Actress. A noted child star and later Big Band singer, she shall beyond all doubt be remembered as barmaid Betty Turpin who dished up 'hot pot' at the Rover's Return on ITV's "Coronation Street" for 42 years. Born Elizabeth Mary Driver she was raised in Manchester from age two and was, along with her sister Freda (deceased 2008), the victim of a particularly overbearing 'stage mother' who pushed her into talent competitions from an early age. By 10 she was appearing professionally in variety shows and at 12 she was singing on the radio, albeit in a register too high for her voice as her mother wanted her to copy Dame Gracie Fields. Betty made her silver screen bow dancing in the 1934 "Boots! Boots!" and continued her radio, variety, and Big Band career. She made the last of her few movie appearances in 1941's "Facing the Music" and at 21 found herself broke, her parents having wasted her money as fast as she made it. During World War II she was a favourite of the troops and even saw a plane named after her; after the conflict she was still a sought after vocalist, released several successful records, and for a time had her own radio show entitled "A Date With Betty", but by the early 1950s the vocal abuse had taken its toll. Her one marriage proved brief and unhappy and by the early 1960s she was essentially finished. In 1964 Betty auditioned for the role of Hilda on "Coronation Street" and while she did not get the part she did land a two year gig on the spinoff series "Pardon the Expression", though an on set injury forced her to abandon show business. She retired to help Freda run a pub but in 1969 was called for another "Coronation Street" audition. Betty made the first of her more than 2,800 appearances on June 2, 1969, was to become an iconic part of the series, and was even to see a frozen version of her signature dish become a popular item in British grocery stores. Named Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2000, she never retired and was still driving herself to work every morning in her late 80s. Betty saw her final months marked by lung problems, was last seen on "Coronation Street" on May 27, 2011, and died following a prolonged hospitalization for pneumonia.