Patricia Hayes

Patricia Hayes

Patricia Lawlor Hayes, OBE (22 December 1909 – 19 September 1998) was an English comedy actress.

Hayes was born in Streatham, London. As a child Hayes attended the Sacred Heart School in Wandsworth.

She was featured in many radio and television comedy shows between 1940 and 1996, including Hancock's Half Hour, Ray's a Laugh, The Arthur Askey Show, The Benny Hill Show, and Till Death Us Do Part. She was cast in support roles for films including The Bargee (1964), The NeverEnding Story (1984), A Fish Called Wanda (1988) and featured as Fin Raziel in the Ron Howard film Willow (also 1988). She also played the part of Henry Bones in the BBC Children's Hour radio programme "Norman and Henry Bones - The Boy Detectives" during the late 1940s.

Her most substantial television appearance was in the title role of Edna, the Inebriate Woman (Play for Today, 1971) for which she won a BAFTA award. She provided the character voice for comedy puppet performances for television and DVDs - e.g. 'Gran' (Woodland Animations, 1982).

She is the mother of British actor Richard O'Callaghan (born Richard Brook) by her marriage to the late Valentine Brook, whom she divorced. She never remarried. She was formerly the head of the (British) Catholic Stage Guild, which her son, Richard, now chairs.

Patricia Hayes died in September 1998 in Surrey but went on to appear posthumously in Crime and Punishment (2002).