}}
[[Category:1940 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Actresses awarded damehoods]]
[[Category:Alumni of the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art]]
[[Category:Best Actress BAFTA Award (television) winners]]
[[Category:Best Entertainment Performance BAFTA Award (television) winners]]
[[Category:Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:Deputy lieutenants of Surrey]]
[[Category:English film actresses]]
[[Category:English radio actresses]]
[[Category:English stage actresses]]
[[Category:English television actresses]]
[[Category:High sheriffs of Surrey]]
[[Category:Laurence Olivier Award winners]]
[[Category:Actors from the London Borough of Sutton]]
[[Category:Royal Shakespeare Company members]]
[[Category:20th-century English actresses]]
[[Category:21st-century English actresses]]
[[Category:Actresses from Surrey]]
[[Category:People from Clacton-on-Sea]]
[[Category:Actresses from Essex]]
[[Category:Actors from the London Borough of Lambeth]]
[[Category:People from Clapham]]
[[Category:Actors from Tendring]]