{"id":2704,"date":"2026-06-29T11:34:10","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T11:34:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uspropertymoves.com\/?p=2704"},"modified":"2026-06-29T11:34:10","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T11:34:10","slug":"penelope-keith-british-sitcom-star-best-known-for-the-good-life-dies-at-86","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uspropertymoves.com\/?p=2704","title":{"rendered":"Penelope Keith, British Sitcom Star Best Known for \u2018The Good Life,\u2019 Dies at 86"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\tPenelope Keith, the British sitcom star best known for The Good Life<\/em>, has died. She was 86.<\/p>\n

Read more How Celyn Jones Lit Up North Wales With the Fabulously Mad \u2018Madfabulous\u2019: \u201cIt\u2019s Not a Moment, It\u2019s a Movement\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tA statement released to the BBC on Monday, on behalf of her family, read: \u201cWe are deeply saddened to announce that Dame Penelope Keith died peacefully whilst living with cancer at her home in Surrey where she had lived for more than 50 years\u2026 The family is grateful for the care and support she received throughout her treatments, and ask that their privacy be respected at this time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe actress is famed for playing the snobbish social climber Margaret \u201cMargo\u201d Leadbetter in The Good Life<\/em>, a show that went by the title Good Neighbors <\/em>in the U.S. and ran from 1975 to 1978.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe series was immensely popular in Keith\u2019s native U.K., following the midlife crisis of 40-year-old plastics designer Tom Good (Richard Briers), who attempts to escape the rat race lifestyle by becoming entirely self-sufficient in the London suburbs with his wife, Barbara (Felicity Kendal). Margo, a staunch Conservative neighbor of the couple, was disapproving of the pair\u2019s decisions, and Keith\u2019s performance would win her the 1977 BAFTA TV Award for best light entertainment. In 1978, she won another\u00a0BAFTA TV Award \u2014\u00a0this time for best actress \u2014\u00a0for\u00a0The Norman Conquests<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\n\tKeith, born in Surrey in 1940, traversed TV, film and theater throughout her decades-spanning career. Her other most notable role came in another show, To the Manor Born<\/em>, as well as sitcoms Sweet Sixteen<\/em>,\u00a0Moving<\/em>,\u00a0Executive Stress<\/em>,\u00a0No Job for a Lady<\/em>,\u00a0Law and Disorder<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Next of Kin<\/em>. Her filmography includes the likes of 1974\u2019s Ghost Story <\/em>and 1981\u2019s Priest of Love<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn 2013, she starred as\u00a0Lady Catherine de Bourgh\u00a0in the BBC\u00a0period drama\u00a0Death Comes to Pemberley<\/em>, and in 2014, Keith presented three series of Penelope Keith\u2019s Hidden Villages<\/em> and later, Penelope Keith at Her Majesty\u2019s Service<\/em>, where she would visit each of the monarch\u2019s residences across the U.K.<\/p>\n

Read more Comcast to Split Into Two Companies via Spin-Off of NBCUniversal, Including Sky<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tIn 2014, Keith was made a Dame by Queen Elizabeth II in the New Year Honors for her services to the arts and charity.<\/p>\n

\n\tLate last year, a final project of hers, a series called Saving Country Houses<\/em>, was announced and set to air on Channel 4 in 2026; whether Keith filmed episodes or if the program will air remains unclear.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe actress was a keen gardener and in 1984 had a rose named after her. In 2014, she presented 4 Extra Goes Gardening <\/em>in which she explored the work of garden designer Gertrude Jekyll, and was president of the Actors\u2019 Benevolent Fund for 1990 to 2022, having taken over from Lawrence Olivier. She was a Trustee of Brooklands Museum and president of the South West Surrey chapter of the National Trust until her death.<\/p>\n

\n\tKeith married Rodney Timson, a policeman, in 1978. They adopted two boys together. <\/p>\n

Read more David Letterman to Make Just For Laughs Montreal Debut With Will Arnett (Exclusive)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Penelope Keith, the British sitcom star best known for ‘The Good Life’ (or ‘Good Neighbors’ in the U.S.) has died. 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