Prunella Scales
British actress (1932-2025) · United Kingdom · On the map · Actors · Died at 93
Prunella Margaret Rumney West, known professionally as Prunella Scales, was an English actress.
Prunella Scales is read about 1,418 times a day, in 33 languages.
A typical day, 30 days to 6 November 2026
The middle day of the days counted, so one week of news cannot move it. The line under it is the last 400 days, one point a day.
Something wrong?A life in dates
50 Years of BBC Two ComedyFilm2012
Run For Your WifeFilm, Woman in Pub2009
Fawlty Towers: Re-OpenedFilm2005
Fawlty Towers RevisitedFilm, Herself2004
Agatha Christie's MarpleSeries, Mrs Mackenzie2000
The Ghost of Greville LodgeFilm, Sarah1998
Stiff Upper LipsFilm, Aunt Agnes1997
Midsomer MurdersSeries, Eleanor Bunsall1995
An Awfully Big AdventureFilm, Rose1992Commander of the Order of the British EmpireAward1991
A Question of AttributionFilm, H.M.Q.1989
Screen OneSeries, H.M.Q.1988
After HenrySeries, Sarah France
Consuming PassionsFilm, 1988Ethel1985
Mapp & LuciaSeries, Miss Elizabeth Mapp
Absurd Person SingularFilm, 1985Marion Brewster-Wright1982
The Merry Wives of WindsorFilm, Mistress Page1978
An Audience with...Series1976
The Littlest Horse ThievesFilm, Mrs. Sandman1975
Fawlty TowersSeries, Sybil Fawlty1974
PlayhouseSeries, Florence Farr1972
Country MattersSeries, Babs Pickard1965
BBC Play of the MonthSeries, Queen Jemima1958
Room at the TopFilm, Council Office Worker (uncredited)1953Laxdale HallFilm, Morag McLeod1932Born22 June 1932People around Prunella
Michael Winner Directed The Wicked Lady (1983)
Richard Johnson Produced The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne (1987)
Andrew Sachs Also in Fawlty Towers and Consuming Passions
Denholm Elliott Also in The Hound of the Baskervilles (1981)
Alan Bennett Wrote Doris and Doreen (1978)
Charles Jarrott Directed Escape from the Dark (1976)
Geoffrey Palmer Also in A Question of Attribution (1991)
Jack Clayton Directed The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne (1987)- Nicky Henson Also in Absurd Person Singular (1985)
- Raymond Huntley Also in Hobson's Choice (1954)
Anthony Hopkins Also in Howards End and A Chorus of Disapproval
Vanessa Redgrave Also in Howards End and The Shell Seekers
David Lean Produced Hobson's Choice (1954)
Mike Nichols Directed Wolf (1994)
Mike Newell Directed An Awfully Big Adventure (1995)- John Guillermin Directed The Crowded Day (1954)
Jeremy Bulloch Also in Escape from the Dark (1976)- Sylvia Syms Also in A Chorus of Disapproval (1988)
Greg Wise Also in Johnny English and Mad Cows
Alun Armstrong Also in An Awfully Big Adventure (1995)
Andrew Davies Wrote Consuming Passions and Emma
Helen Haye Also in Pride and Prejudice and Hobson's Choice
Douglas Wick Produced Wolf (1994)
Philip Hinchcliffe Produced An Awfully Big Adventure (1995)
Prunella ScalesPartners
Is this everyone?
Only relatives with a profile here are drawn, so a family can be larger than this. A line here can also be wrong.
Correct this familyKnown for
View all 40 titles
Hobson's Choice 1954
The Phone Call 2013
Howards End 1992
Room at the Top 1958
The Boys from Brazil 1978
Also in Deutsch
Filmography 40
107 credits on file
Television 24
Media & music
Photos 3
Awards
About this person
She is best known for her portrayal of Sybil Fawlty in the BBC television sitcom Fawlty Towers (1975-1979) and her performance as Queen Elizabeth II in Alan Bennett's A Question of Attribution (1991), which earned her a BAFTA nomination. She later appeared in the TV documentary series Great Canal Journeys (2014-2019), travelling waterways in the UK and abroad with her husband, the actor Timothy West.
