Between the bubbly blonde of the Carry Ons and EastEnders’ matriarch, the actor built up a significant body of work in film, theatre and TV
When Barbara Deeks, a 16-year-old actor from east London, was encouraged to choose a stage name in 1953, it might seem arrogant that she borrowed from the newly crowned Queen of the United Kingdom.
Related: Barbara Windsor: a life in pictures
