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	~~{{Short description\|British actress}}~~
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	{{Infobox person		{{Infobox person
	\|image = Queenie_Watts.jpg		\| image = Queenie_Watts.jpg
	~~\|imagesize =~~
	~~\| name = Queenie Watts~~
	\| birth_name = Mary Spenton		\| birth_name = Mary Spenton
	\| birth_date = 21 July 1923		\| birth_date = 21 July 1923

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External links

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	==External links==		==External links==
	*{{IMDb name\|id=0915218}}		*{{IMDb name\|id=0915218}}

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	{{DEFAULTSORT:Watts, Queenie}}		{{DEFAULTSORT:Watts, Queenie}}
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	[[Category:1980 deaths]]		[[Category:1980 deaths]]
	[[Category:Actresses from London]]		[[Category:Actresses from London]]
	~~[[Category:Deaths from cancer in England]]~~
	[[Category:English film actresses]]		[[Category:English film actresses]]
	[[Category:English television actresses]]		[[Category:English television actresses]]

Kurt: 1 revision imported

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en>Melnels: I added a citation

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{{Short description|British actress}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox person
|image = Queenie_Watts.jpg
|imagesize =
| name = Queenie Watts
| birth_name = Mary Spenton
| birth_date = 21 July 1923
| birth_place = [[London]], England
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1980|01|25|1923|07|21}}
| death_place = London, England
| spouse = James W. (Slim) Watts 1941–?
| occupation = Actress, singer}}

'''Queenie Watts''' (born '''Mary Spenton'''; 21 July 1923  – 25 January 1980) was an English actress of film and television, as well as an occasional singer.<ref name="BFI">[https://web.archive.org/web/20120722101042/http://explore.bfi.org.uk/4ce2b9fcb9cc7 Profile], BFI.org.uk; accessed 3 April 2016.</ref> She was noted for her broad [[cockney]] accent.<ref name=hammer/>

==Biography ==
Watts was born '''Mary Spenton''' in [[London]] in 1923. She appeared in many British films, including the [[Joan Littlewood]] production ''[[Sparrers Can't Sing]]'' (1963), and as herself in ''Portrait of Queenie'' (1964), featuring in scenes set around Poplar, the Isle of Dogs and the Iron Bridge Tavern, [[Poplar, London|Poplar]], which she ran in real life and in which she starred in the TV series ''[[Stars and Garters]]'' (1963).<ref name=hammer>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lfp1DwAAQBAJ&q=stars+and+garters+1965+queenie+watts&pg=PA847|title=Hammer Complete: The Films, the Personnel, the Company|first=Howard|last=Maxford|date=November 8, 2019|publisher=McFarland|isbn=9781476629148|via=Google Books}}</ref> In 1966 she appeared in the film version of ''[[Alfie (1966 film)|Alfie]]'', singing "[[Goodbye, Dolly Gray]]" in a memorable, riotous bar-room brawl sequence, and also appeared as a pub singer in the [[Tommy Steele]] film ''[[Half a Sixpence (film)|Half a Sixpence]]'' in 1967.<ref name=hammer/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/half-a-sixpence-v21302/cast-crew|title=Half a Sixpence (1967) - George Sidney | Cast and Crew|website=Allmovie.com}}</ref> A film directed by Michael Orrom called ''Portrait of Queenie'' was made in 1964, in which she sang jazz standards and some originals songs was released by the BFI. In the film she collaborated with a number of musicians including Stan Tracey and his band at the time.<ref name=queenie/> Her sole record called Queen High, in which she sang the same songs from Portrait of Queenie, was released in 1966 on the UK Columbia label with catalogue number SX 6047.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/Queenie-Watts-Queen-High/release/8980163|title=Queenie Watts - Queen High|website=Discogs}}</ref>

She also appeared in [[Ken Loach]]'s ''[[Poor Cow]]'' (1967), in the film version of ''[[Up the Junction (film)|Up the Junction]]'' (1968), as a pub landlady in ''[[All Coppers Are...]]'' (1972), and as the ill-fated housekeeper in the horror film ''[[Schizo (1976 film)|Schizo]]'' (1976).<ref name="BFI"/>

