New Year honour for Liz Smith

Royle Family star Liz Smith has been awarded an MBE for her services to drama in the New Year Honours List.

The 87-year-old actress bowed out of the BBC One sitcom in 2006, with a special about the death of her character Nana, titled The Queen Of Sheba.

The Scunthorpe-born actress once said: ‘‘I like awards - they make up for half a life of nothing but rejection.‘

Smith made her first TV appearance at the age of 49, and has featured in comedies such as Last Of The Summer Wine, Bottom, The Lenny Henry Show and 2 Point 4 Children.

One of her highest-profile roles came in 1994, when she landed the part of Letitia Cropley in The Vicar Of Dibley. She appeared in the eight episodes of the show over two years before her character died.

In 1984, she received a Bafta for best supporting actress, for playing Maggie Smith's mother in the film A Private Function. She was nominated for another Bafta in 2007 for best comedy performance for her Royle Family role, but lost out to Ricky Gervais. At the time, she said: ‘Everyone was gunning for me to win.... Ricky Gervais won, though, and I couldn't believe it. I was so certain I was going to win.’

More recently, Smith has voiced a part for Wallace And Gromit: The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit and appeared in Lark Rise to Candleford and the Little Man Tate music video This Must Be Love.

She now lives in a retirement home, but said: ‘I have been very lonely in my life, which is why I decided to live with other people around. But don't call it a retirement home.’

Published: 31 Dec 2008