Speaking of British women...

One of my favorite actresses of all time is Patricia Routledge. It's probably sort of strange for me to say that because the only things I've actually seen her in are the early 90s British sitcom "Keeping Up Appearances" and a later mystery series called "Hetty Wainthropp Investigates". Routledge plays two very different characters in these - the contrast is amazing! She hasn't been in many movies (though she was in this short awkward one about Hildegard von Bingen), and appears onstage in Shakespeare plays mostly these days (or maybe she's retired - 82 is sort of old...)

In addition to being a fabulous actress, Routledge is also a classically trained singer. She appeared on Broadway and the West End in London in the 1960s (notably in Leonard Bernstein's flop "1600 Pennsylvania Avenue" and "The Sound of Music" in those respective venues).

I always thought the fact that she's actually a very good singer pretty amusing, because my first impression of her "singing" was in "Keeping Up Appearances" - a show in which she plays a conceited upper middle class housewife who wishes she was richer than she and her husband really are. In addition to just being downright irritating to the people around her, she is convinced that she is a talented musician and oftentimes offers to perform at her church or for her neighbor's brother (who is the "Head of the Ameture Operatic Society"). As a result, people literally run away and the neighbor hides when he thinks she's around. There are a few instances in which the audience actually hears the "singing" - awful.

One day some years ago, I was watching an episode of "Hetty Wainthropp Investigates" (a show about a housewife detective etc.) in which Routledge's character pretends to sing in a church choir in order to gather information. During one of the rehearsals (probably explicitly to exploit her singing ability) she is shown singing a solo, and it is really her singing voice. I had some sort of personal crisis when I saw it, being used to some sort of infernal screeching.

I find it a little curious too that Routledge has never married or had children. I don't think she's ever come under fire for it, either (which is quite nice, really!). She is truly an actress of a different generation, so I'm not even sure whether she's been in some sort of serious relationship or not or whatever, and I'm also pretty certain there's no way to find out - and that's totally fine.