FLORENCE HENDERSON

(14 February 1934 - 24 November 2016)

Stage, film and TV actress Florence Henderson was in show business from an early age. At 18 she was cast in the Harold Rome musical Wish You Were Here, while her first TV appearance was in a tribute to Rodgers & Hammerstein in 1954. She made umpteen TV shows but is best-known for playing the mother in The Brady Bunch series and its various spin-offs, plus she also played Carol Brady in The Love Boat. Her first film was Song of Norway in 1970 and then Shakes the Clown 22 years later, a black comedy from Bobcat Goldthwait. She played Grandma in The Brady Bunch Movie (1995) and in the 2000s appeared as herself in Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star, graced For Heaven’s Sake, was Carmen in Venus and Vegas, played Betsy Ross in The Christmas Bunny, and Mrs Robinson in Fifty Shades of Black. Florence Henderson was a huge supporter of charities and helped to raise millions in her lifetime. Her last film, Grandmothers Murder Club, is due out in 2017.

MICHAEL DARVELL