Shirley Stelfox  Shirley Rosemary Stelfox (11 April 1941 – 7 December 2015) was an English actress, known for her portrayal of the character Edna Birch, moralising busybody in a Yorkshire village in the ITV soap opera "Emmerdale", and as Rose, the vampy sister of the snobby and overbearing Hyacinth Bucket in the first season of the comedy series "Keeping Up Appearances". Stelfox was born at Dukinfield, Cheshire, on 11 April 1941. She suffered from bilateral amblyopia, which left her short-sighted. She studied at RADA, where her classmates included Edward Fox, John Thaw, and Sarah Miles. She was playing in pantomimes at the Old Chapel, Dukinfield, and in productions during the years of her study the town's Lakes Road secondary school. After the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art Stelfox started straight at the BBC in a play called "The Case Before You" in which she played a 15 year old arsonist - where the prompter did not respond to her long pauses. In December 1960, she appeared in her first episode of "Coronation Street". She would later play many different characters in the world-famous soap opera, including, in 1983, running a dating agency in which one of her customers was the entrance cue for Jack Duckworth. In 1983, Stelfox appeared in an episode of "Grange Hill" appearing as a Secretary at the school. She was the first actress to play Hyacinth Bucket's randy sister Rose in the first series of "Keeping Up Appearances", but was later replaced by Mary Millar. She appeared in several other well-known television series, including the successful "Wicked Women", "Making Out" with Margi Clarke, Mrs Parkin in "Heartbeat", - and Jean in "Common as Muck", "Juliet Bravo", "Coronation Street", "The Bill" and "Crossroads", and "Inspector Morse", She played Jane Healy, Melanie Owen's mother, in an episode of "EastEnders". She appeared in the short-lived series "Albion Market". Stelfox had a long life in different soap operas, briefly appearing in "Crossroads" (as a police officer), "Owen MD" and "Family Affairs". She had played in "Brookside" as Madge Richmond (1986–1987), where she depicted two-timed the widowed pensioner Ralph Hardwick (Ray Dunbobbin), and in 1999 she appeared in two episodes of "EastEnders" as Jane Healy.