Anna Dawson

Anna F. Boulter (née Dawson; 27 July 1937 – 27 June 2026) was an English actress and singer, who had a career on stage and screen lasting three decades. She appeared in various theatre productions and had several roles in television and entertainment programmes including Dixon of Dock Green, Bad Boyes, The Benny Hill Show and The Kenny Everett Show. Her final acting role was as Violet in the BBC sitcom Keeping Up Appearances, before moving to a retirement village in New Zealand.

Life and career Anna F. Dawson was born in Bolton, Lancashire, on 27 July 1937. She spent part of her childhood in Tanganyika, where her father worked. Dawson attended the Elmhurst Ballet School and after training at the Central School of Speech and Drama, she learned her craft by playing in repertory theatre companies.

During her career, Dawson appeared in several West End musicals and theatre productions, as well as making various appearances in television shows and entertainment programmes, which included Dixon of Dock Green, The Benny Hill Show, The Generation Game, Give Us a Clue and 3-2-1. Her later roles included Bonnie in Bad Boyes and Stella Whipple in Don't Tell Father, with her final role prior to retirement being as Hyacinth Bucket's sister Violet ("the one with the Mercedes, sauna and room for a pony") in the fifth and final series of the sitcom Keeping Up Appearances in 1995.

Dawson married former Black and White Minstrel Show soloist John Boulter in 1985. They subsequently moved to New Zealand where they lived in various retirement villages. They remained together until Boulter's death in December 2025. Dawson died in Kerikeri, New Zealand, on 27 June 2026, aged 88.

Filmography Film

Television