Joanna “Jo” Bacon, the British actress best known for her roles in Love Actually, Breeders and TV soap Eastenders, has died. She was 72.
Bacon’s death was confirmed by the Harlow Theatre Company this week, who said she passed away on June 14 following a battle with cancer.
“It is with much sadness that we inform our HTC members past and present the passing of Jo Bacon on June 14th following a short and brave battle against cancer,” the company said in a statement.
“Many of our members will remember Jo and her force of nature, her wit, her fun, her passion and her natural ability as an actor. She became a member of Harlow Theatre Company at its inception in 1978. She appeared in many plays in iconic roles such as Portia in The Merchant of Venice, Maddie in Dirty Linen and Beverly in Abigail’s Party along with reviews, musicals and pantomimes all at the Harlow Playhouse.”
After training at The Actors Institute, Bacon decided to leave her job in publishing and venture into showbiz. Her first job was the role of Jane in Nell Dunn’s Steaming at Lancaster’s The Dukes Theatre.
She was perhaps best known for playing the mother of Martine McCutcheon’s character, Natalie, in the 2003 Christmas movie Love Actually.
Bacon went on to appear at, amongst others, the Hampstead Theatre, The Sheffield Crucible, Stratford East and the National Theatre, according to the HTC.
Recently, she wowed as Jackie in FX show Breeders opposite Martin Freeman. The HTC said her next job was in a Sharon Morgan TV show.
“Jo will be sadly missed and fondly remembered,” the tribute added. “She continued to support HTC attending many of our productions. She would settle herself in the front row with a notebook and watched with a critical eye and her passion for theatre. She never forgot to praise our work.”
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