Prunella Scales

Personal information

Known for: Acting
Known credits: 106
Gender: Female
Born: June 22, 1932
Died: October 27, 2025
Place of birth: Sutton Abinger, Surrey, England, UK
Also known as: Prunella Margaret Rumney West ScalesPrunella Margaret Rumney Illingworthپرونلا اسکیلز

Biography

Prunella Margaret Rumney West Scales CBE (née Illingworth; 22 June 1932) was an English former actor, best known for playing Sybil Fawlty, wife of Basil Fawlty (John Cleese), in the BBC comedy Fawlty Towers; for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in A Question of Attribution (Screen One, BBC 1991) by Alan Bennett (for which she was nominated for a BAFTA award); and for the documentary series Great Canal Journeys (2014–2021), in which she travels on canal barges and narrowboats with her husband, fellow actor Timothy West.