During her career, Ruth Madoc starred in over 30 pantos, lent her name to a pair of best-selling books, filmed more than a dozen feature films and performed in more than a dozen musicals. She was a bona fide national treasure. Her passing at the age of 79 is a tragic loss to a country that was lucky to have her. Her husband Philip Madoc passed away last year, leaving her with two children. Sadly, she never got to perform in the panto she had booked for at the Princess Theatre in Torquay.
Aside from her stellar film and stage performances, Madoc also had a notable role in the BAFTA-winning TV series Hi-de-Hi! She played the title role in a nine-part comedy series set in the late 1950s. She was also one of the few celebrities to get a movie-quality turn in Fiddler on the Roof. Madoc was also one of the stars of the musical cult classic Milk Under Wood. She also appeared in a handful of other films, including the aptly named The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, a.k.a. A.M., which was a big hit at the time. Despite her success on screen, Madoc also managed to find the time to be a mum to two children.
Aside from her movie and television roles, Madoc was also a bona fide trade unionist. She was a stalwart of the Women’s Royal Naval Association (WRNA). She also had a hand in the founding of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC). Also she was an active member of the Labour Party and the women’s wing of the Conservative Party. She was a long-time advocate of the women’s suffrage movement. She was also a champion of breast cancer awareness.
Madoc, whose nickname was The Lady, was born in Llansamlet, near Swansea. She raised in Wales and was a loyal trade unionist. She was a philanthropist as well, founded the Ruth Madoc Foundation, an organisation dedicated to helping the less fortunate. Also she was also the only person in the UK to have a seat on the board of the National Cancer Research Network. She was also the first woman to be elected to the Board of Directors of the British Library.
She was a bona fide national hero, with her death coming as a bit of a shock. Her colleagues have been quick to pay tribute to her. Aside from her film and stage performances, Madoc had a rich and varied life, having married a fellow actor and then going on to have two children with him.
