ACTRESS and star of the 70s Anna Karen has died aged 85 after a fire broke out in her home in Ilford, London in the late hours of February 22, 2022.
She was best known for her role as Olive in the TV sitcom On The Buses and her appearances in Eastenders.
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Who was Anna Karen?
Anna Karen was a 85-year-old British-South African actress and former model.
Born in Durban, South Africa, to an Irish father, who was an accountant while her mother was English.
She joined the South African National Theatre at the age of fifteen.
She moved to London when she was seventeen-years-old.
Karen shared a room with two other girls in a hostel in Paddington while she attended London School of Dramatic Art.
The actress made her acting debut in the naturist film Nudist Memories (1961).
From this she began her career as an extra in the comedy film The Sandwich Man (1966) and had a small role as Carol White’s neighbour in Ken Loach’s kitchen sink drama film Poor Cow (1967).
But it was the On the Buses sitcom which made her the famous actress she is known for today.
Karen was married to actor and comedian Terry Duggan from 1967 until his death in 2008.
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What was Anna Karen’s cause of death?
It was reported that Anna Karen died in a house fire in Ilford, London.
Three fire engines and 20 firefighters rushed to the scene on Windsor Road, shortly after 10.30pm on the night of February 22.
It took the crew less than hour to get the fire on the ground floor of the terrace house under control.
However, despite their best efforts, Anna tragically died at the scene.
A family friend told the Mail Online: “We are absolutely horrified at the news about Anna.”
The cause of the fire is currently unknown.
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What TV shows did Anna Karen appear in?
The 85-year-old was best known for her role in 70s comedy On The Buses.
She also appeared in EastEnders as Aunt Sal, sister of Peggy Mitchell, played by Barbara Windsor, who became her lifelong friend.
Aside from TV, Karen was a regular in pantomimes over the years, having played the Wicked Stepmother in Cinderella at the Millfield Theatre, in Edmonton, London in 2008.
