Born:
May 31, 1948
in
Montreal, Canada
Best Known For:
Those stock cube adverts.
Early-life:
Lynda was born in Montreal, Canada, on May 31, 1948, and moved around a lot as a child due to her father's job as a pilot. The family eventually settled on a farm near Aylesbury. Her first ambition was to be a showjumper, but she had to give it up due to hayfever. Her parents were not happy about her decision to become an actress, which was inspired by appearing in various school productions. Lynda enrolled at London's Central School of Speech and Drama, graduating in 1969.
Career:
TV roles came in the early 1970s, in shows such as The Sweeney, Within These Walls and Z Cars. Her first regular part was in General Hospital. Bellingham appeared in Confessions of a Driving Instructor (her debut film), The Fuzz and Mackenzie, while maintaining a stage career, but became famous thanks to a series of stock cube adverts, and capitalised on her mumsie image by playing Helen Herriot in All Creatures Great and Small. She went on to star in the likes of Second Thoughts, Faith in the Future, Martin Chuzzlewit, My Uncle Silas, At Home with the Braithwaites, Odd Socks, The All Star Comedy Show and The Bill. She starred alongside Liza Tarbuck in Bonkers and appeared as a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing. After losing a battle with colorectal cancer, Bellingham died on October 19th, 2014, at the age of 66.
Quote:
"The decision to give up chemo was a huge relief because I took back some control of myself."
Trivia:
Bellingham supported a number of cancer charities.