Career: Collins' film debut came in 1951's Lady Godiva Rides Again. Later in the decade she moved to Hollywood to make more movies and US TV series, including Star Trek, The Man From UNCLE and Batman. She also starred in low-budget horrors such as Fear in the Night, and Tales That Witness Madness, and a series of famous adverts alongside Leonard Rossiter. The Stud and The Bitch - movie versions of her sister's novels - turned her into a sex symbol. She became an international star in 1981 thanks to glossy soap Dynasty. Since then she's starred in various TV movies and mini-series appeared on stage and turned to writing. She was awarded an OBE in 2007 for her lifetime contribution to the arts and her charity work and was made a Dame in the New Year's honours list.

Career: Hird made her film debut in The Black Sheep of Whitehall in 1942 with Will Hay and a string of small roles followed. She had a memorable role as a sharp-tongued mother in A Kind of Loving (1962). Her biggest roles were on TV in sitcoms, including Meet the Wife, In Loving Memory, Hallelujah! and for nearly 20 years in Last of the Summer Wine. Her most acclaimed performances came later in life in straight roles. She won Bafta Best Actress awards for two of Alan Bennett's Talking Heads monologues and the drama Lost for Words. Away from acting, she hosted the religious programme Praise Be! for many years. She died on March 15, 2003 at the age of 91.