She was best known as Olive in On the Buses and Peggy Mitchell’s sister Aunt Sal in EastEnders.
Image source, Getty Images
On the Buses and EastEnders actress Anna Karen has died at the age of 85.
Karen was best known for her role as Olive in sitcom On the Buses, which ran from 1969 to 1973, as well as that of Aunt Sal, the older sister of Peggy Mitchell, on BBC soap EastEnders.
“She was a great actress, a great comedian and a great soul,” her agent Shane Collins said.
The London Fire Brigade confirmed that a woman died in a house fire in Ilford, east London, on Tuesday night.
Singer and TV presenter Cheryl Baker led the tributes online, describing her as a “fabulous mate” and an “absolute treasure, both on and off the screen”.
Born Ann McCall in Durban, South Africa, she moved to London at the age of 17.
The actress went on to become a household name playing the frustrated younger sister of Stan (Reg Varney), and wife of Arthur Rudge (Michael Robbins) in On the Buses.
She donned a wig, thick glasses and padding for the role of Olive, who she once described as the “ugliest woman on television”.
Karen reprised the role in The Rag Trade from 1977 to 78, and also appeared in two Carry On films – Carry On Camping in 1969, and Carry On Loving the following year.
It was there that she met her good friend Barbara Windsor, who she would later act alongside in EastEnders as Aunt Sal from 1996 to 2017.
Anna Karen, who played Aunt Sal, has passed away. An EastEnders spokesperson has said “We are deeply saddened to hear that Anna Karen has passed away… Our love and thoughts are with Anna’s family and friends.” pic.twitter.com/vF5NDIu21a
— BBC EastEnders (@bbceastenders)
She was married to actor and comedian Terry Duggan from 1967 until his death in 2008. She had been bed-bound for some years after breaking her back in a fall at home in 2016, but still managed to film scenes for Peggy’s death the same year.