The daughter of Isaac Routledge, a haberdasher, and his wife, Catherine. During WWII, the family lived for weeks at a time in the basement of her father's shop. She attended Birkenhead High School, where she sang in the choir and ran the Sunday School.
She studied English at Liverpool University, and, after graduation, worked without pay at the Liverpool Playhouse. She was asked to join the company, and later studied at Old Vic Theatre School in Bristol. She then moved to London, where she built an impressive stage career over the next several years, also appearing on Broadway between 1966 and 1968.
She worked in TV from the early 1950s onward, most recently in
Keeping Up Appearances (1990). She also recorded an album, "Presenting Patricia Routledge", and worked in film and radio. She never married or had children.
Blips(2004)as Narrator
In Search of the Brontës(2003)as Narrator
Anybody's Nightmare(2001)as Sheila Bowler
Talking Heads 2(1998)as Miss Fozzard
Hetty Wainthropp Investigates(1995)as Hetty Wainthropp
Keeping Up Appearances(1990)
When We Are Married(1987)
Steptoe and Son(1962)
The Ed Sullivan Show(1948)
Remembers...(2022)as Self
Keeping Up Appearances: 30 Years of Laughs(2023)as Self
Songs of Praise(1961)as Self
Granada Reports(1980)as Self - Actress
Top of the Box(2018)as Hyacinth Bucket, Self
Lives Well Lived(2023)as Self
Weekend Breakfast(2012)as Self - Actor
One Foot in the Grave: 30 Years of Laughs(2023)as Hyacinth Bucket
What We Were Watching(2018)as Hyacinth Bucket, Hetty Wainthropp
