Dame Janet Suzman, co-star of the late Dame Penelope Keith, paid an emotional tribute on BBC Breakfast on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, saying she 'misses her terribly'. The 86-year-old actress, best known for her roles in the classic 1970s British sitcoms The Good Life and To The Manor Born, died peacefully at her home in Surrey after living with cancer, her family announced.
Emotional On-Air Tribute
Appearing on BBC Breakfast, Dame Janet Suzman, who starred alongside Dame Penelope in the 1981 film Priest of Love, became visibly emotional. She began by offering condolences to Penelope's husband, Ronnie, a former policeman. Fighting back tears, she said: 'I'm going to miss her terribly, she was such fun to be with.'
She recalled a cherished memory from the set of Priest of Love, where they shared a makeup room with the legendary Ava Gardner. 'Every morning we used to get up very early for George the makeup man to do our faces, and he wasn't at all interested in us. We were in the adjacent room to the great Ava Gardner. Penny and I were in absolute awe,' she told presenters Sally Nugent and Jon Kay.
'The door used to open to her room at a certain point when he dismissed us, and Ava walked in looking terrible as one does in the morning, and she would say 'good morning George, you can do your thing'. I don't know what George did to her, but Penny and I were having our coffee and we would just be watching, pretending not to of course. After about ten minutes she said 'right I'm going to do my thing now George' and she would disappear. We would wait and then the door would open again, and in walks this Black Panther woman, those green eyes were beginning to appear, and he would complete her makeup. Penny and I - it was our morning show, just the most wonderful thing.'
Family Statement and Further Tributes
The family statement read: 'We are deeply saddened to announce that Dame Penelope Keith died peacefully whilst living with cancer at her home in Surrey where she had lived for more than 50 years. The family is grateful for the care and support she received throughout her treatments, and ask that their privacy be respected at this time.'
Numerous celebrities paid tribute. Comedian Sue Perkins called her the 'creator of some of the greatest sitcom characters of all time'. Broadcaster Gyles Brandreth remembered her as 'such a special lady - a wonderful actress, a real friend, so funny, so generous with the time she gave to good causes. Hers was indeed a good life.'
Felicity Kendal, her co-star in The Good Life, honoured her as a 'comic genius' who was 'a joy to know and work with'.
BBC Breakfast airs daily from 6am on BBC One and iPlayer.
