Her first film appearance was in The Belles of St. Trinian's (1954), and then later came to prominence in the British film Sparrows Can't Sing (1963) garnering a Bafta nomination for Best British Film Actress.

She then went on to become a star with her saucy portrayals of a good time girl in some 9 Carry On films and several TV specials, between 1964 and 1978. Her first Carry On movie was Carry On Spying and the last one Carry On Dick, she refused to take part in any more 'because she thought they had gone beyond the innocent sauciness which initially drew her to the series'. She also starred on Broadway in the play Oh! What a Lovely War and received a 1968 Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.

After a gradual fall from the top, which also saw her husband, Ronnie Knight (married 1964-1985), flee to Spain on Bank robbery charges, she considered quitting acting. She was also married to Stephen Hollings (1986-1995), and more recently to Scott Mitchell (2000). During her first marriage, she had an affair with Sid James, and her biography states the details after 1973. She was also romantically linked to Reggie Kray in the 1960's.

However in 1994 Barbara Windsor was offered the plum role of Peggy Mitchell in the popular BBC drama series EastEnders. This role saw her returned to the limelight and she is now seen as something of a 'British Institution'. After a debilitating case of the Epstein-Barr virus saw her take a two year long absence from the screen in 2003-05, with just a brief return for two episodes of EastEnders in 2004, she rejoined the cast on a full-time basis in the summer of 2005 and signed a one year contract.It has been confirmed she will also play the role of Peggy Mitchell in the new series of Doctor Who in 2006.

Windsor was awarded an MBE in 1999 by the British Government and was the recipient of the inaugural Rear of the Year title in 1976.

Records: The More I See You (1999), a duet with Mike Reid, reached #44 in the UK Charts.