Patricia Brake, who appeared in the BBC comedy Porridge and the ITV drama Manhunt, has away at the age of 79. According to her family, she was diagnosed with cancer years ago and fought it for a long time. According to her agency, Scott Marshall Partners, Brake will be “truly missed” by her friends, family, colleagues, and fans. Brake was diagnosed with an unidentified kind of cancer.
Scott Marshall Partners, her agent, stated:
“It is with great regret that we announce the loss of our client and beloved stage and television actress, Patricia Brake, at the age of 79, after a lengthy struggle with cancer.”
Her six-decade career included appearances in programs such as EastEnders, Emmerdale, and Coronation Street. In the 1970s, though, she was best known for her role in Porridge.
All About Patricia Brake
Patricia Brake was born in Bath in 1942 and began attending the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School at the age of 16. She came to fame in repertory theatre and joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford as a teenager. Ingrid Fletcher, Norman Stanley Fletcher’s daughter, was played by Brake in the 1970s BBC sitcom Porridge. She subsequently repeated her part in the film Going Straight, opposite Richard Beckinsale and Nicholas Lyndhurst.
Brake has worked with world-famous comedians The Two Ronnies, Ronnie Corbett and Barker, and Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise. Other ITV appearances include Manhunt, The Glums, and Midsomer Murders, as well as Doctors, Holby City, and Casualty. Ingrid Fletcher, Norman Stanley Fletcher’s daughter, was played by Brake in the 1970s BBC sitcom Porridge. She subsequently repeated her part in the film Going Straight, opposite Richard Beckinsale and Nicholas Lyndhurst.
Brake has worked with world-famous comedians The Two Ronnies, Ronnie Corbett and Barker, and Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise. Other ITV appearances include Manhunt, The Glums, and Midsomer Murders, as well as Doctors, Holby City, and Casualty.
She is well known for her portrayal of Viv Baldwin in the ITV soap opera Corrie. She was Danny Baldwin’s mother and relocated to Weatherfield when her husband Harry died in 2005. She then told her brother-in-law Mike Baldwin that he was Danny’s real father, not Harry.
Brake was married twice, first to Robert McBain and once to Michael Kennedy; her children, stepchildren, and grandkids survive her. Brake has three children: Hannah, Jon, and Angus. Her son, Jon McBain, announced her death on Twitter on Sunday (May 29). She continued to work until last year when she starred as a rape victim in the ITV thriller Manhunt.
Tributes to the adored actress have flooded in on social media.
I’m sad to hear that, as one user phrased it. Please accept my sympathy as a fan of numerous of her shows.
I was very sad to hear that the actress Patricia Brake has passed away aged 79. pic.twitter.com/krg9wMLK8u
— Paul Burton (@paulburton73) May 28, 2022
Goodnight Patricia Brake. For millions always Eldorado’s troubled Gwen Lockhead or flighty Ingrid, Fletch’s daughter, in Porridge among others. A veteran of tv drama and comedy. RIP. pic.twitter.com/Vz29HwksjS
— Rob Cope (@Rob_Cope) May 28, 2022
