Doris Speed - Definition and Overview

Doris Speed MBE (February 3, 1899 - November 16, 1994) was a British actress, most known for her role as snooty Rovers Return manageress Annie Walker on Coronation Street, a role she played from 1960 to 1983.

Toward the end of her run, a national newspaper published her birth certificate, which proved her to be many years older than she let on. She publicly fainted when she learned the news, and weeks later, burglars robbed her house while she was asleep. The stress surrounding the incidents caused her to have a minor breakdown, and she left the show to live the rest of her days in a nursing home until she died in 1994, at the age of 95.

She was awarded the Order of the British Empire on November 29, 1977, for her impact on British society in the role of Annie.