Jean Boht Dies: Star Of BBC Sitcom ‘Bread’ Was 91

Jean Boht, the star of beloved BBC sitcom Bread, died Tuesday. She was 91.

“It is with overwhelming sadness that we must announce that Jean Boht passed away yesterday Tuesday 12 September,” her family said in a statement. “Jean had been battling Vascular Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease with the indefatigable spirit for which she was both beloved and renowned.”

Her husband, the composer Carl Davis, died last month.

Boht was a popular actor who was best known for her role as Nellie Boswell in Bread. Penned by Carla Lane, Bread followed a working-class family led by Boht’s Nellie, the acid-tongued matriarch. The show aired on the BBC in the late 1980s and proved hugely popular.

Boht began her career at the Liverpool Playhouse before touring the UK in stage roles, working in many West End theaters. Her other credits included Softly, Softly, Some Mothers Do ‘Ave Em and Grange Hill.

She is survived by two daughters and three grandchildren.