<Tr> <Th> Years active </Th> <Td> 1951--2000 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Known for </Th> <Td> Carry On (franchise) As Time Goes By On the Up </Td> </Tr> <P> Irene Joan Marion Sims (9 May 1930--27 June 2001), best known as Joan Sims, was an English actress remembered for her roles in the Carry On films, including Carry On Nurse (1959), Carry On Cleo (1964) and Carry On Camping (1969). She played Mrs. Wembley, the cook with a liking for sherry in On the Up (1990--92), and Madge Hardcastle in As Time Goes By (1994--98). </P> <P> Sims was born in 1930, the only child of John Henry Sims (1888 - 1964), station master of Laindon railway station in Laindon, Essex, and his wife Gladys Marie Sims, née Ladbrook (1896 - 1981). Sims's early interest in being an actress came from living at the railway station . She would often put on performances for waiting passengers . She decided that she wanted to pursue show business during her teens, and soon became a familiar face in a growing number of amateur productions locally . One of her first stage appearances was as Miranda Bute in the Langdon Players production of Ester McCracken's comedy' Quiet Wedding' in May 1946 . </P>

Who played madge in as time goes by