13 September 2023 , 10:18
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Jean Boht, best known for playing Nellie Boswell in the TV sitcom Bread, has died aged 91. The actress passed away on Tuesday, September 12, after a battle with vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s disease..
A statement from her family said: “It is with overwhelming sadness that we must announce that Jean Boht passed away yesterday Tuesday 12 September. Jean had been battling vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s disease with the indefatigable spirit for which she was both beloved and renowned. She was a resident at Denville Hall, the home for members of the theatrical profession.”
Jean is survived by her two adult children, daughters Hannah and Jessie Jo, whom she shared with husband Carl Davis, who died just last month. She had been married for 43 years to the award-winning composer, who wrote music for more than 200 films and TV programmes in his long career.
Jean Boht in her role as Nellie Boswell, alongside Melanie Hill (Getty Images)Jean originally hailed from Bebington, in Merseyside, and was educated at the Wirral Grammar School for Girls before beginning her drama training at the Liverpool Playhouse. She went on to enjoy an industrious career on both stage and screen, with her role in Carla Lane's Bread even winning her the British Comedy Award for best TV comedy actress. Running from 1986 to 1991, Bread was watched by more than 20 million people at its peak.
After appearing in Casualty for a fourth time in 2012, she shared her exhausting experience of playing the role of Doris, an older woman with dementia. “You have to do the scenes three or four times and there was a lot of shouting and crying, which you have to be able to repeat at absolutely the same level. It’s great fun but very tiring," she explained.
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Jean also appeared in Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em, Last Of The Summer Wine, Brighton Belle, Grange Hill, Juliet Bravo, Boys From The Blackstuff, Doctors, Holby City, Skins and The Bill. She was the subject of the biographical television show This Is Your Life in 1989.
Bread star Jean Boht dies aged 91 weeks after beloved husband (PA Wire)A statement from the family last month, when husband Carl died, said: "We are heartbroken to announce that Carl Davis (CBE) passed away following a brain haemorrhage. We are so proud that Carl's legacy will be his astonishing impact on music. A consummate all-round musician, he was the driving force behind the reinvention of the silent movie for this generation and he wrote scores for some of the most loved and remembered British television dramas.
"He was a conductor and composer of symphonic works, as well as a notable writer for the ballet. In 2005, he was awarded a CBE (Hon). A beloved father, grandfather and husband, Carl married the actress Jean Boht in 1970. They have two daughters, Hannah and Jessie and three grandchildren, Molly, Fred and Alice. The family would like to send their grateful thanks to the paramedics who assisted Carl and the neurological team at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford."