“A life full of love, affection and laughter, of gigs, gags and a couple of gongs” was how June Whitefield summed up her extraordinarily long and successful career. She has just died aged 93, having reigned for more than six decades as one of Britain’s most popular and busy comedy actresses. Over the years she played wife or girlfriend to Benny Hill, Frankie Howerd, Dick Emery, Tony Hancock, Jimmy Edwards, Sid James, Ted Ray, Leslie Phillips, Stanley Baxter, Bob Monkhouse, Harry H Corbett, Tommy Cooper, Terry Thomas, Leslie Crowther and Ronnie Barker. But most memorably to Terry Scott in the long running sitcom Happy Ever After and Terry and June. More recently she stole the show as the batty mother in Ab Fab. She said she preferred not being top of the bill since it was too stressful, so was happy to stay one step back.
Born 11 November 1925 London, she was a serious, rather rigid Sun Saturn in Scorpio in a creative square to Neptune – all in Fixed signs giving her endurance; plus her Sun Saturn were in a bleak trine to Pluto and a more upbeat sextile to Jupiter. Her Jupiter opposition Pluto would give her push and confidence but her Saturnine reserve would put the brakes on any flamboyant displays of ego.
Her long on-screen marriage to Terry Scott, born 4 May 1927, wasn’t reflected in a close off-screen friendship. He was a more difficult personality with an intense Mars Pluto in Cancer sextile his Taurus Sun. But his Jupiter was conjunct her Uranus which would give them a spark of fun together and her Jupiter opposed his Mars Pluto so she was strong enough to cope with him and may have mellowed his mood when he threatened to get out of hand. Both their Saturns crossed over onto the other’s chart for a solid business-like mood – not warm but practical.
Their relationship chart did have a lucky, successful composite Sun, Mercury, Jupiter anchored into a creative Neptune Saturn – so while their normal personalities may have grated, they made a reasonable, albeit dysfunctional, screen match.
Thank you, very interesting read. I remember her being on tv all the time during my childhood.
Thank you, she was a lovely, generous comedy actress who’ll be much missed. Saturn probably gave her good comic timing. Your analysis of the relationship with Terry Scott was very interesting. I never knew Penfold (as he is to me) had such a dark chart! Crumbs
A wonderful comedy actress and perhaps as importantly a brilliant foil who bought out the best in other comics.
She will be much missed
Another one of the greats! I remember her being on the television so much from my childhood and of course Ab Fab. RIP June Whitfield…Marjorie why do so many people seem to die at the very end or at the beginnning of each year? Is there a particular reason?