Anna was born in Durban, South Africa in 1940. Her first professional
acting job was being the voices of various puppets. Also 3 years training with the South African National Theatre.
Undoubtedly
Anna is best known for her creation of the delectable Olive in On the Buses who became a national figure, the symbol
of the suffering wife. Anna played in seven series of On the Buses, and the movies ON THE BUSES, Mutiny on the Buses,
and Holiday on the Buses. The series also transferred to the stage/ which in 1987 took Anna to Victoria and Vancouver and
the next year to Toronto.
Believe it or not Anna started her career as a glamour model,
before getting into acting.
In another hit series, The Rag Trade she created yet another splendid
character and went on to play the bossy Rosita in two series of Trouble and Strife for Central Television and in BBC's
Roland Rat - The Series. Other television appearances are as varied as Celebrity Squares to the BBC's Play for Today.
Anna made a cameo appearance in the Pilot for Gayle Tuesday's new show, Gayle's World, with Frank Skinner on Fantasy
Football League. Cash in Hand for 6 Foot High Films and was the regular Aunt Sal in Eastenders. Other work has been on Birds
of a Feather for Alomo and Boyz Unlimited for Hatrick & Revolver for BBC Scotland. Other films include two in the Carry On series, Poor Cow, Lock Up Your
Daughter, Stainless Steel, Star Spies and Jonathan Harvey's Beautiful Thing playing Marlene the nosey neighbour. She has appeared in countless pantomimes
in such roles as Empress of China in Aladdin, Nurse Glucose in Robin Hood, Alice in Dick Whittington, Fairy Godmother in Cinderella
and Fairy Bowbells in Dick Whittington. Anna starred in the national tours of Steaming. Not Now Darling and Noises Off, in
which she played Dottie Otley, and at Theatre Clwyd appeared in The Brother of Merlin - her first Jacobean text. This was
followed by a revival of The Late Edwina Black and Sue Townsends's Bazarr and Rummage with Jill Gasgoine and she was invited
back to Theatr Clywd to play Emma Hornett in Watch it Sailor. She starred in Sailor Beware on the Isle of Man and a very successful No.l tour of When did you last
see your trousers? for the Live Theatre Company/ Straight and Narrow for Multistar Productions. The Farndale Avenue Housing
Estate Townswomens Dramatic Society Murder Mystery at Hornchurch and on tour, Noises Off for Birmingham Old Stage and No.
1 Tour of The Unexpected Guest playing Mrs Warwick and lately playing Joan Maple in Murdered to Death on tour. Theatre-in-Education - Ark Theatre Company,
Class Actors/ Role Play. Anna has acted and directed for these companies. Who Goes Bare Tour. Starring Trevor Bannister, Linda
Lusardi, Melvyn Hayes, Brian Cant and Anna Karen Information courtesy of UK Productions |
CAREER DETAILS
1959 Nudist Memories
1966 The Sandwich Man Starring Michael Bentine as the central character,
Norman Wisdom, Terry-Thomas, Harry H. Corbett and Bernard Cribbins Bentine plays a character carrying a sandwich board around
the streets of London
1967 Poor Cow This film also starred Terry Duggan (Anna's husband) as a Prisoner Kate Williams
(Nurse in Holiday ON THE BUSES) played Beryl
also starred Queenie Watts (in Holiday ON THE BUSES) as Aunt Emm
1968
Wild, Wild Women Created by Ronnie Wolfe and Ronnie Chesney, and starring Barbara Windsor as a young and sprightly cockney.
Anna played Maude.
(Olive visited Aunt Maude in the episode Foggy Night.) Also starred Pat Coombs who appeared
in Mutiny ON THE BUSES
1969 On The Buses
1969 Carry On Camping
1970 Carry On Loving
1970 The Kenneth
Williams Show
1971 The Ski Bum
1971 On The Buses The movie
1973 The Affair
1973 BUSMANS HOLIDAY Torbay
(June) with Stephen Lewis & Bob Grant
1973 Cinderella East ham The last Granada panto also
starring Tony Blackburn, Anna Karen and Valentine Dyall. It played from the 23rd December 1973 to the 19th
January, 1974
.
1973 Mutiny On The Buses- Holiday On The Buses
1974 WHO
GOES BARE? Terry Duggan Dave King
1974 Murder Mystery Pavilion Theatre Rhyl Wales Karen, Larry Dann, Josie Kidd an1974
Cinderella 1974 Pantomime Programme
1974 Cinderella 1974 Pantomime Programme
1975 Milk O with Bob Grant
1976 The Kenneth Williams Show
1976/1977 THE OLD WOMAN WHO LIVED IN A SHOE WEYMOUTH PAVILION SEASON 76,77
1977 What's Up Nurse! Anna Karen as Knitter Terry Duggan as Old Salt Kate Williams as Matron
1977 The Rag
Trade
1978 Stainless Steel And The Star Spies
1982- 1983 NELL GWYNNE THEATRE HEREFORD Panto
DICK WHITTINGTON
1985 EastEnders
1985 Troubles
& Strife Anna played Rosita as leader of a group of Church members who's lives were put in a spin by the arrival of
a handsome Vicar
1986 Roland Rat, the Series
1991 ANNA KAREN ROY NORTH DAVID BRICE in Noises
Off at the GRAND THEATRE Blackpool
1992 Hull New Theatre IBAZAAR & RUMMAGE By Sue Townsend Jill Gascoine, Sophie
Lawrence (Eastenders) and Debbie Arnold.
1993 Goodnight Sweetheart
1993 When Did You Last See your.....Trousers
by Ray Galton and John Antrobus held at the Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham from Monday 21st October to Saturday 5th November
1994
Great cast list includes Linda Lusardi (Page 3 Girl), Arthur Bostrom (Hallo Hallo), Hilary Minster (Hallo
Hallo) and John D.Collins (You Rang M'Lord) and other actors, including Ronnie Toms, Kieran
McGivern, Kaki Lucius,
Howard Nightingall and Stephanie Barry
1996 Beautiful Thing 1996
1999 DICK WHITTINGTON Ben SHEPHERD McAndrew Bright.
Blackpool
1997 EastEnders playing "Aunt Sal" 21 August
1997 Theatre Royal, Brighton, September
2-6, The Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Townswomen’s Guild Dramatic Society Murder Mystery’
1998 Mike
Reid: Alive and Kidding Herself/Audience Member
1998 Goodnight Sweetheart playing "Mrs. Hardcore" in
episode: "Have You Ever Seen a Dream Walking?"13 April
1999 Boyz Unlimited
1999 'Dick Whittington'
at the Grand Theatre, Blackpool starring Ben Shephard from 'GMTV', Deborah McAndrew from 'Coronation Street'
and Michael Knowles from 'It Ain't Half Hot Mum'.
2000 Travelwise, 2
2000 BBC Hall of Fame: Barbara
Windsor Audience member
2001 EastEnders playing "Aunt Sal" 5 October
2002 Another Audience with
Ken Dodd ) Audience member October
2002 EastEnders playing "Aunt Sal" 3 October
2002 EastEnders
playing "Aunt Sal" 4 October
2002 The Bill playing "Margie Connell" 2002 24 October
2003
EastEnders playing "Aunt Sal" 6 January
2007 to present day 'East Eanders' Anna was married to Terry Duggan who also appeared in, yes you guest it On The
Buses, as Nobby played The Depot Mechanic. He also played the Shopkeeper when the Butler Family went to buy a new loo.
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