Jeannette Charles (born 15 October 1927) is a retired British actress who has often portrayed Queen Elizabeth II due to her resemblance to the monarch.

Biography

Charles appeared as an actress in repertory theatre in her twenties, but had difficulty obtaining Equity membership. Her resemblance to Queen Elizabeth II made it difficult to obtain roles, and she eventually left acting to become a secretary. In 1972, a painting she commissioned of herself in her forties (as a present for her husband) was displayed by the artist at the Royal Academy in London, where it was taken to be a portrait of the Queen. On the assumption the painting was of the Queen, it was disqualified as portraits had to be painted from life. When it was revealed that it was not the Queen, Charles (as the actual subject of the painting) received a great deal of press attention, and started receiving offers to portray the Queen in print advertisements. Charles accepted the offers she felt were appropriate (turning down, for instance, offers to portray the queen in lingerie or, in one case, as a centrefold), and insisted that it be made clear in any advertisement that the Queen was being played by an impersonator. After studying the Queen's voice, as well as her appearance, Charles also made in-character personal appearances at trade shows and corporate events, and soon broadened into film. Charles has played the role of Queen Elizabeth II in many films including ''

Secrets of a Superstud ''Secrets of a Super Stud'', also known as ''It's Getting Harder All the Time'' and ''Naughty Girls on the Loose'', is a 1976 British sex comedy film, one of many to be also filmed in a hardcore version for export. It was shot at Twickenham Fi ...

'' (1976), ''

Queen Kong ''Queen Kong'' is a 1976 British-German adventure comedy film parodying ''King Kong''. The film was never released theatrically in the United Kingdom, due to legal action by Dino De Laurentiis, producer of the 1976 ''King Kong'' remake and RKO ...

'' (1976),

The Rutles The Rutles () were a rock band that performed visual and aural pastiches and parodies of the Beatles. This originally fictional band, created by Eric Idle and Neil Innes for a sketch in Idle's mid-1970s BBC television comedy series ''Rutland We ...

' movie ''

All You Need Is Cash ''All You Need Is Cash'' (also known as ''The Rutles'') is a 1978 television film that traces (in mockumentary style) the career of a fictitious English rock group called the Rutles. As '' TV Guide'' described it, the group's resemblance to ...

'' (1978), ''

National Lampoon's European Vacation ''National Lampoon's European Vacation'' is a 1985 American comedy film directed by Amy Heckerling and written by Robert Klane. The second film in National Lampoon's ''Vacation'' film series, it stars Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Dana Hill, ...

'' (1985), '' The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!'' (1988) and ''

Austin Powers in Goldmember ''Austin Powers in Goldmember'' is a 2002 American spy comedy film directed by Jay Roach. It is the third in the ''Austin Powers'' film series and stars Mike Myers in four roles: Austin Powers, Dr. Evil, Goldmember, and Fat Bastard. Myers a ...

'' (2002). Charles also appeared as a semi-regular in

Spike Milligan Terence Alan "Spike" Milligan (16 April 1918 – 27 February 2002) was an Irish actor, comedian, writer, musician, poet, and playwright. The son of an English mother and Irish father, he was born in British Colonial India, where he spent his ...

's '' Q'' series on BBC Television and appeared on

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...

's '' Big Brother 10'' to surprise the

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

ian contestant Rodrigo Lopes (who thought he was meeting the real Queen Elizabeth II for a task). Charles also appeared in ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...

'' episode Season 2, Episode 20 in 1977 and ''

Mind Your Language ''Mind Your Language'' is a British sitcom that premiered on ITV in 1977. It was produced by London Weekend Television and directed by Stuart Allen. Three series were made by the London Weekend Television between 1977 and 1979 and briefly re ...

'' episode Season 2, Episode 2, "Queen for a Day", in 1978."IMDB"
IMDb, Retrieved 12 August 2015 Charles retired in 2014 and lives in

Chelmsford, Essex Chelmsford () is a city in the City of Chelmsford district in the county of Essex, England. It is the county town of Essex and one of three cities in the county, along with Southend-on-Sea and Colchester. It is located north-east of London at ...

Partial filmography

*''Leos Leiden'' (1976) - The Queen *''

'' (1976) - The Lady *''

'' (1976) - HM The Queen (uncredited) *''

'' (aka ''The Rutles'') (1978) - A Queen of England *''

'' (1985) - Queen Elizabeth *''Nipagesh Bachof'' (1987) - Queen of England *'' The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!'' (1988) - Queen Elizabeth II *'' The Parent Trap'' (1998) - Queen Elizabeth II (deleted scene) *''Tusenårsfesten'' (1999) - Queen Elizabeth II *''

'' (2002) - Queen Elizabeth II

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Charles, Jeannette 1927 births Living people British film actresses British stage actresses English impressionists (entertainers) Place of birth missing (living people)