Prunella Scales
Sign in to savePrunella Margaret Rumney West, known professionally as Prunella Scales, was an English actress. 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.
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Key facts
- Born
- Prunella Margaret Rumney Illingworth , ( 1932-06-22 ) 22 June 1932, Sutton Abinger , Surrey, England
- Died
- 27 October 2025 (2025-10-27) (aged 93), London, England
- Education
- Moira House School Old Vic Theatre School
- Occupation
- Actress
- Years active
- 1952–2023
- Television
- Fawlty Towers A Question of Attribution Great Canal Journeys After Henry
- Spouse
- Timothy West ( married</span>"}]]}'>m. 1963 ; died 2024 )
- Children
- 2, including Samuel West
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- human
- Given name
- Margaret
- Gender
- female
- Citizenship
- United Kingdom
- Place of birth
- Abinger
- Place of death
- London
- Spouse
- Timothy West
- Child
- Samuel West
- Occupation
- television personality
- Educated at
- HB Studio
- Languages spoken
- English language
- Field of work
- acting
- Image
- Prunella Scales in 2010.JPG
- Number of children
- 2
- Work location
- England
Show 8 more facts
- Commons category
- Prunella Scales
- date of birth
- 1932-06-22
- medical condition
- vascular dementia
- start of work period
- 1952-00-00
- birth name
- Prunella Margaret Rumney Illingworth
- date of death
- 2025-10-27
- name in native language
- Prunella Scales
- described at URL
- baike.sogou.com/v142293032.htm
Sources (6)
via Wikidata · CC0
~13 min read
Encyclopedic overview
Prunella Margaret Rumney West (née Illingworth; 22 June 1932 – 27 October 2025), known professionally as Prunella Scales, was an English actress. 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.
Early life and education
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Prunella Scales” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.