Anna Quayle

Anna Quayle was born Anne Veronica Maria Quayle on Oct. 6, 1932 in Birmingham, England. She inherited a passion for acting from her father, Douglas Quayle, performing throughout childhood and ultimately enrolled in the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, England, after graduating from secondary school. Following her tenure at RADA, Quayle took to acting professionally, first in stage productions. Among her earliest gigs were the likes of "Better Late" by way of the 1956 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, though she quickly moved onto the Broadway stage, where she starred in the musical "Stop the World - I Want to Get Off" in 1962. The following year, Quayle on a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her turn in the show. Going forward, she leapt straight to the screen, making her movie debut in the Beatles-starring comedy film "A Hard Day's Night" (1964). Major films to follow included the James Bond comedy "Casino Royale" (1967) and the family adventure film "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" (1968). At this point a recognizable face, Quayle earned a recurring spot as a panelist on the British game show "What's My Line?" (BBC Two 1973-74), a spinoff of the popular American program of the same name. Following a long line of smaller movie appearances and short-lived television ventures, Quayle landed a starring role on the teen drama series "Grange Hill" (BBC One 1978-2008), playing the role of Mrs. Monroe for four years in the early 1990s. She retired from acting shortly afterward. In 2012, Quayle was diagnosed with dementia; on Aug. 16, 2019, she died at age 86.