Gretchen Franklin

Gretchen Franklin (7 July 1911 – 11 July 2005) was an English actress with a career in showbusiness that spanned over eighty years. She was born in Covent Garden, West London, a cousin of the actor Clive Dunn. She was best known for playing the character of Ethel Skinner in the long running BBC One, soap opera, EastEnders. She played the role on a regular basis from 1985 until 1988. After this she returned to the show intermittently.