Anna Karen Age, Death, Husband, Bio, Family, Net Worth, Height

Anna Karen was a well-known actress and model best remembered for playing Olive Rudge in the ITV sitcom On the Buses from 1969 to 1973, as well as in its film and stage adaptations, and for her recurring role as Aunt Sal in the BBC serial opera EastEnders from 1996 to 2017. She also played Olive Rudge again in The Rag Trade from 1977 to 1978, and she also had appearances in the two Carry On movies Carry On Camping (1969) and Carry On Loving (1978). (1970). In 1961, she made her film debut in “Nudist Memories.” Sadly, a house fire in her East London home causes her death at age 85.

Anna Karen leaves most of her £420,000 estate to EastEnders co-star Sophie Lawrence

Following her passing in 2022, “On the Buses” actress Anna Karen reportedly gave most of her wealth to her old “EastEnders” co-star Sophie Lawrence. It has been made public that Sophie Lawrence, 50, who portrayed Diane Butcher in EastEnders from 1988 to 1991, received more than £420,000 of her fortune. Anna will leave Lawrence 65 percent of her total assets, after paying for funeral and legal expenses, inheritance tax, and a £1,500 bequest to another acquaintance, according to probate records obtained by the MailOnline. According to reports, Anna will leave a further fifth of her inheritance to her stepdaughter Gloria Gill, who is the offspring of her late actor-husband Terry Duggan. Terry Duggan passed away in 2008. Four further friends or family members received an additional eighth, and the Actors’ Benevolent Fund received the remaining 2.5 percent.

How did Anna Karen die?

The London Fire Brigade was called to a fire at Karen’s house on February 22, 2022, at about 22:30 GMT, and Karen was declared dead there. She passed away when she was 85 years old. A house fire at her residence led to her death. The Metropolitan Police said the fire did not appear suspicious, but the reason is still being looked into. Numerous members of her cast, including John Altman, Jamie Borthwick, Peter Dean, Linda Lusardi, Kate Williams, and Vicki Michelle, attended her funeral on March 18, 2022, at Golders Green Crematorium. “Unfortunately, a woman has died following a house fire on Windsor Road in Ilford,” a London Fire Brigade official stated. “We are really disturbed by the news of Anna,” her family friend said.

In a horrifying fire that destroyed her East London home in February, neighbors suspect that she had been smoking before she went to sleep and that the fire was caused by one of her cigarettes. “She appeared to be asleep when the fire started. According to a source, it’s believed that she did so while smoking. She fractured her back in a tumble at her Ilford home in January 2016, which left her bedridden for eight weeks as she recovered.

What was Anna Karen’s Nationality?

On September 19, 1936, in Durban, South Africa, Ann Harrison McCall, who would later become known as Anna Karen, was born. John was her father, and Muriel McCall was her mother. She was of Mixed heritage and South African-British nationality. Her mother was English, while her Irish father worked as an accountant. She celebrated her 85th birthday for the last time. She became interested in acting at a young age and, at the age of 15, she joined the South African National Theatre. Over the following two years, she appeared in a number of touring musicals before breaking apartheid regulations when visiting the sick daughter of the black stage manager.

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Over the following two years, she appeared in a number of touring musicals before breaking apartheid regulations when visiting the sick daughter of the black stage manager. The London School of Dramatic Art later accepted her enrollment. She started out washing dishes at a neighborhood restaurant in the evenings to help pay for her rent and theatre school tuition, but she soon discovered that she could make twice as much money performing striptease in London’s Panama Club, so she took the job.

Anna Karen Career Timeline

“Nudist Memories,” a film about nudists, was Anna Karen’s debut in the movies (1961). After that, she started working as an extra in the comedy “The Sandwich Man” (1966). She also played the neighbor to Carol White in Ken Loach’s “Poor Cow,” a kitchen sink drama movie (1967). Anna later played a schoolgirl in the movie “Carry On Camping” (1969). She landed her next role in the BBC sitcom “Wild, Wild Women.” Anna then played a lead role in the comedy “On the Buses”. She also played a part in the closing “food battle” scene of another “Carry On picture, Carry On Loving” (1970), and made an appearance in a “Dixon of Dock Green” episode.

She returned to the role in “On the Buses,” a spin-off movie (1971). “Mutiny on the Buses” (1972) and “Holiday on the Buses,” two additional spin-off movies, were produced (1973). Then, in 1974, she went back to the theater and made a tour with Ian Lavender in Miss Tipdale in Not Now, Darling and as Minnie in Who Goes Bare. After a year, she starred in “Milk-O,” a comedic pilot from the Comedy Premiere series. She then appeared in the sitcom “…And Mother Makes Five” and comic sketch series including “The Dick Emery Show” and “The Kenneth Williams Show.” She played Olive once more in the LWT revival of the sitcom “The Rag Trade” from 1977 to 1978.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Karen performed a lot of theater roles. She played the lead in the science fiction children’s movie Stainless Steel and the Star Spies in 1981. She played a major part in the sitcom “Troubles and Strife” from 1985 to 1986. The Sooty Show and Roland Rat both featured her. She had a supporting part in the 1996 movie Beautiful Thing. The BBC soap show “EastEnders” then featured her. Karen served as a judge in the last episode of Channel 4’s reality television documentary “Faking It” in 2006 using her background as a striptease dancer. She appeared as a guest on “Sunday Night Project” on Channel 4 in 2008.

She appeared in an episode of Doctors in 2014, and she later participated in the suspenseful movie “No Reasons” (2016). In March 2016 and again in May 2016, she recorded scenes of Peggy’s death in EastEnders; when the scenes were televised, she was visible using a walking frame. Her final public appearances would be at Windsor’s funeral in January 2021 and her final scenes in EastEnders in January 2017. Both of these appearances would be made while she was in a wheelchair.

As part of an On the Buses Fan Club tour, Karen and a number of other cast members of Holiday on the Buses visited the Welsh vacation resort where the film was shot in 2017. Up until at least 2019, she frequently made appearances at fan events.

Who was Anna Karen married to?

Anna Karen had a husband. In 1957, she and her ex-husband Richard Smart got married. She spent several years in Italy with Richard as he studied to be an opera singer; nevertheless, after their divorce, Karen went back to England. Following that, she was wed to comedian and actor Terry Duggan from 1967 until his passing in 2008. She then resided in East London’s Ilford. She didn’t have any children of her own, but she raised Duggan’s daughter from his first marriage, Gloria. When she passed away, she was by herself. She was straight in her sexuality.

How much was Anna Karen’s Net Worth?

Anna Karen was a well-known and extraordinarily brilliant actress who had roles in a number of films and TV programs. Her primary source of income is the entertainment sector. As of 2022, Anna’s net worth is predicted to be $17 Million. She was earning a salary from her profession in the thousands of dollars. She was leading a wealthy lifestyle when she passed away.

How tall was Anna Karen?

Anna Karen was a stunning actress who was 5 feet 4 inches tall. Her actual weight and other bodily measurements are still unknown. She has a slender body type. Her eyes were green, and she had grey hair. She had a lovely smile.