She also appeared in many British 1970s [[Sex comedy|sex comedies]] including ''[[Keep It Up, Jack]]'' (1973), ''[[Intimate Games]]'' (1976), ''[[Come Play with Me (1977 film)|Come Play with Me]]'' (1977) and ''[[Confessions from the David Galaxy Affair]]'' (1979).<ref name="BFI"/> She was often seen in television programmes through the 1960s and 1970s, including the successful, but critically panned, ''[[Romany Jones]]'' (1972–75) and its sequel ''[[Yus, My Dear]]'' (1976) in which [[Arthur Mullard]] featured as her husband.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nostalgiacentral.com/television/tv-by-decade/tv-shows-1970s/romany-jones/|title=Romany Jones |website=Nostalgiacentral.com|access-date=25 July 2020}}</ref> Watts also appeared with Mullard, playing Lily and Wally Briggs from Romany Jones, in the third ''[[On the Buses]]'' film spin-off ''[[Holiday on the Buses]]'' in 1973.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6bddebad|title=Holiday on the Buses (1973)|website=BFI}}</ref> She was also a mainstay of the comedy drama series ''[[Beryl's Lot]]'', appearing as Beryl's neighbor Freda Mills from 1973-75.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Guide |first=British Comedy |title=Queenie Watts |url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/queenie_watts/ |access-date=2022-07-27 |website=British Comedy Guide |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nostalgiacentral.com/television/tv-by-decade/tv-shows-1970s/beryls-lot/|title=Beryl's Lot|website=Nostalgiacentral.com|access-date=25 July 2020}}</ref>

On stage, she played Mary in [[Edward Bond]]'s play ''[[Saved (play)|Saved]]'' at the [[Royal Court Theatre]] in 1969.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theoldie.co.uk/blog/palachs-prague-remembered|title=Palach's Prague remembered|website=The Oldie}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.photostage.co.uk/stock-photo-saved-by-edward-bond-director-william-gaskill-design-john-gunter---l-photostage-image00056070.html|title=Photostage.co.uk|website=Photostage Ltd}}</ref>

Watts appeared in ''[[Dad's Army]]'' in the role of Mrs Edna Peters, also in several episodes of ''[[Dixon of Dock Green]]'' in different roles, in two episodes of ''[[Callan (TV series)|Callan]]'' (appearing as the aunt of petty crook Lonely, played by [[Russell Hunter]]), and one episode of ''[[Steptoe and Son]]'' (1972). She appeared in three episodes of the ''[[Play for Today]]'' anthology series for the BBC, including ''Waterloo Sunset'' transmitted on 23 January 1979.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aveleyman.com/ActorCredit.aspx?ActorID=18045|title=Queenie Watts|website=Aveleyman.com}}</ref>

She ran pubs (including the Iron Bridge Tavern, East India Dock Road, London and the Rose and Crown, Pennyfields, Poplar) with her husband, "Slim Watts", where she also sang and played piano with an eight-piece band to pull in more customers.<ref name=queenie>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b69c48d06|title=Portrait of Queenie (1964)|website=BFI.org.uk}}</ref>

==Death==
Watts died in [[London]] from cancer in 1980, aged 56.<ref name="BFI"/> She is buried with her husband in the [[East London Cemetery]].

==Filmography==
*''[[Sparrows Can't Sing]]'' (1963) - Queenie
*''[[Alfie (1966 film)|Alfie]]'' (1966) - Blonde Pub Singer (uncredited)
*''[[Poor Cow]]'' (1967) - Aunt Emm
*''[[Half a Sixpence (film)|Half a Sixpence]]'' (1967) - Pub Character
*''[[Up the Junction (film)|Up the Junction]]'' (1968) - Mrs. Hardy
*''[[The Best House in London]]'' (1969) - Old Crone (uncredited)
*''[[All Coppers Are...]]'' (1972) - Mrs. Malloy
*''[[Holiday on the Buses]]'' (1973) - Mrs. Briggs
*''[[Keep It Up, Jack]]'' (1973) - Char lady
* ''[[Intimate Games]]'' (1976) - John's mother
*''[[Schizo (1976 film)|Schizo]]'' (1976) - Mrs. Wallace
*''[[Come Play with Me (1977 film)|Come Play with Me]]'' (1977) - Cafe Girl
*''[[Confessions from the David Galaxy Affair]]'' (1979) - David Galaxy's Mother

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
''Keeping the British End Up: Four Decades of Saucy Cinema'' by Simon Sheridan (Titan Books) (4th edition) (published 2011), {{ISBN|978-0857682796}}

==External links==
*{{IMDb name|id=0915218}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watts, Queenie}}
[[Category:1923 births]]
[[Category:1980 deaths]]
[[Category:Actresses from London]]
[[Category:Deaths from cancer in England]]
[[Category:English film actresses]]
[[Category:English television actresses]]
[[Category:Singers from London]]
[[Category:20th-century English actresses]]
[[Category:20th-century English singers]]
[[Category:20th-century English women singers]]

Queenie Watts - Revision history

Kurt at 17:31, 22 February 2023

Kurt: /* External links */

Kurt: 1 revision imported

en>Melnels: I added a citation