Judy Cornwell: Daisy Revealed
by Michelle Street
We all know Daisy. She's the sweet, somewhat simple-minded sister of Hyacinth Bucket on Keeping Up Appearances. She adores her husband Onslow, who she believes is like a character out of one of the romance novels she loves to read. The rest of the world, however, might view Onslow as a beer-swilling slob in dire need of a makeover and a job. Daisy and Onslow share a house with Daisy's father and her other sister Rose, whose hobbies include chasing men while in short skirts. This quartet forms the side of the family that uber-snob Hyacinth does her best to keep hidden.
We know the character, but what about the actress? Let's just say that the real-life Judy Cornwell is not like Daisy. Here are a few of the reasons why:
1.) Judy Cornwell is not lazy
Au contraire. She worked and studied hard to perfect her craft. She was born in London on February 22, 1940, the day of her mother's 23rd birthday. When she was seven, her father, a WWII flight lieutenant, decided to uproot the family and move to Australia, which he considered to be "the country of tomorrow." At this time the Australian government was encouraging emigration so they had a scheme whereby passage to Australia could be purchased for only ten pounds per person with an agreement to stay for two years.
They settled in Queensland and Judy's father wound up working as a producer/writer at a radio station. Her mother, however, was never able to adjust to their new country and a few years later made the difficult decision to leave her husband in Australia and move back to England. Judy never saw her father again.
Following their return to the UK her mother ensured that Judy kept busy, perhaps to ease the pain of being separated from her father. As a teenager, her after-school hours were spent taking lessons in dance, modeling, and musical comedy. By the time she left school at 15 Judy was certified to teach tap and opened her own dance school. The money she earned went to help her family and further her own studies in dance and voice. She also joined an amateur dramatic society.
Judy turned professional while still in her teens. She was cast in a pantomime of Cinderella at the Hippodrome before she'd even reached the legal work age of 17. After the initial audition she was told not to return because she was too young, but she disguised herself and came back anyway. The director wasn't fooled but was so taken with her cheek that he hired her as a dancer anyway. She also became the understudy for the lead role and took over for a week when the actress playing Cinderella fell ill. This led to touring with shows that played in cities such as Birmingham and Aberdeen.
Through a combination of talent, hard work, and sheer moxie, Judy turned these humble beginnings into a career spanning all aspects of show business. She came to Keeping Up Appearances having already distinguished herself in radio comedy, pantomime, farce, and period pieces like The Mill on the Floss and Jane Eyre. Also on her resume was a season with the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford, the hit series Moody and Pegg and the role of Mrs. Claus in the perennial holiday favorite Santa Claus the Movie. Her reputation was that of someone who could work fast and work well, so when producer Harold Snoad had to cast KUA quickly he knew Judy was right for the part.
2.) Nor does she have a lazy husband
For over forty years Judy has been married to journalist and television reporter John Parry. The couple met when Parry reviewed a play during which Judy was killed off in the first scene. He gave the production thumbs down but praised Judy's performance. They married in 1960 and have one son, Dylan Edward.
3.) She's traveled more than just a cruise on the QE2
Judy's life and work has literally taken her around the world and back again. Paris was the scene of her first major theatrical success, Oh, What a Lovely War. A few years later she returned to France to appear in Two for the Road with Albert Finney and Audrey Hepburn. She then traveled to Los Angeles to meet with executives at 20th Century Fox and was offered a contract, starting with a role in the Julie Andrews film Star! She declined, feeling that her family came first and that she would have more of a variety of roles in the UK. However, she did a film for ABC named Call Me Daddy, which won an Emmy.
Other roles took her on location to Malta (to play Filigree Fondle in Anthony Newley's Can Hieronymous Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness?), Prague, Czechoslovakia (The Devil's Lieutenant), Budapest, Hungary (Mary, Mother of Jesus) and Zimbabwe, Africa (to film Cry Freedom for Richard Attenborough.)
She has also traveled extensively for her own pleasure and research. Her childhood years in Australia left her with a soft spot for that country and she stills visits there for both work and enjoyment. While working on one of her novels she took an extended solo trip to Egypt. She also traveled on the QE2 (without Hyacinth, Richard and Onslow) when she and her husband were guest lecturers on board a cruise that went from Cape Town, South Africa to New York via Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and the Caribbean.
4.) Her dress sense is much better than Daisy's
In her youth Judy did modeling, won beauty contests, and even posed for a picture that appeared in Vogue magazine. However, fans still tend to confuse her with the dowdy Daisy and think she constantly wears cardigans. While filming the QE2 segment of KUA she was approached by a woman who complemented her on her dress. "I do have some nice dresses" Judy replied. The woman then said, "Well, I shan't feel sorry for you any more." Judy realized that she had taken away this woman's "security blanket" of feeling sorry for the usually ill-kempt, downtrodden Daisy.
5.) She is not a meek mouse
In 1971 Judy filmed Whoever Slew Auntie Roo and found the movie's star Shelley Winters to be quite a handful. Not one to be fooled with, Judy soon stood up to the formidable Ms. Winters when she thought the veteran actress was deliberately trying to throw her off her game during their scenes together. They got along much better after that.
There was also the time on the Keeping Up Appearances set when they were doing a scene in which the old clunker of a car caught on fire. Judy's hair got singed and director Harold Snoad wanted her to do the scene over. Judy flatly refused and told Snoad to put on her cardigan and do it himself. He did and the scene went off well.
6.) Judy Cornwell has actually mingled with aristocracy
Following a performance of Most Gracious Lady, the play's cast (including Judy) was presented to the Queen Mum herself. Hyacinth would be so jealous. Having presented reasons why she's not like Daisy, I would be remiss not to mention a couple of similarities.
7.) Judy Cornwell Is Like Daisy Because...
She has always been an avid reader. In fact, she is so passionate about the importance of reading that it was her suggestion to have Daisy seen reading her Boons and Mills romance novels. She is also the author of several novels. Her first published work was 1985's Cow and Cow Parsley followed in 1989 by Fishcakes at the Ritz. The Seventh Sunrise was released in 1994 and her last novel, Fear and Favour, was published in 1996. Following that she turned her attention to her autobiography, Adventures of a Jelly Baby, which came out in 2005.
Like Daisy, Judy Cornwell also loves her family. Not just her own family but also her on-screen family from Keeping Up Appearances. She and Geoffrey Hughes got along very well, though she claims he could be very naughty on the set and would do a bit of bottom pinching underneath the covers. She was also very close to Mary Millar, who played Rose. When Millar was diagnosed with cancer and going through treatments they spoke on the phone frequently and Judy was touched by Millar's indomitable spirit.
Judy did not work as closely with Patricia Routledge and Clive Swift since the majority of her scenes were with Hughes and Millar. When KUA came to an end in 1995 Judy completely understood Routledge's decision not to continue with the show because she had done the same thing herself. In 1974 she played spinsterish civil servant Daphne Pegg in the series Moody and Pegg. The show was very popular but Judy became afraid of being typecast and opted out after two seasons.
Since the end of KUA Judy has kept busy traveling, writing and working on both television and stage. She is currently touring the UK in a production of Alan Ayckbourne's Bedroom Farce and in her spare moments will most likely be found with her nose in a book - just like Our Daisy.
The Insider | January 2007
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