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East Ender - The actress was born Barbara Deeks in Shoreditch, London, in 1937.

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Finding her voice - Windsor was a true cockney girl, but her mother paid for her to have elocution lessons while at school. She was a natural-born performer and loved to sing and dance.

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Stage debut - Windsor later perfected her diction and acting at the Aida Foster Theatre School. There, she made her stage debut at the age of 13.

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Taking the West End - Two years later, in 1952, Windsor made her West End debut. She starred in the musical ‘Love from Judy.’

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Royal inspiration - A year later, Deeks changed her name to Barbara Windsor. She was apparently inspired by the Queen’s coronation in 1953.

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First film role - Windsor’s first film was ‘The Belles of St Trinian’s’ in 1954. She played a minor, uncredited role, but it was an essential step for the young actress.

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Career beginnings - Soon after, Windsor joined the Theatre Workshop at the Theatre Royal. This helped her score roles in the musical ‘Fings Ain’t Wot They Used T’Be.’ She also starred in the film ‘Sparrows Can’t Sing,’ which was nominated for a BAFTA Award.

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Winning streak - Windsor was on a winning streak. Throughout the 1960s, she won audiences over in the TV series ‘The Rag Trade’ and ‘Wild, Wild Women.’

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Personal life - Around this time, Windsor had a special relationship with the Kray brothers that was both intimate and infamous. The identical twin brothers were notorious gangsters, ruling the East End of London in the 1950s and 1960s.

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Love triangle - She reportedly had a fleeting encounter with Reggie Kray (right), and a longer relationship with his brother, Charlie (center).

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Bad boys - She married Ronnie Knight in 1964. Knight was a notorious London gangster who was implicated in a murder case and fled to Spain after involvement in an armed robbery in East London. Windsor clearly had a type!

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'Carry On' - Windsor joined the ‘Carry On’ franchise in 1964, when she starred in the film ‘Carry On Spying.’

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Bit on the Sid(e) - During her marriage, Windsor had a highly publicized affair with her 'Carry On' co-star Sid James.

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Classic scenes - One of her most famous scenes was in ‘Carry On Camping.’ While doing aerobic exercises, her bikini top comes undone, shocking co-stars and audiences alike.

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'Oh, What a Lovely War!' - In 1965, Windsor won her first Tony Award nomination for her performance in ‘Oh, What a Lovely War!’

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A secret celebrity couple - During this period, she reportedly had a number of flings with famous figures, including legendary soccer player George Best.

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Behind the scenes - Windsor was a rising star in her twenties, but things weren’t all glitz and glamour. She later revealed that she had several abortions around this time.

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Returning to the West End - In the early 1970s, Windsor toured the West End with the ‘Carry On’ team.

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End of an era - The ‘Carry On’ chaos came to an end in the ‘70s. She did her last 'Carry On' film in 1974, and she made her last ‘Carry On...’ TV appearance in 1977.

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The show must go on - But her own show, ‘Carry On Barbara!,’ toured widely in the UK, South Africa, and New Zealand.

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A faded romance - In 1985, she divorced her first husband, Ronnie, after 21 years of marriage.

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Second marriage - Windsor went on to marry chef Stephen Hollings in Jamaica a year later. They divorced in 1995.

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A career regeneration - ‘EastEnders’ was launched in the mid-1980s, but producers didn’t want well-known actors stealing the scene. By 1994, this had changed, and Windsor took over the role of Peggy Mitchell from Jo Warne.

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A household name once again - The role was perfect for Windsor, and Peggy Mitchell became a staple in the soap.

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Crowd-pleaser - Her performance was well-received by audiences and critics alike. For instance, she won the Best Actress award at the 1999 British Soap Awards.

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Honored - Winsor received an MBE at the 2000 New Year Honors.

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Third time's a charm - The same year, she married her third husband, Scott Mitchell.

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Taking a break - Windsor was forced to step down from her ‘EastEnders’ role for two years, between 2003 and 2005, after contracting the Epstein-Barr virus. After recovering, she returned to the soap in mid-2005.

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Stepping down for good - In 2009, she said she wanted to step down from ‘EastEnders’ to spend more time with her husband. She left the show in 2010, returning for a few one-off episodes. Her last episode (in which her character dies during a cancer battle) was aired on May 17, 2016.

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A brief return to Hollywood - In 2010, the actress played the Dormouse in ‘Alice in Wonderland.’ Director Tim Burton was apparently an ‘EastEnders’ fan.

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Dame Barbara Windsor - Windsor was made a DBE in 2016 in recognition of her charitable work and her career in entertainment.

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'Babs' - In 2017, Windsor was the subject of a BBC biopic called ‘Babs.’ She was played by Jaime Winstone.

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Alzheimer’s diagnosis -

On May 10, 2018, husband Scott Mitchell announced that Windsor had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

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Final years -

The development of the disease had been slow at first, but she worsened after her 80th birthday and retired from public life. She passed away on December 10, 2020, at the age of 83. She received tributes from both the prime minister and the royal family. Her husband has continued campaigning for research into the disease and better care for those suffering from it.  

See also: Understanding Alzheimer's disease 

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