Crosbie was born in
Gorebridge,
Midlothian,
Scotland, as Annette Ross Mcleod Crosbie to
Presbyterian parents who disapproved of her becoming an actress. Nevertheless, she joined the
Bristol Old Vic Theatre School while still in her teens. She began her career with the Glasgow Citizens' Theatre Company in 1956. She was educated at
Boroughmuir High School in
Edinburgh. Her big break came in 1970 when she was cast as
Catherine of Aragon in the
BBC television series The Six Wives of Henry VIII, for which she won the 1971
BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress. In 1973, she starred alongside
Vanessa Redgrave in the BBC serial
A Picture of Katherine Mansfield. In 1975, Crosbie made a similar impact as another queen,
Queen Victoria, in the ITV
period drama Edward the Seventh, for which she won the 1976
BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress. She played
Cinderella's
fairy godmother in
The Slipper and the Rose, which was chosen as the
Royal Film Première for 1976. In that film, Crosbie sang the
Sherman Brothers' song, "Suddenly It Happens". Crosbie voiced the character of
Galadriel in
Ralph Bakshi's animated movie,
The Lord of the Rings, filmed in 1978. In 1980, she played the abbess in
Hawk the Slayer. In 1986, she appeared as the vicar's wife in
Paradise Postponed. Crosbie's next major role was as
Margaret Meldrew, the long-suffering wife of Victor Meldrew (
Richard Wilson) in the
BBC sitcom One Foot in the Grave (1990–2000) for which she is best known. She also played Janet, the housekeeper to
Dr. Finlay, in the 1993–96
revival of
A. J. Cronin's popular stories. She also had a poignant role in the
thriller The Debt Collector (1999). Crosbie's other roles include playing the monkey-lover Ingrid Strange in an episode of
Jonathan Creek (1997), Edith Sparshott in
An Unsuitable Job for a Woman (1997–2001), and Jessie in the film
Calendar Girls (2003). In 2008, Crosbie appeared in a BBC adaptation of
Little Dorrit. In 2009 she played Sadie Cairncross in the BBC television series
Hope Springs. In 2010, Crosbie appeared in the
Doctor Who episode "
The Eleventh Hour" and in an episode of
New Tricks. In 2014 Crosbie appeared in the movies
What We Did on Our Holiday and
Into the Woods. In 2015 she appeared in a BBC adaptation of
Cider with Rosie. In 2016 she appeared in the new film version of ''
Dad's Army. In 2019 she appeared in an episode of Call the Midwife''. In 2020, Crosbie appeared in an episode of the second season of
After Life, a British
black comedy-
drama series created, written, produced and directed by
Ricky Gervais, which premiered on
Netflix. ==Honours==