Elizabeth Kelly

Elizabeth Hutton Trower (née Kelly; 29 May 1921 – 31 December 2025) was an English actress. With a career spanning 40 years in television and film, she was known for portraying Nellie Ellis in the BBC soap opera EastEnders between 1993 and 1998, and again for a one-off appearance in 2000.

Early life

Elizabeth Hutton Kelly was born in Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland, on 29 May 1921, the daughter of Elizabeth (née Tulip) and Albert Kelly.

Career

Kelly began her acting career in the late 1960s. She played Edie Burgess in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street in 1971 and went on to portray various roles in several televised drama series including The Bill, Boon, Spender, and Where the Heart Is, as well as the television film Cider with Rosie among others.

In 1993, Kelly joined the cast of the BBC soap opera EastEnders as Nellie Ellis, the interfering relative of Pauline Fowler, portraying the role until 1998, before returning briefly in 2000 for the funeral of Ethel Skinner (Gretchen Franklin). After leaving EastEnders, Kelly appeared in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale as Edith Weatherall in 2002, as well as appearing in episodes of The Inspector Lynley Mysteries, Steel River Blues and Heartbeat. Her final acting role was in The Royal in 2007.

Personal life and death

In June 1943, she married playwright John Trower. He predeceased her in 1968, aged 55. Together they had two children, a son and a daughter. Kelly had several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Kelly celebrated her 100th birthday in May 2021, and died on 31 December 2025 in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, aged 104. Her death was announced on 4 February 2026, with her funeral service set to take place at St Peter's Church in Scarborough on 17 February, followed by a private burial.

Filmography

Film

Television

Radio

External links

• at IMDb
• at Rotten Tomatoes