Jean Heywood


Jean Heywood was a British actress.
Born in Blyth, Northumberland, in July 1921, Heywood appeared in films such as Billy Elliot and Our Day Out. Her TV work included roles in When the Boat Comes In, All Creatures Great and Small, Boys from the Blackstuff, Family Affairs, The Bill and Casualty. In 2005, she starred alongside Richard Briers and Kevin Whately in a drama called Dad on BBC One as part of Comic Relief's Elder Abuse campaign. In 2010 Heywood made a guest appearance in the ITV series Married Single Other.

Personal life

At age six, Heywood moved with her parents, Jack and Elsie, to New Zealand. Her mother died less than six months later.
"My stepmother was bad at pastry," she explained when talking about her role as Mrs. Alton, the housekeeper in All Creatures Great and Small. "So when I was cooking for myself, I made sure I was good at pastry! My family had their favourites of my cooking, and when some of them were asked to write little reminiscences of their life in our old home — where I had lived for 57 years, grandchildren were always visiting and even one great-grandchild — two or three of them picked as a highlight my homemade blackberry jelly with homemade brown bread. So there you are, like Mrs. Alton, I produced favourites." Heywood died in September 2019 at the age of 98. Heywood's husband, Roland, died in 1996. They had two children together. Heywood had another in an earlier relationship.

Filmography