Wood will give half the proceeds of her At It Again 10-show Albert Hall residency last autumn to the theatre.

The Royal Albert Hall: Wood put on 10 shows

The rest of the profits will go to cancer charity Cancerch.

King's Head theatre manager Ninon Jerome told BBC News Online that everyone at the venue was delighted by Wood's gift.

"We are all extremely pleased by Victoria's generosity," said Ms Jerome.

"The money will come as a huge relief as I don't think we would have been able to continue otherwise."

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Ms Jerome did not know how much money the theatre would be receiving.

Mr Crawford told reporters on Tuesday that he thought it would be enough to keep the theatre going for a year.

The King's Head theatre has been in financial difficulty since the London Arts Board withdrew its �38,122 annual core funding in 1999.

A second London borough grant was stopped after that. But the theatre - founded in 1970 - has become a favourite among many British acting stars.

Many, like Wood, performed there at start of their careers, including Gary Oldman, Hugh Grant and Kathy Burke.