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Kathy Staff

Best known to the world as Nora Batty, a character on television's longest lasting sitcom, "Summer Wine," Kathy Staff has also appeared in numerous films, cultivated a career in theatre, and acted in dozens of other television series. After several minor movie and television roles, Staff was cast in "Summer Wine" in 1973. She would stay with the series for over three decades, portraying Batty, a tough yet loving housewife. The mid-'70s also found Staff playing a recurring character on "Coronation Street," an English soap known for its longevity, and by 1978, she became a regular on the similarly popular daytime drama "Crossroads" (she acted on the series until 1985 and showed up in over 100 episodes). In 1981, she had a seven-episode run on "Open All Hours," a popular BBC sitcom, and two years later, Staff had a supporting role in the feature film "The Dresser," a World War II-set drama that starred English veterans Albert Finney and Tom Courtenay. In 1996, she appeared in the horror film "Mary Reilly," a retelling of the classic story "Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" that featured Julia Roberts. Staff continued to act on "Summer Wine" up until her death in 2008 at age 80.