Lizbeth Webb

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**Lizbeth Webb**
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Lizbeth Webb (née Holton; 30 January 1926 – 17 January 2013) was a British soprano singer and theatre actress.

**Early Life and Education**
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Born in Tilehurst, near Reading, Berkshire, Elizabeth is the last daughter of a family of three children. Following the death of her mother, Ethel Holton, she was raised by her uncle and aunt, Alfred and Ethel Wills Webber. From an early age, she attended singing classes.

**Career**
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She began her career as a singer in a group of teenagers, then on BBC airs during the Second World War under the pseudonym Betty Webb, derived from Betty Webber, a name she had worn since her early school years. At that time, her songs were used to entertain British soldiers and Allied troops.

After the war, she was approached by her future impresario Charles B. Cochran, who hired her to work with him. From then on, Elizabeth gave up her nickname Betty Webb to adopt the stage name of Lizbeth Webb.

**Notable Roles**
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* **Big Ben (1946)**: She obtained the role of Grace Green in the satirical play Big Ben by Vivian Ellis and A. P. Herbert at the Adelphi Theatre in London.
* **Bless the Bride (1947)**: She played Willow Lucy in the musical Bless the Bride, which tells the story of a woman who had to leave her suffocating English fiancé to escape to the arm of Pierre, a romantic Frenchman, played by Georges Guétary.
* **Gay's the Word (1950s)**: Ivor Novello wrote the role of Linda especially for Webb in her latest musical Gay's the Word, where all ballads are interpreted by soprano.
* **Guys and Dolls (1953)**: She played Sarah Brown in London's first production of White Doves and Bad Men (Guys and Dolls) at the London Coliseum.

**Personal Life**
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Lizbeth Webb was married twice. Her first husband, Parker, a pilot RAF, with whom she was divorced after several years. In 1956, she met her second husband, Colonel Guy Campbell, OBE, MC, who was head of the British military force in Tripoli.

**Legacy**
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Webb was known as "The Champagne Soprano" for her vibrant and lively performances. She effectively retired from the stage by late 1950s to raise her children, though she continued making guest appearances on various shows.