Barbara Windsor, (born Barbara Ann Deeks on 6 August 1937) is an English actress.
Her best known roles are in the Carry On films and as Peggy Mitchell in the BBC soap opera EastEnders;
she is now considered to be something of a British national institution.
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Born in Shoreditch, London in 1937, Windsor was the only child of John and Rose Deeks, who were a costermonger and dressmaker, respectively.
Windsor is of English and Irish ancestry. She passed the 11 plus exam with high marks, and her mother paid for her to have elocution lessons.
Barbara got the highest marks in north London in her 11 plus exams, and won a place at Our Lady’s Convent in Stamford Hill.
She trained at the Aida Foster School in Golders Green, making her stage debut at 13 and her West End debut in 1952 in the chorus of the musical Love From Judy.
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Her first film role was in The Belles of St Trinian's in 1954.
She joined Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop at the Theatre Royal, Stratford East, coming to prominence in their stage production Fings Ain't Wot They Used to Be and Littlewood's film Sparrows Can't Sing in 1963, achieving a BAFTA nomination for Best British Film Actress.
She also appeared in the 1964 film comedy Crooks in Cloisters, the 1968 film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and in the sitcoms The Rag Trade and Wild, Wild Women.
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Carry On films - Windsor came to real prominence with her portrayals of a 'good time girl' in nine Carry On films – beginning with Carry On Spying and ending with Carry On Dick –and several TV and compilation specials between 1964 and 1977.
Her most famous scene was in Carry On Camping during which she was doing outdoor aerobic exercises and her bikini top flew off to reveal her breasts.
From 1973 to 1975 she appeared with several of the Carry On team in the West End revue Carry On London!. During this time, she had a well-publicised affair with her co-star, Sid James which was documented in the play Cleo, Camping, Emmanuelle and Dick.
However, she was strongly identified with the Carry On films for many years and this restricted the variety of roles she was allowed to play later.
She also played the role of "sharp shooter" Laura La Plaz in S01E06 "Shooting Pains" of Dad's Army (first broadcast 1968-09-11).
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