Biography

Pregnant in 1955 and 1957, she suffered miscarriages on both occasions, which led to severe depression and a nervous breakdown. She suffered a third miscarriage and in 1980 and was hospitalised again for depression and alcohol dependency. She did bear one biological child, William Lawton, after she and her husband had adopted two children: Daniel and Georgina. Daniel had one son (Samuel) and William had one son (Nathaniel). Georgina Lawton died from alcoholism at the age of only 36.

She chose the stage surname "Bryant" after the popular brand of matches Bryant and May but had to change it to "Bryan" after a theatre mis-spelled her chosen name in a theatre programme.

Achieved trans-Atlantic recognition in Britain and on Broadway as the bigoted, domineering, alcoholic mother ("Helen") of Rita Tushingham's character ("Jo") in A Taste of Honey (1961).

The younger of two children of Albert Broadbent (1894-1959), the director of a cotton mill, and Georgina (née Hill) Broadbent (1896-1960), Dora, at age 12, made her stage debut in a pantomime in Manchester. At 15 she joined Oldham Repertory as an assistant stage manager and remained with the company for four years, by which time she had graduated to playing juvenile leads.

Used to own Clarges Hotel in Brighton which was seen in Carry on at Your Convenience (1971), when the workers' coach pulls up outside. Exterior shots of the hotel were used in Carry on Girls (1973). The hotel was later converted into a block of flats (an apartment building).