Actress Patricia Routledge, a British treasure of screen and stage, with an extraordinary range, has died. Best known for playing the social-climbing battleaxe Hyacinth Bucket in classic TV sitcom Keeping Up Appearances (“an absolute monster and I enjoyed playing her enormously.”) she also starred in Alan Bennett’s TV monologues, and in BBC One’s amateur sleuth Hetty Wainthropp. A Tony Award for best lead actress in a musical on Broadway in New York for Darling of the Day in 1968 was followed by Richard III and Henry V at the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Her “defining quality’ wrote on critic was ‘her ability to see the humanity in a variety of eccentrics and outsiders.”
Her intimidating reputation went before her, with one critic noting that with her brusque, often rude, manner with others, she was “doing her very best to qualify as a grande dame”. She explained that she hated timewasters.
She was born 17 February 1929 12.30 am in Birkenhead, England, with a gentlemen’s outfitter father and a northern puritan upbringing. After university and an English degree she trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. She never married but admitted to several relationships.
She had a maverick Aquarius Sun opposition a creative 10th house Neptune squaring onto a 7th house Taurus Moon conjunct Algol. Her 7th house Moon would crave a partner though a focal point Moon often finds it more reassuring to have broader attention from the public than a one-to-one dependency. Sun square Moon is also initially problematic when it comes to making a firm decision about relationships. Ditto a commitment resistant Neptune. In addition she had a freedom-loving Uranus widely conjunct Venus in her performing and romantic 5th house.
Her Venus was square Pluto giving her a passionate intensity. As did an 8th house Mars opposition Saturn in a different way, giving her an understanding of deep seated anger which she used to great effect in the grotesque characters she often played.
Her 6th house Jupiter in Taurus flagged up her enthusiasm for work though unaspected apart from a tine to Neptune it would make her less gregarious, self-contained and more aware of the seriousness of life.
Her creative 5th and 7th harmonics were notable – as was her break-through genius 13H; her leaving-a-legacy 17H and her superstar 22H.
Thanks Marjorie. Patricia Routledge is always such a joy to watch on the telly.
John Thaw too. Sad they’re both gone.
Thank you Marjorie!
Patricia Routledge was a joy to watch here in the U.S. as well. Keeping Up Appearances is still one of my favorite “Britcoms” and it used to air on PBS.
The first time I watched Keeping Up Appearances was on Christmas Eve, the year 2000. I’ve been hooked ever since.
I haven’t really explored her character as Hetty Wainthropp yet – I’ve seen snippets of the series on PBS Masterpiece though.
I also enjoyed seeing Patricia Rutledge in the 1960s film To Sir With Love with Sidney Poitier.
Her Profected Asc on date of death was 3Cp-3, which trined her Profecteds Pluto, death,
abd sqyared ger batal Uranus, ruler her 4th, of endings.
I always found some affinity with Dame Patricia and simplistically put it down to the fact that I knew we shared the same birthdate: 17 February. Only now, from the above chart, do I see that both our Suns are at 27 Aquarius! So perhaps that adds a little credence to it.
A solar eclipse in will land on your birthday next year Ken. Auspicious for sure.
Love the “northern puritan upbringing”, as a fellow Merseysider born about five miles away from Hyacinth. What you omitted to mention is that loads of comedians have come from Merseyside, such as her (fortunately only on the stage) husband Clive Swift, Ken Dodd, Jimmy Tarbuck, Kenny Everett, Arthur Askey etc. Must be something in the (filthy) water. There’s also Glenda Jackson, a subversive of a different kind.