Biddy White Lennon (5 September 1946 – 25 November 2017) was an Irish actress and food writer.[1][2][3]
Biddy White Lennon | |
---|---|
Born | 5 September 1946 Dublin, Ireland |
Died | 25 November 2017 |
Occupation | Actress |
Notable work | The Riordans Wild Food (O'Brien Press) |
White Lennon was born in Dublin and began acting when she was four. Her mother was Ursula White, a drama professor who ran a school of acting in the Pocket Theatre at Ely Place (one of her students was Joe Dowling while Deirdre O'Connell used the school as her foundation for the Stanislavski Studio).[4][5] Her father died while she was under ten.[6]
White Lennon started in The Riordans when the programme first aired in January 1965. She played the role of Maggie Riordan (née Nael), daughter-in-law of the matriarch and wife of Benjy, and she remained on the show until its cancellation in 1979.[6][7] When the series was brought to the radio, White Lennon wrote for it.[8] She later appeared as a judge on TV3's The Great Irish Bake Off.[9][10][11]
After her appearance on The Riordans, White Lennon went on to become well regarded in the culinary world and became founder member and Chairwoman of the Irish Food Writers Guild.[9][2] White Lennon was also editor of the Irish Home Diary and food writer for both the Irish Home Diary and to Food and Wine Magazine.[12]
In her later years, White Lennon lived in County Wexford with her husband Denis Latimer, who died in December 2016.[13][14] They had one son, Dairsie.[8]