It’s not hard to see why – Barbara had been a regular fixture on the stage and screen since the late 1950s and quickly earned her place in the nation’s hearts, thanks to a number of high profile roles.
Barbara Windsor's Career In Pictures
An early headshot of Barbara taken in the 1950s.(01 of32)
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(credit:Rex)
In a production of Fings Ain't What They Used To Be at Garrick Theatre, London in 1960.(02 of32)
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Carry On Spying (1964)(03 of32)
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Performing on TV show Thank Your Lucky Stars in the 1960s(04 of32)
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On The Des O'Connor Show in 1966.(05 of32)
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Carry On Henry (1967)(06 of32)
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Carry On Doctor (1967)(07 of32)
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Carry On Doctor (1967)(08 of32)
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Carry On Camping (1969)(09 of32)
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Carry On Again Doctor (1967)(10 of32)
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Carry On Again Doctor (1967)(11 of32)
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On stage in The Boy Friend in 1971(12 of32)
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Carry On Matron (1972)(13 of32)
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Carry on Abroad (1972)(14 of32)
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Carry On Matron (1972)(15 of32)
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Carry On Dick (1974)(16 of32)
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With Danny La Rue in Come Spy With Me in 1977.(17 of32)
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In Worzel Gummidge in 1979.(18 of32)
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With Pauline Quirke in Both Ends Meet in 1980.(19 of32)
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With Russell Grant on Family Fortunes in 1990.(20 of32)
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One Foot In The Grave(21 of32)
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Actors Richard Wilson and Barbara Windsor in a scene from episode 'The Affair of the Hollow Lady' of the BBC Television sitcom 'One Foot in the Grave', October 23rd 1994. (Photo by Don Smith/Radio Times/Getty Images) (credit:Radio Times via Getty Images)
In panto in 1994.(22 of32)
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With EastEnders co-star Ross Kemp in 1996.(23 of32)
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With Graham Norton at a Pride event in 1997(24 of32)
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(credit:Steve Eason via Getty Images)
With on-screen husband Mike Reid in EastEnders in 1999.(25 of32)
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Launching her first solo album in 1999.(26 of32)
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Being turned into a waxwork at Madam Tussauds in 2000.(27 of32)
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Receiving her MBE at Buckingham Palace in 2000.(28 of32)
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Launching her autobiography All Of Me in 2000.(29 of32)
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Showing the Queen around the EastEnders set in 2001.(30 of32)
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With her EastEnders co-stars as show wins Best Soap at the NTAs.(31 of32)
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(credit:Dan Kitwood via Getty Images)
Barbara receives a Damehood at Buckingham Palace in 2016.(32 of32)
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(credit:JOHN STILLWELL via Getty Images)
After years of hard work as a young actor, Barbara made her way into the spotlight in the the 1960s, starring in the Carry On films alongside the likes of Sid James and Kenneth Williams. Her famous bra scene in Carry On Camping became one of the most memorable in British film history.
During this time, she also picked up a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her role in Broadway’s Oh, What a Lovely War!.
After starring in her last Carry On in 1974’s Carry On Dick, Babs went on to enjoy a number of further stage roles, and in 1981 she played a sex-mad landlady in Entertaining Mr Sloane at the Lyric Hammersmith, which was directed by friend and former Carry On co-star Kenneth Williams.
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Barbara Windsor in Carry On Camping in 1969
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Over a decade later, she was to land arguably her biggest role to date - the landlady of the Queen Vic in EastEnders, Peggy Mitchell.
After the BBC relaxed its policy of only casting unknown actors in the soap, Barbara took over the role of the Mitchell matriarch from previous actress Jo Warne in 1994.
With the exception of a two year break between 2003 and 2005 when she battled the Epstein Barr virus, she remained as a regular on the BBC soap until 2010, when she quit to spend more time with her husband Scott Mitchell.
However, she couldn’t stay away for too long, and returned for guest appearances in 2013 and 2014, as well as for the soap’s 30th anniversary in 2015.
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Barbara with EastEnders co-star Mike Reid in 1999
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She made her final appearance on the soap in 2016, as Peggy took her own life after being diagnosed with terminal cancer.
That same year, she accepted a Damehood at Buckingham Palace, where she was recognised for her services to entertainment and charity,
Unbeknown to fans, Barbara had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease two years earlier, and went public with the news in 2018.
She died peacefully in a care home on 10 December 2020 where her husband Scott had spent the previous seven days at her bedside.
Take a look at some of the highs from Barbara’s illustrious career in the gallery above..