Born in 1926, Jean Alexander, whose real name was Jean Margaret Hodgkinson grew up in Liverpool, and played Hilda Ogden, Britain's best loved cleaner, for 23 years from 1964 until 1987. She retired from acting in 2012.

Despite her yearning to be an actress she worked for five years as a library assistant in her home city before she began her acting career in 1949 at the Adelphi Guild Theatre in Macclesfield and later worked in rep in Oldham, Stockport and York. She worked as an actress, wardrobe mistress and stage manager.