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Prunella Scales Biography (1932-)

Born Prunella Margaret Rumney Illingworth, June 22, 1932, in Sutton Abinger,Surrey, England; daughter of John Richardson and Catherine (maiden name, Scales) Illingworth; married Timothy West (an actor), 1963; children: Sam, Joe.

Nationality

British

Gender

Female

Occupation

Actress

Birth Details

June 22, 1932

Sutton Abinger, Surrey, England

Famous Works

• CREDITS
• Stage Appearances
• (Stage debut) Cook, Traveller without Luggage, Theatre Royal, Bristol, England, 1951
• (London debut) Lucrezia, The Impresario from Smyrna, Arts Theatre,1954
• Member of ensemble, Reprise (revue), Watergate Theatre, London, 1954
• (Broadway debut) Ermengarde, The Matchmaker, Royale Theatre, 1955
• Nerissa, The Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare Memorial Theatre Company, Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, England, 1956
• Jacquenetta, Love's Labour's Lost, Shakespeare Memorial Theatre Company, Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, 1956
• Juliet, Measure for Measure, Shakespeare Memorial Theatre Company,Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, 1956
• Pupil, The Lesson, Oxford Playhouse, Oxford, England, 1957
• Alice Arden, Frost at Midnight, Oxford Playhouse, 1957
• Myrrhine, Lysistrata, Oxford Playhouse, 1957
• Aline, The Man of Distinction, Prince's Theatre, London, 1957
• Margie, The Iceman Cometh, Arts Theatre, then Winter Garden Theatre, London, both 1958
• Nelly Denver, The Silver King, Players' Theatre, London, 1958
• Anna Bowers, All Good Children, Bromley Little Theatre, Bromley, England, 1960
• Marita, Whiteman, Oxford Playhouse, 1961
• Member of ensemble, Not to Worry (revue), Garrick Theatre, London,1962
• Mabel, The Trigon, Arts Theatre, 1963
• Hermione, The Winter's Tale, Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Birmingham, England, 1965
• Leontine, The Birdwatcher, Hampstead Theatre Club, London, 1966
• Member of ensemble, Night Is for Delight (revue), Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford, England, 1966
• Valerie, Say Who You Are, Vaudeville Theatre, London, 1967
• Cherry, The Beaux' Stratagem, Chichester Festival Theatre, Chichester, England, 1967
• Lika, The Promise, Fortune Theatre, London, 1967
• Jackie Coryton, Hay Fever, Duke of York's Theatre, London, 1968
• The wife, The Unknown Soldier and His Wife, Chichester Festival Theatre, 1968
• Emma Partridge, Children's Day, Mermaid Theatre, London, 1969
• Esther Goonahan, It's a Two Foot Six Inches above the Ground World, Wyndham's Theatre, London, 1970
• After Magritte, Ambiance Theatre, London, 1970
• Have You Met Our Rabbit?, Ambiance Theatre, 1970
• Mabel, "Bedtime," and Susan, "Butter," in Bedtime and Butter (double-bill), Hampstead Theatre Club, 1971
• Natasha, Three Sisters, Arts Theatre, Cambridge, England, 1971
• Avonia Bunn, Trelawny of the Wells, Arts Theatre, Cambridge, 1971
• Hilary Plummer, That's No Lady--That's My Husband, YvonneArnaud Theatre, 1972
• Lady Brute, The Provok'd Wife, Watford Palace Theatre, Watford, England, 1973
• Katharina, The Taming of the Shrew, Nottingham Playhouse, Nottingham, England, 1973
• Joyce, The Ruffian on the Stair, Soho Poly Theatre, London, 1973
• Anatol, Open Space Theatre, London, 1976
• The Pelican, Round House Theatre, London, 1976
• Henrietta Barnett, It's All Right If I Do It, Mermaid Theatre,1977
• Betty, Breezeblock Park, Whitehall Theatre, London, 1977
• "Smith of Smiths," Great English Eccentrics (triple-bill), Prospect Theatre Company, Old Vic Theatre, London, 1978
• Natalya Petrovna, A Month in the Country, Bristol Old Vic Theatre,Bristol, England, 1979
• Tag, Miss in Her Teens, Old Vic Theatre Company, Old Vic Theatre,1979
• Mrs. Prentice, What the Butler Saw, Old Vic Theatre Company, Old Vic Theatre, 1979
• Queen Caroline, The Trial of Queen Caroline, Old Vic Theatre Company, Old Vic Theatre, 1979
• Mrs. Rogers, Make and Break, Lyric Theatre-Hammersmith, then Haymarket Theatre, both London, 1980
• A Question of Attribution, National Theatre, London, 1988
