Peggotty Pauline Quirke Clara's faithful servant, Peggotty, is full of warmth and devotion and is a second mother to David. She struggles to defend both her mistress and her "darlin' boy" when the Murdstones diminish her role in the household. "We assume that Peggotty is in her early 20s when the story starts, so I'm pushing my luck a bit there," laughs actress Pauline Quirke, 40. "By the end of the story, she's in her late 40s, early 50s." Quirke enjoyed playing the role immensely. Peggotty and Barkis, whom she marries after he drops the famous hint that "Barkis is willin'," are the characters many remember most from David Copperfield, as well as Peggotty's brother Dan's home -- a houseboat on the beach at Yarmouth. Pauline Quirke began acting at a very young age and has numerous films, plays, and television performances to her credit. She gained great critical acclaim for the role of Olive Martin in the chilling thriller The Sculptress, which aired on PBS's Mystery! in 1997 and again in 1999.