Actress Anna Karen: On the Buses and EastEnders dies aged 85 in fire
Written byTimes Magazine
On the Buses and Eastenders actress Anna Karen has died at 85. Karen is best available for her role as Olive on the sitcom On the Buses from 1969 to 1973 and Aunt Sal, Peggy Mitchell's older sister, on the soap opera EastEnders.
"She is a great actress, a great comedian, and a great soul," said her agent Shane Collins. On Tuesday night, the London Fire Brigades have confirmed a woman died in a house fire in Ilford, east London. However, the Metropolitan Police said the Windsor Road fire circumstances were not suspicious.
Singer and TV presenter Cheryl Baker directed the awards online, describing her as "an amazing half" and "an absolute sweetheart, both on and off-screen." Jake Wood, who played Max Branning on EastEnders, tweeted: "So sad to hear of Anna Karen's death. I loved working with her; so much fun and full of character."
Rita Simons, who plays Roxy Mitchell on the soap opera, wrote: "Just heard some bad news about beautiful Anna Karen. It is scary and horrible and unfortunate. She is one of the best. Sleep well, beautiful Anna." Daniela Westbrook, who plays Sam Mitchell, said she was "devastated by the loss of beautiful Anna."
Anna Karen is a close friend of her soap opera sister, Barbara Windsor
Born Ann McCall in Durban, South Africa, she moved to London at 17.
She wore a wig, thick glasses, and liner for the role of Olive, who she once described as "the ugliest woman on TV." Karen starred in The Rag Trade from 1977-1978 and appeared in two films, Carry On - Carry On Camping in 1969 also Carry On Loving, the following year.
There he met his best friend Barbara Windsor, who went on to play Aunt Sal for EastEnders from 1996 to 2017. An EastEnders spokesperson said: "We are deeply saddened to hear that Anna Karen has passed away.
Trending News
