 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Anna Wing" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(July 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Anna Wing | |
|---|---|
 Wing in 2007 | |
| Born | (1914-10-30)30 October 1914 London, England |
| Died | 7 July 2013(2013-07-07) (aged 98) London, England |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active |
|
| Television | EastEnders |
| Spouse | |
| Partner | Philip O'Connor (1953–1960) |
| Children | 2, includingMark Wing-Davey |
| Relatives | Anita Carey (daughter-in-law)[1] |
Anna Wing (30 October 1914 – 7 July 2013) was a British actress who had a long career in television and theatre, known for portraying the role ofBeale family matriarchLou Beale in theBBC soap operaEastEnders.
Wing was born inHackney, London on 30 October 1914, and started out as an artist's model and later, during theSecond World War, worked inEast End hospitals.[2] In 1947,[3] she married the actor Peter Davey, by whom she had a son, actor-directorMark Wing-Davey,[4] but the marriage ended in divorce in 1950. Her seven years as the lover ofPhilip O'Connor, a surrealist writer and contemporary ofStephen Spender andLaurie Lee, saw her spend some time as a nursery teacher in West London. With her new lover she had a second son, Jon O'Connor.[5]
Wing is best known for portraying theBeale and Fowler family matriarchLou Beale onEastEnders from the show's inception in February 1985, until the character was killed off in July 1988. She quit her role in the hit show as she was unhappy with the direction in which it was going, but later reflected that it may not have been the right decision.[5]
Wing studied at the Croydon School of Acting in London, and appeared in London repertory theatre for over 65 years. She also performed in Canada at theStratford Festival in 1967.[5][6]
She made an earlier soap appearance inMarket in Honey Lane forATV in the late 1960s. She also had a role in theDoctor Who serialKinda in 1982.[7] Other TV credits includeThe Witches and the Grinnygog,Dixon of Dock Green,Z-Cars,Play for Today and in 1976 inThe Sweeney episodeOn the Run in which she played Mrs. Haldane.[8] Her film career included roles inBilly Liar (1963),Two Gentlemen Sharing (1969),The 14 (1973) which also featured her futureEastEnders co-starJune Brown,A Doll's House starringJane Fonda (1973),Providence (1977),The Hound of the Baskervilles (1978),The Ploughman's Lunch (1983), and 3 British horror films –Full Circle (1977),The Godsend (1980) andXtro (1983), in which her character was killed by a life-sizeAction Man doll.
After leavingEastEnders, Wing continued to work on stage, playing themedium, Madame Arcati, inNoël Coward's comedyBlithe Spirit. She also had numerous television roles, including parts inCasualty,Doctors,French and Saunders,The Bill, as well as adding her vocal talents to the animated seriesFungus the Bogeyman. Her later film credits includedThe Calcium Kid withOrlando Bloom,Tooth (2004), in which she played an ancient fairy), and Grandma in the 2007 filmSon of Rambow.
In May 2005, she attended theBritish Soap Awards, where she presentedJune Brown with a lifetime achievement award for Brown's portrayal ofDot Branning inEastEnders. In 2005, by now aged 91, Wing formed part of the cast of the short filmEx Memoria, directed by Josh Appignanesi and produced by Oscar-winning producer Mia Bays. The short film tells of an elderly woman's struggle withAlzheimer's disease.Ex Memoria was nominated for a British Independent Film Award for Best Short in 2006.
In 2009, aged 94, she worked on a short film,Numbers Up, from Guildhall Pictures. The same year Wing was appointedMember of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2009 Birthday Honours for her services to drama and charity.[9]
In April 2012, she appeared in the music video for Quarrel's 'Is It Cool?'.[10]
Wing was a member of theReligious Society of Friends, the Quakers, and supported theCampaign for Nuclear Disarmament.[5]
She attended the funeral of herEastEnders on-screen daughterWendy Richard on 9 March 2009.[5]
Wing died in theLondon Borough of Enfield on 7 July 2013, at the age of 98.[11] The episode ofEastEnders that was broadcast the following day was dedicated to her memory and was immediately followed by a 90-second longBBC News report, the headlines of which included her death.[2] Her funeral took place in London.Adam Woodyatt was amongst the mourners.
| International | |
|---|---|
| People | |
