- Born
- Birth nameBonita Melody Lysette Langford
- Height5′ 1″ (1.55 m)
- Bonita Melody Lysette Langford was born on 22 July 1964 in Hampton Court, Surrey. By the age of six she had won Hughie Green's Opportunity Knocks (1956) television talent contest and gained membership of Equity. Later she trained at the Arts Educational and Italia Conti stage schools in London. By her early teens she had starred on New York's Broadway ("Gypsy"), on London's West End ("Gone With the Wind") and in television shows (including the Bonnie and Lena (Lena Zavaroni) variety spectaculars). Her biggest success of the mid-1970's came when she played "Elizabeth Bott" in 7 of the 27 episodes of the children's drama series Just William (1977). It was this that helped fix her in the minds of the British public as a precocious child star - an image she found it hard to shed in later years, despite amassing an impressive list of credits as a dancer, singer and actress on stage: "Peter Pan: The Musical"; "Cats" and "The Pirates of Penzance", and on television: Saturday Starship and The Hot Shoe Show (1983). Shorly after her stint as "Mel" in Doctor Who (1963), this typecasting brought about an emotional crisis that caused her to take almost a year's break form her career. By the close of the 1980's she had recovered her health and resumed a hectic schedule of work, which has continued to date. In 1995 she was in the news again when she was married to actor Paul Grunert in Mauritius on 27 September.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Anonymous
- SpousePaul Grunert(September 27, 1995 - 2015) (divorced, 1 child)
- RelativesSummer Strallen(Aunt or Uncle)
- Her red hair
- She gave birth to her only child at age 36, a daughter Bianca Jay Grunert on 19 October 2000, weighing in at 7lbs 11oz. The child's father is her [now ex] husband, Paul Grunert.
- It was planned to have her stay for the 25th season of Doctor Who (1963). But she felt that there was nothing more that could be done with the character, and she decided to leave the series. The ending of her final episode, Dragonfire: Part Three (1987), was changed to give her character a conclusion. She was then replaced by Sophie Aldred.
- According to Doctor Who (1963) script editor Eric Saward, she was cast by producer John Nathan-Turner in the series because he suddenly decided he wanted a red haired companion. He never considered anyone else for the part. Her period in Doctor Who (1963) between 1986-1987, opposite Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy, is considered by many fans of the series to be its most camp phase.
- Her mother founded Babette Langford's The Young Set.
- She is one of eight EastEnders (1985) actors to have won the Best Newcomer Award at the British Soap Awards; the others are Jessie Wallace, Alex Ferns, Nigel Harman, Charlie Clements, Marc Elliott, Maddy Hill and Lorraine Stanley.
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