Maggie Ollerenshaw


Margaret Ollerenshaw is an English actress, known for playing the role of Mavis in the BBC sitcom Open All Hours and its sequel Still Open All Hours. Her other television credits include First of the Summer Wine, The House of Eliott and Lovejoy.

Early life

Ollerenshaw was born in Ashton-on-Ribble, Preston, Lancashire, England on 8 October 1949 to Joseph and Margaret Ollerenshaw.

Career

Ollerenshaw played Mrs. Violet Clegg in the short-lived series First of the Summer Wine, and became a more familiar television face after starring in The House of Eliott as Florence Ranby, a dour Victorian and head of the Eliott workroom, who died in a tragic road accident outside the Eliott's fashion house. The actress also featured as Martha in the Andrew Davies adaptation of Trollope's classic He Knew He Was Right.
Her many other television credits include roles in Lovejoy, Coronation Street, Juliet Bravo, Heartbeat, Holby City, One Foot In The Grave, Seaview, Teachers, Victoria Wood - As Seen On TV, The Hunt For The Yorkshire Ripper, Midsomer Murders and Wire In The Blood. Her film credits include Britannia Hospital, A Private Function, Pierrepoint and Steven Spielberg's War Horse.
Her one-woman show Yours Sincerely, a musical play about Dame Vera Lynn has played in the UK and abroad. She also starred in the play Screamers at the Warehouse Theatre.
Since 2014, Ollerenshaw has provided the voice of Henrietta in the British television series Thomas & Friends. She also voiced the role of The Queen in Little Princess. In 2019, she was in the TV show Scarborough as Geraldine, the owner of a hair salon.

Personal life

Ollerenshaw married fellow actor Geoffrey Leesley in 2007 in New York and have one daughter.

Filmography

Film

Television