Actress. She is best remembered for her recurring portrayal of the eccentric Mrs. Blanche White in the British game show series "Cludeo". Born Betty Gleadle, after serving in Women's Royal Naval Service in World War II, she married a soldier named Jack Thomas, whom she met while stationed in India, and mothered a son and daughter until their union dissolved in a 1959 divorce. After attaining a salesclerk position at historic Hamleys Toy Store to support herself and her children, she was discovered by film director Mike Leigh. Impressed by her humor and sunny disposition, he arranged for her to withdraw from retail and begin a newfound career in the film industry beginning with her being under his supervision in "Bleak Moments" (1971). For the next 40 years, she went on to flourish as a reputable character actress; often typecast as wives, mothers, grandmothers, aunts, old maids, secretaries, nurses, schoolteachers, neighbors, landladies, nannies, historical figures, and matriarchs. She appeared in such motion pictures as "Leo the Last" (1970), "It Shouldn't Happen To a Vet" (1976), "The Pink Panther Strikes Again" (1976), "The Duelists" (1977), "The Stick Up" (1977), "Agatha" (1979), "The Monster Club" (1981), "Britannia Hospital" (1982), "Give Us This Day" (1982), "Fanny Hill" (1983), "A Private Function" (1984), "Little Dorrit" (1987), "Apartment Zero' (1988), "Dakota Road" (1992), "Piccolo Grande Avenue" (1993), "Haunted" (1995), "Secrets & Lies" (1996), "Sweet Revenge" (1998), "Tom's Midnight Garden" (1999), "Tube Tales" (1999), and "City of Ember" (2008). On television, she became a familiar face appearing in various guest spots on such syndicated sitcoms as "Emmerdale Farm," "Last of the Summer Wine," "Bedtime Stories," "Play for Today," "South Riding," "Crown Court," "I Didn't Know You Cared," "The Duchess of Duke Street," "Within These Walls," "Bernie," "In Loving Memory," "Madhouse," "The Gentle Touch," "The Lenny Henry Show," "One by One," "Rainbow," "Mann's Best Friend," "King & Castle," "Worlds Beyond," "Harem," "Valentine Park," "All Change," "The Vicar of Dibley," "Casualty," "The Royale Family," "Doctors," "Common Ground," and "2 Point 4 Children." During her career, she published her autobiography "Our Betty" in 2006, won the 1984 BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, was the 2007 recipient of the Best Television Comedy Actress, was a Member of the Order of the British Empire, wrote several short stories, was a regular parishioner of the Methodist church, and was a frequent guest performer for The BCC. In 2013, she retired from acting and settled in Southern England where she spent the final years of her life enjoying the company of her family.