| Rita May | |
| Birth Date: | 9 May 1942 |
| Birth Place: | Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England |
| Occupation: | Actress |
| Years Active: | 1977–present |
| Known For: | Coronation Street Children's Ward Trollied Ackley Bridge |
Rita May (born 9 May 1942) is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Mags in the ITV children's drama Children's Ward, Margaret in the Sky One sitcom Trollied, as well as Julie "Nana" Booth in the Channel 4 drama Ackley Bridge.[1]
May began her career as a singer on the working men's club circuit in and around South Yorkshire. She featured in the television adaptation of Barry Hines's The Price of Coal, a Play for Today first broadcast in 1977, and as Jimmy Kemp's mother in Hines's scripted nuclear war drama Threads in 1984.
She has also appeared in television series such as Early Doors and Drop Dead Gorgeous, and radio programmes including Ed Reardon's Week and The Blackburn Files. In 2005, she appeared in one episode of Heartbeat. In March 2009, it was announced that May would appear as Connie Rathbone, a new love interest of Jack Duckworth, in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street.[2]
From 2011 to 2018, she appeared in the Sky One sitcom Trollied, in which she played Margaret, a supermarket assistant pharmacist.[3] In 2017, May appeared in Channel 4 drama Ackley Bridge as Julie "Nana" Booth. Her character died in the fourth episode of the series.[4] She later appeared in an episode of the third series of Ackley Bridge in 2019, as part of a scene with Missy Booth (Poppy Lee Friar).
| 1980 | The Gamekeeper | Mary | |
| 1981 | Looks and Smiles | Receptionist | |
| 1996 | When Saturday Comes | Mabel | |
| 1999 | Fanny and Elvis | Rick's Mother | Minor role |
| 2009 | In the Loop | Mrs. Michaelson | |
| 2014 | Martha | Old Lady | |
| 2018 | Walk Like a Panther | Mabel Higgens | |
| 2020 | Fargate | Ethel Badger | Short film |
| Everybody's Talking About Jamie | Mrs. Cardwell |
| 1977 | Play for Today | Kath Storey | 2 episodes |
| 1978 | Fallen Hero | Molly | 1 episode |
| Coronation Street | Marjorie Pitts | 2 episodes | |
| 1979 | Crown Court | Zoe Grimshaw | 1 episode |
| 1981 | Coronation Street | Freda | 1 episode |
| 1982 | Play for Today | Pat | 1 episode |
| 1983 | The Gathering Seed | Martha Kilbride | 5 episodes |
| 1984 | Juliet Bravo | Audrey Mason | 1 episode |
| Threads | Mrs. Kemp | Television film | |
| Mitch | Enid | 1 episode | |
| 1985 | Edge of Darkness | Tea Lady | Mini series |
| 1988 | Wish Me Luck | Marguerite | 1 episode |
| 1989–2000 | Children's Ward | Mags | Main role |
| 1991 | The Bill | Doreen Noakes | Minor role |
| 1994 | Heartbeat | Junk Shop Owner | Minor role |
| 1996 | Hetty Wainthropp Investigates | Supermarket Shopper | Cameo role |
| 1998 | The Cops | Pauline's Neighbour | Cameo role |
| Sharpe's Justice | Mrs. Trent | Television film | |
| Casualty | Marion Copes | 1 episode | |
| 1999 | My Wonderful Life | Mrs. Newell | 1 episode |
| 2000 | City Central | Betty Sharples | 1 episode |
| Fat Friends | Joan Kirk | Recurring role | |
| Coronation Street | Mrs. Wilberforce | 1 episode | |
| 2001 | In Deep | Joan Jameson | 2 episodes |
| Clocking Off | Brenda Sleight | 1 episode | |
| Coronation Street | Brenda Kelly | 1 episode | |
| Doctors | Eileen Neville | 1 episode | |
| 2002 | Blood Strangers | Pat Beresford | Television film |
| 2003 | The Royal | Aunt Mary Graham | Minor role |
| Last of the Summer Wine | Celia | Minor role | |
| 2003–2004 | Early Doors | Jean | Main role |
| 2004 | Holby City | Queenie Taylor | 1 episode |
| The Bill | School Secretary | Minor role | |
| Doctors | Sadie O'Malley | 1 episode | |
| 2005 | No Angels | Mrs. Clemence | Minor role |
| Bodies | Judith Bailey | 1 episode | |
| 2005, 2007 | Heartbeat | Mrs. Sneddon | 2 episodes |
| 2006 | The Street | Margie's Friend | Cameo role |
| Casualty | Eileen Slater | 1 episode | |
| 2006–2007 | Drop Dead Gorgeous | Nana Howard | Recurring role |
| 2008 | Trexx and Flipside | Edna | 1 episode |
| Sunshine | Doreen | Minor role | |
| Doctors | Maggie Wilson | 1 episode | |
| 2009–2010 | Coronation Street | Connie Rathbone | Recurring role |
| 2009 | Red Riding: In the Year of Our Lord 1974 | Aunty Win | Television film |
| This Morning | Herself | Guest | |
| 2010 | Casualty | Eileen Thompson | 1 episode |
| Doctors | Phyllis March | 1 episode | |
| 2011–2018 | Trollied | Margaret | Main role; 68 episodes |
| 2011 | Doctors | Mary Roberts | 1 episode |
| 2012 | The Argument | Maureen | Television film |
| 2014 | Remember Me | Mavis | Minor role |
| 2017, 2019 | Ackley Bridge | Julie "Nana" Booth | Recurring role; 5 episodes |
| 2018 | Casualty | Matilda Dunford | 1 episode |
| 2019 | Emelia Merchent | 1 episode | |
| 2020 | Tea for Three | Gran | 1 episode |
| Baby Zoomers | Valerie | 1 episode |