Made her West End debut in John Osborne's West of Suez opposite Ralph Richardson in 1971; and has acted with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre Company
Became a household name in England in the mid-1980s due to her work on the BBC sitcom Ever Decreasing Circles
Honored with the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2004; elevated to a Dame in 2016
Bestowed with an honorary Doctor of Letters degree by the University of Hull in North Yorkshire, England, in 2012
Awards
2016Screen Actors Guild Awards-Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series:nominated
2016Screen Actors Guild Awards-Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series:nominated
2015Screen Actors Guild Awards-Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series:winner
2015Screen Actors Guild Awards-Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series:winner
2014Screen Actors Guild Awards-Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series:winner
2014Screen Actors Guild Awards-Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series:winner
2013Screen Actors Guild Awards-Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series:nominated
2013Screen Actors Guild Awards-Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series:nominated
2012Screen Actors Guild Awards-Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series:winner
2012Screen Actors Guild Awards-Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series:winner
2012Screen Actors Guild Awards-Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture:nominated