Charmian May grew up in Purbrook, Hampshire and when to a private school and was passionate to becoming an actress on the stage. She when to a junior school in Highgate and after six months she won a scholarship and a bursary for two years of training.
In 1955, Charmian received a certificate of merit from the Queen’s mother at the Royal Academy of dramatic art prize giving. She would later pass another audition with a London stage company this would start her stage career in the very near future.
Much of Charmian May's career, especially on television in the late 1960’s, was spent playing authority figures, such as judges, magistrates, school governors and local councillors! She became particularly recognized on the small screen in the 1970s and 1980s when she played the briskly superior warden in the senior citizens' home inhabited by a splendid cast including Peggy Mount and Pat Coombs in the four series of Yorkshire TV's You're Only Young Twice.
In 1979 she won an Arts Council bursary to study American theatre and performed her show while in Boston, Chicago and New York. After leaving the Osiris Company, Charmain enjoyed the kind of priceless repertory experience then possible during a period of non-stop regional theatre at some of the more enterprising companies of the 1960s.
Back in the UK she was in any theatre productions in places such as Chichester theatre in titles such as Salisbury and Vaudeville, 1970, Salisbury and Ambassador's 1983, Anne Valery's The Passing-out Parade (Greenwich, 1982) …. many many more over the years. In Chichester she also met Dame Patricia Routledge in those years.
Charmian had some excellent cameos in movies - Lindsay Anderson's Britannia Hospital (1982) and Christine Edard's The Fool (1990) included - but perhaps her best film opportunity was her last Film, when she played the acerbic mother of Bridget's love-object Darcy (Colin Firth) in Bridget Jones's Diary (2000), the script of which offered telling opportunities for her special gift for the withering look and sardonic put-down.
Her final TV role was in the Children’s fantasy drama - Weirdsister College in 2002. She played the character Professor Alicia Thunderblast who was in charge of the college. It was said that she played the role perfectly.
Charmian May never married and had no children. She spends most of working on the stage and at TV studios up north. When she wasn't busy she lived in a beautiful house in Purbrook in Hampshire where she was born and grew up in. Not much else is known as she had quite a private life.
Charmian sadly battled cancer in the last months of her life. She peacefully died at a Hospice Care Centre near her home in Purbrook, Hampshire on the 24 October 2002 aged 65. A memorial service was held a year later to the celebrate her career on stage and television.
KEEPING UP APPEARANCES
Charmian landed the role as Councillor Mrs. Nugent after director and producer Harold Snoad knew of her work and that Charmian would portray the character wonderfully in which is she did.
Mrs. Councillor Nugent appears in the following 3 episodes: 'The Charity Shop', 'The Toy Store' and 'Richard's New Hobby' (Pictures from these Episodes).
Hyacinth is very interested in Mrs. Councillor Nugent because she wants to advance her own social standing by securing a place on Mrs. Nugent's committee. It is never specified what her committee actually is but it does charity work. Like others Mrs. Councillor Nugent called Hyacinth 'Mrs. Bucket'. However Hyacinth does not ever correct her, only once mouthing that her name is pronounced as 'Bouquet' in the Episode ’The Toy Store’. Onslow's dog is generally placid and friendly to visitors, but barks aggressively at only two characters: Hyacinth and Mrs Councillor Nugent who both wear hats too.
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