Happy birthday Annette Crosbie! The prolific Scottish actress (who was awarded an OBE for services to drama in 1998) turns 88 this Sunday (February 12). To celebrate, we're making her our British Icon of the Week, and rounding up 10 of the things we love and admire about her.
1. She starred in one of the great British sitcoms: One Foot in the Grave.
Crosbie and Richard Wilson mined comedy gold in this '90s staple as grumpy pensioner Victor Meldrew and his long-suffering wife Margaret. Nearly 13 million viewers tuned into 2000's pitch-black and cleverly ambiguous final episode, in which it's suggested that Margaret may have taken the ultimate revenge for Victor's untimely death. You can watch classic episodes of the show over on BritBox.

2. She made a scene-stealing cameo in Ricky Gervais' After Life.
Crosbie guests in a season two episode as Rosemary, a woman who is less than thrilled to have reached the ripe old age of 100. You can relive the hilarious scene (which features some very salty language) here. 
3. She's a two-time BAFTA winner.
Crosbie won Best Actress at the BAFTA TV Awards in 1970 for her performance as Catherine of Aragon in the historical miniseries The Six Wives of Henry VIII. She then won the same award five years later for portraying Queen Victoria in another historical miniseries, Edward the Seventh. Clearly, she knows to convey a queen's regal demeanor.

4. She also starred in the classic British movie Calendar Girls.
If you haven't seen this 2003 indie film, it's a real gem. Based on a true story, it centers on a women's community group in Yorkshire who decide to make their own, rather playful nude calendar to raise money for cancer research. Crosbie is part of a great ensemble cast that includes Helen Mirren, Julie Walters, Penelope Wilton, Celia Imrie, Philip Glenister, and Ciarán Hinds.

5. She's a Doctor Who guest star.
Crosbie plays Mrs. Angelo in the 2010 episode "The Eleventh Hour," which is notable for being Matt Smith's first full adventure as the Doctor, and for including the iconic "fish fingers and custard" scene.
6. She's an animal rights campaigner.
For many years Crosbie served as president of the U.K.'s League Against Cruel Sports – and campaigned especially hard for better treatment of racing greyhounds, who were often put down once they became too old to compete. "Things have improved to the extent that more people take them on as pets. These dogs are their own best ambassadors. There are charities that re-home as many dogs as they can. But the basic attitude of the industry hasn't changed at all," Crosbie told The Scotsman in 2009. "The idea we're made in the image of God and can treat animals how we want just makes me sick. There are any amount of things that make me angry, but there's nobody else who'll do it for the greyhounds."
7. She's dipped her toes into the horror genre.
Crosbie appears in Eat Locals, a 2017 vampire movie directed by Jason Flemyng that also stars Freema Agyeman and Charlie Cox.

8. She pursued her acting career despite disapproval from her parents.
"When I told people that I wanted to be an actor I might just as well have said I was thinking of becoming a prostitute," Crosbie told Blockbuster in 2009. "The reaction would have been the same. It was difficult. When I left school at 17, my mother insisted I do a year at a commercial college, learning shorthand and typing skills. She said I was bound to be out of work and needed something to fall back on that wasn't a mattress."
9. Her daughter Selina Griffiths is also a successful actress.
You might recognize her as Pauline from Benidorm, Connie from Cuckoo, or perhaps Yvonne Bradshaw from BBC America's Being Human.

10. She and Richard Wilson still make a great double act.
In this 2018 reunion interview, the two actors claim they never really stayed in touch after One Foot in the Grave ended. Do you fully believe them, or do you think they're kind of exaggerating for comic effect? Either way, it's lovely to see them back together again.

Have we forgotten one of your favorite Annette Crosbie roles?