Victoria Wood was a multi-talented British artist, but she was perhaps most revered for her acting skills. No other British artist in history has won as many BAFTA Awards for television as Victoria Wood. Wood was a comedian, singer-songwriter, actress, producer, writer and director. The comic queen could do it all.
It was only a matter of time before she was recognized by her country; in 2008 she was honored with the Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). In remembrance of his contribution to the world of entertainment, we take a look at some of the highlights of his illustrious career and life in general.
Victoria Wood Biography,
Victoria Wood was born on May 19, 1953, in Prestwich, Lancashire, England, to Stanley Wood and Nellie Wood (née Mape). His father, Stanley, worked as an insurance salesman who was revered in his workplace for his songwriting skills which came in handy whenever the company held Christmas parties. The fact that he also wrote scripts for Coronation Street makes it no wonder where Wood gets his artistic traits from.
Victoria Wood grew up in a few places including Lancashire and Bury. She attended Fairfield County Primary School and Bury Grammar School for Girls. She started well in school and was considered one of the best students, but things quickly went downhill when Wood lost her way.
Poor little Wood started to feel inferior compared to the other girls in her school who she thought were much better than her. She became something of a misfit and a loner, refusing to wash her clothes, do her homework, or even make friends.
Her saving grace was a guitar her father gave her on her 15th birthday. Living in isolation, Victoria Wood discovers her artistic side which she quickly develops. Eager to discover herself more, Wood became a member of the Rochdale Youth Theater Workshop.
She was admitted to the University of Birmingham where she chose to study acting. While there, Wood became one of the contestants on the talent show, New Faces in 1974, launching his show business career. Victoria Wood got her first big break on the BBC TV show C’est la vie ! After a period of collaborating as a playwright with Julie Walters, Wood began his own sketch, Wood and Walters
Her next big project over which she had more creative control would be the hugely successful sketch, Victoria Wood As Seen On TV. His other notable work around the same period was Acorn Antiques, a parody of the soap opera, Crossroads. In the late 1980s, Victoria Wood began touring as a hugely successful comedian.
Wood’s other successful works would eventually include the 1994 TV movie Pat and Margaret, sitcom Dinner Parties (1998–2000), ITV1 TV movie Housewife, 49, and many others. She has won four BAFTA Awards from 14 nominations and has been considered by many reputable bodies to be one of television’s biggest stars. Wood’s last acting project was a three-part TV adaptation of Mushroom the Bogeyman which aired on Sky during the 2015 holiday season.
husband and children
Victoria Wood was married to fellow British comedian, Geoffrey Durham, who was best known as a stage magician. They married in March 1980 but divorced in 2002. Unsurprisingly, the ever-charismatic Wood remained on good terms with her Durham even after their romance fizzled out.
Outside of his professional life as a comedian and magician, Victoria Wood’s husband was known to be a Quaker. He became a member of the Christian group in 1996 and would later introduce Wood to it. He was an active participant in the Quaker outreach program, Quaker Quest. Still a devout Quaker, Durham has written a few books on the Christian movement and continues to speak at Quaker events.
After their divorce, Wood and Durham lived close to each other. The couple were blessed with two children, a daughter Grace Eleanor Durham, an accomplished concert singer and recitalist born in October 1988 and a son named Henry Durham who was born on May 2, 1992. Henry is an actor and is mostly known for the 2009 Christmas Film, Mid-Life Christmas
What was the cause of his death?
The cause of death of Victoria Wood has been revealed to be cancer. The comedian was diagnosed with cancer in late 2015, but kept the news from the media until his death on April 20, 2016, so the news of his death was received with great shock.
According to a report released by her family, Wood spent her final hours with ex-husband Durham and their two children at her home in Highgate, London. She was 62 years old. The youngest child of his parents, Wood was the first to die. She reportedly wanted half of her estate, including her £4m Highgate home, to family and friends, while the other half was left for the purpose of setting up a charity in her name. After his death, his net worth was found to be over £9million.