Sally Ann Howes, best known and will be remembered forever for her role as Truly Scrumptious in the 1968 musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang alongside Dick Van Dyke, has died at the age of 91.
The news of Howes’ death was confirmed by her nephew, Toby Howes, who tweeted: “I can also confirm the passing of my beloved Aunty Sally Ann Howes, who died peacefully in her sleep yesterday. My brother & I thought Sally Ann might hold on until the Christmas screening of ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’ as this would have greatly appealed to her mischievous side.”
Howes was born into a family of actors on July 2o, 1930, in London. Her career began in 1943 at 12 with the film Thursday’s Child. She negotiated deals with UK companies Ealing and Rank before starring in a slew of famous West End plays.
In the 1960s, Howes starred in several American shows and was a four-time guest on the Ed Sullivan Show. She was asked to perform for Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, and Lyndon B. Johnson of the United States.
In 1963, the British-American actress was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Lead Actress in a Musical for her performance in Brigadoon.
Howes amassed up 40 film and television credits in a six-decade career, having spent the latter half of her career focused on the stage.
From September 2007 to January 2008, she toured the United States as Mrs. Higgins in Cameron Mackintosh’s version of My Fair Lady. She was an artistic advisor for the Palm Beach Theatre Guild when she wasn’t acting.
According to the New York Times, Howes died on Sunday at a hospital in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Howes cause of death is unknown.
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