Ruth Madoc, Hi-de-Hi! and Fiddler on the Roof actor, dies aged 79
Agent pays tribute to ‘unique talent loved by many’ who played Gladys Pugh in BBC comedy series
She was not on the list.
The Hi-de-Hi! actor Ruth Madoc has died aged 79 after a fall.
Madoc became a household name playing “chief yellowcoat” Gladys Pugh in the BBC One sitcom. The show ran for eight years from 1980 and was set in a fictional holiday camp, Maplins, during the 1950s.
Her career also included a range of roles in theatre and musicals, such as Fiddler on the Roof and Gypsy.
In a statement, Phil Belfield, of the Belfield & Ward talent agency, described Madoc as “one of a kind and a unique talent loved by many”.
He said: “It is with much sadness that we have to announce the death of our dear and much-loved client Ruth Madoc.
“Ruth passed away on the afternoon of Friday December 9 while in hospital following surgery for a fall she had earlier in the week, which had led her to have to withdraw from panto in Torquay.
“From film work such as Fiddler on the Roof and Under Milk Wood with Richard Burton and her iconic TV performance as Gladys Pugh in Hi De Hi! and more recently in Little Britain and on stage with Calendar Girls (the play and the musical), plus recent acclaim in short films Skinny Fat and Cardiff, she was truly a national treasure and was looking forward to getting back on the road in 2023 with The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.
“A real legend of the British entertainment scene, she was one of a kind and a unique talent loved by many. She is gone far too soon. Our hearts are broken!
“Thoughts are with her daughter Lowri, her son Rhys and all of her family.”
Actor and writer Sir Tony Robinson, 76, tweeted: “So sad to hear my lovely friend Ruth Madoc has passed.
“She was not only funny and highly intelligent, she was smart, kindly, a loyal trade unionist, and wore her heart on the left. She’ll be much missed.”
Her death comes following a fall that led her to withdraw from performing in the pantomime Aladdin at the Princess Theatre in Torquay.
Posting a statement on Twitter, the theatre company said on Thursday: “Following an accident earlier this week, after medical assessment, regretfully Ruth Madoc is no longer able to appear in this year’s pantomime of Aladdin at the Princess Theatre in Torquay.”
Madoc was born in April 1943 and grew up in Llansamlet near Swansea before training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (Rada), before her break-out role playing Fruma Sarah in the 1971 film adaptation of the musical Fiddler on the Roof.
Broadcaster Gyles Brandreth has remembered “wonderfully gifted actress” Ruth Madoc following news of her death.
The former MP, who is now a writer and reporter on the BBC’s The One Show, said on Twitter: “This is such sad news. Ruth was a very lovely person – and a wonderfully gifted actress.
“I was lucky enough to get to know her through my best friend from school, Simon Cadell.
“In Hi-De-Hi they were irresistible. RIP Ruth Madoc & thanks for the memories. Goodbye campers!”
Cadell played holiday camp boss Jeffrey Fairbrother, the object of affections for Madoc’s character Glady Pugh.
She is survived by her two children.
Filmography
Television
Year Title Role Ref.
1973–1976 Hunter's Walk Betty Smith
1980–1988 Hi-de-Hi! Gladys Pugh/Dempster
1981 The Life and Times of David Lloyd George Lizzie Davies
1986 The Adventure Game Herself
1997 The Pale Horse Sybil Stamfordis
2005 Little Britain Daffyd Thomas's Mother
2009 Big Top Georgie
2014 Doctors Alice Swanson
2015 Benidorm Rhiannon
2015 Get Your Act Together Contestant
2015 Tinga Tinga Tales Whale
2016 Stella Mayor Mary Meyer
2016 Casualty Bev Whipsnade-Partridge
2018 Doctors Jean March
2019 Casualty Millie Falconer
Films
Year Title Role Ref.
1971 Fiddler on the Roof Fruma Sarah
1972 Under Milk Wood Mrs Dai Bread Two
1977 The Prince and the Pauper Moll
2001 Very Annie Mary Mrs Ifans
2002 Journey Man Constance
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