• Single Spies, Shaftesbury Avenue Theatre, London, then National Theatre, Washington, DC, both 1989
• The School for Scandal, Royal National Theatre Company, Olivier Theatre, London, 1990
• Long Day's Journey into Night, Lyttelton Theatre, London, 1991
• The Editing Process, Royal Court Theatre, London, 1994
• Major Tours
• Olivia, Twelfth Night, Oxford Playhouse Company, European cities,1959
• Hermia, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Oxford Playhouse Company, European cities, 1959
• Natasha, Three Sisters, British cities, 1971
• Avonia Bunn, Trelawny of the Wells, British cities, 1971
• King Lear, Prospect Theatre Company, Australian cities, 1972
• Love's Labour's Lost, Prospect Theatre Company, Australiancities, 1972
• Endgame, Prospect Theatre Company, Australian cities, 1972
• Film Appearances
• Morag McLeod, Scotch on the Rocks (also known as Laxdale Hall), Kingsley International, 1952
• Vicky Hobson, Hobson's Choice, British Lion, 1954
• Mary, What Every Woman Wants, Adelphi, 1954
• Room at the Top, Romulus, 1959
• Estella Fitzjohn, Waltz of the Toreadors (also known as The Amorous General), Continental, 1962
• Mrs. Sandman, The Littlest Horse Thieves (also known as Escapefrom the Dark), Buena Vista, 1976
• Mrs. Harrington, The Boys from Brazil, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1978
• Glynis, The Hound of the Baskervilles, Atlantic, 1978
• Lady Henrietta Kingsclere, The Wicked Lady, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists, 1983
• Moira O'Neill, The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne, Island, 1987
• Ethel, Consuming Passions, Samuel Goldwyn, 1988
• Hannah Ap Llewellyn, A Chorus of Disapproval, 1989
• Aunt Juley, Howards End, 1992
• Voices of the queen and others, Freddie as F.R.O.7 (also known asFreddie the Frog), 1992
• Margery, Second Best, 1994
• Maude, Wolf, 1994
• Rose, An Awfully Big Adventure, 1995
• Aunt Agnes Ivory, Stiff Upper Lips, 1998
• Lady Markby, An Ideal Husband, 1998
• Dr. Minny Stinkler, Mad Cows, Entertainment Film Distributors, 1999
• Television Appearances
• Movies
• One Man's Meat, 1973
• Miriam, Outside Edge, 1982
• Aunt Ellie, My Friend Walter, PBS, 1992
• Fair Game, 1994
• Shirley, Lord of Misrule, 1996
• Edith Disney, Dalziel and Pascoe: An Advancement of Learning, Artsand Entertainment, 1996
• Miss Bates, Emma (also known as Jane Austen's Emma), Arts and Entertainment, 1997
• Agnes Donen, Never Love a Thief, PAX, 1998
• Also appeared as Mrs. Prentice in What the Butler Saw.
• Series
• Kate Starling, Marriage Lines, 1963
• Sybil Fawlty, Fawlty Towers, BBC, 1975 , then PBS, 1977
• Dolly, Mr. Big, 1977
• Aunt Patty, S.W.A.L.K., 1982
• Sarah France, After Henry, 1987
• Searching, 1995
• Voice of Queen Melissa, The Big Knights, 1999
• Specials
• Doris and Doreen (also known as Six Plays by Alan Bennett: Doris and Doreen), 1978
• Mistress Page, The Merry Wives of Windsor (also known as BBC Television Shakespeare: The Merry Wives of Windsor), 1982
• Marion Brewster-Wright, Absurd Person Singular, BBC, then Arts andEntertainment, 1985
• Miss Elizabeth Mapp, Mapp and Lucia, PBS, 1985
• Queen Elizabeth II (H.M.Q.), A Question of Attribution, PBS, 1992
• Marjorie Richardson, The Rector's Wife, PBS, 1994
• Elizabeth Palmore, Signs and Wonders, PBS, 1995
• Sara Turing, Breaking the Code, PBS, 1996
• Herself, Funny Women, 1998
• Also appeared in Ghosts.
• Miniseries
• Frau Pollert, Wagner, 1983
• Episodic
• Eileen Hughes, Coronation Street, 1961
• Gloria Gibbins, "Unlucky Dip," Bergerac, 1981
• Thompson, 1988
• Storyteller, "Nanny Knows Best," Look at the State We're In!,1995
• Eleanor Burnsall, "Beyond the Grave," Midsomer Murders, Arts and Entertainment, 2000
• Other Television Appearances
• (Television debut) Pride and Prejudice, 1952
• RECORDINGS
• Albums
• (With Timothy West, Jane Glover, and London Mozart Players) Walton: Facade, 1990
• Taped Readings
• Broomnapped, 1993
• Pongwiffy and the Spell of the Year, 1994
• Lucia's Progress, 1995
• The Haunting of Hiram, 1996

Further Reference

OTHER SOURCES

Periodicals:

• Independent, August 31, 1993, p. 23.