Actor Jean Boht, best known for playing matriarch Nellie Boswell in the 1980s comedy Bread, has died aged 91. A statement from her family, said: “It is with overwhelming sadness that we must announce that Jean Boht passed away yesterday, Tuesday 12 September.” “Jean had been battling vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s disease with the indefatigable spirit for which she was both beloved and renowned.” Boht’s role in Bread made her a hugely popular figure during its run from 1986 to 1991, with the series being watched by more than 18 million viewers at its peak. Her character’s attempts to hold together a cash-strapped Liverpudlian family in Thatcher’s Britain was her most well-known role, although she had previously appeared in sitcoms I Woke Up One Morning and Brighton Belles, and the drama Boys from the Blackstuff. Her theatrical appearances included starring alongside Jeremy Irons in Embers, a 2006 adaptation of a Sandor Marai novel, set in 1940s Hungary. The actor’s husband, the composer Carl Davis, died last month, aged 86. The Bafta-winning composer whose work included the music for BBC’s 1995 drama Pride and Prejudice had a brain tumour. She is survived by her two daughters and three grandchildren.