Call The Midwife star Judy Parfitt found love with her husband, the late actor Tony Steedman after working on a play together at Birmingham's Alexandra Theatre in 1960. Sharing a mutual love of the stage, both Judy and Tony went on to establish successful careers on both the silver screen and in Hollywood movies. Keep reading for all the details of their sweet love story…
Who is Call The Midwife star Judy Parfitt's famous husband Tony Steedman?
Tony Steedman was an English character actor. Throughout his decade-spanning career, he landed roles in War & Peace (1972-1973), The Thirty Nine Steps (1978) and Scrooged (1988). Among his best known roles, Tony starred alongside Keanu Reeves as Socrates in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1988), and he also portrayed Jasper DeKimmel in Golden Girls.
© GettyJudy Parfitt and Tony Steedman's love story
Reflecting on their first meeting while working on a play, Judy told the Express: "Tony had the leading role and he was always trying to make me laugh as I was a terrible giggler. The first time I saw him he was wearing this absolutely hideous bright red jumper, so he definitely made an impression."
© GettyShe added: "He had people in stitches wherever we went and he was always playing the fool. Whereas I tended to worry, Tony didn't and he never took himself or anything too seriously."
Judy and Tony eventually tied the knot in Harrow, Middlesex in 1963, and a year later they welcomed their son, David, in 1964.
Reflecting on her life with Tony in a piece for Mail Online in 2014, Judy wrote: "While both of us were very busy, at home it was a very traditional marriage. I enjoyed cooking and ironing his shirts for him. He loved to be my sous chef, chopping the vegetables while I made dinner.
"He enjoyed accompanying me to the supermarket, pushing my trolley — but it wasn't to help me so much as he loved the opportunity to chat and joke with the other shoppers."
MORE: Call the Midwife actress Judy Parfitt opens up about late husband's battle with dementia
READ: The cast of Call the Midwife cast and their real-life children
On 4 February 2001, Tony sadly passed away after being diagnosed with vascular dementia. Having cared for her husband throughout his illness, Judy became passionate about spreading awareness about dementia, and she's even used her Call The Midwife character, Sister Monica Joan, to do so.
© Miya MizunoWhile it's never explicitly stated in the show, Sister Monica is in fact suffering from dementia in the series.
"Having watched my husband, the actor Tony Steedman, succumb to this terrible disease over ten years, depicting Sister Monica Joan's condition is still an extremely important aspect of the role to me," she penned.
© BBC"There's one obvious difference between my role on Call The Midwife and my real-life situation, though. Because Sister Monica Joan is a nun, and therefore unmarried, what is impossible to convey in the series is the impact that dementia has on a marriage.
"While I loved Tony until his death, the man I had fallen in love with over four decades had disappeared several years earlier. Unlike the progression of his dementia, the development of our relationship is easier and far more pleasurable to remember."
