Penelope Keith has died at the age of 86, with the star best known for her role as Margo Leadbetter in The Good Life09:21, 30 Jun 2026Beloved British actress and presenter Penelope Keith will forever be remembered for her iconic portrayals of Margo Leadbetter in the BBC's The Good Life and Audrey fforbes-Hamilton in To the Manor Born‌Keith passed away at the age of 86 and her family released a statement confirming she "died peacefully whilst living with cancer at her home in Surrey", as reported by BBC News.‌The celebrated star enjoyed a career stretching back to the late 1950s, earning widespread recognition both on stage and screen, reports the Express.‌A former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, she later claimed a highly coveted Olivier Award.Yet it was her portrayal of the gloriously snobbish suburban housewife Margo Leadbetter in BBC sitcom The Good Life that truly made her a household name.‌Following the news of her passing, many are keen to revisit her celebrated role in The Good Life.How old was Penelope Keith in The Good Life?Keith was born in 1940 and would have been 35 when she first graced our screens as Margo in The Good Life, which made its BBC debut in 1975.The beloved sitcom ran for four series between 1975 and 1978, following couple Tom Good (played by Richard Briers) and his wife Barbara (Felicity Kendal) as they attempted to flee city life and achieve complete self-sufficiency at their home in Surbiton.‌As Tom and Barbara enjoyed mixed results embracing their new lifestyle — growing crops and keeping livestock in their back garden — their neighbours Margo (Keith) and Jerry Leadbetter (Paul Eddington) looked on in absolute horror. Fascinatingly, Margo and Paul were originally intended to be minor characters, yet ultimately became absolutely central to The Good Life.Throughout the course of the series, the two couples grew increasingly close despite leading vastly contrasting lifestyles.Margo possessed a haughty exterior and was something of a social climber, frequently left fuming when her neighbours' unconventional lifestyle threatened to undermine her efforts to impress her well-heeled social circle.‌Despite this, Margo harboured a warm heart beneath the surface and was genuinely far more caring than viewers might have initially suspected.During an appearance with Sir Terry Wogan on the BBC back in 1985, Keith reflected on her time starring in The Good Life and why the character resonated so strongly with audiences despite starting out as a minor role.‌"I don't know, she had some great lines," Keith said, referencing a memorable moment where Margo told a bureaucrat that she was "the silent majority"."I think that just went home to everybody; suddenly, she became a hero. Someone's challenging bureaucracy," she explained.When asked whether audiences could accept her in roles beyond Margo, Keith said: "Yes, I think they do. I've done a lot of performances on the television of what I think of as classic plays like [Noel] Coward, they all escape me now the names, but various people.Article continues below"And people now say, 'Penelope Keith, actress, performer, I don't think they think I'm Audrey or Margo. I think the gentlemen of the press would like to put me in the box of Audrey or Margo, but I think people accept me as an actress."The Good Life is available to stream on BBC iPlayer now.