Angela Margaret Scoular (8 November 1945 – 11 April 2011) was a British actress.

Early life

Her father was an engineer and she was born in London. She attended

St George's School, Harpenden St George's School, Harpenden (also known as St George's) is a non-selective state Day school, day and boarding school in Harpenden, Hertfordshire, England, educating students of both sexes between the ages of eleven and eighteen, with an emphasi ...

Queen's College, Harley Street Queen's College is a Private schools in the United Kingdom, private day school for girls aged 11–18 with an adjoining prep school for girls aged 4–11 located in the City of Westminster, London. It was founded in 1848 by theologian and social ...

and

RADA The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, also known by its abbreviation RADA (), is a drama school in London, England, which provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in Bloomsbury, Central Lond ...

Career

Scoular was among a small group of actors to have appeared in two

James Bond The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...

films, made by different production companies. Scoular played Buttercup in the comedy '' Casino Royale'' (1967) and then two years later made an appearance in the

Eon Productions Eon Productions Limited is a British film production company that primarily produces the ''James Bond'' film series. The company is based in London's Piccadilly and also operates from Pinewood Studios in the UK. ''James Bond'' films Eon wa ...

Bond film series playing

Ruby Ruby is a pinkish-red-to-blood-red-colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum ( aluminium oxide). Ruby is one of the most popular traditional jewelry gems and is very durable. Other varieties of gem-quality corundum are called sapph ...

in '' On Her Majesty's Secret Service'' (1969). Her other film credits include ''

A Countess from Hong Kong ''A Countess from Hong Kong'' is a 1967 British romantic comedy film scored, written, and directed by Charlie Chaplin, and the final film directed, written, produced and scored by him. It was based on the life of a former Russian aristocrat, as ...

'' (1967), ''

Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush "Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush" (also titled "Mulberry Bush" or "This Is the Way") is an English nursery rhyme and singing game. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 7882. It uses the tune which Nancy Dawson danced into fame in ''The ...

'' (1968), '' Great Catherine'' (also 1968), ''

Doctor in Trouble ''Doctor in Trouble'' is a 1970 British comedy film, the seventh and last film in the ''Doctor'' series. The film was directed by Ralph Thomas and stars Leslie Phillips as a doctor who gets accidentally trapped on an outgoing cruise ship while i ...

'' (1970), '' The Adventurers'' (1970), ''

Adventures of a Taxi Driver ''Adventures of a Taxi Driver'' is a 1976 British sex comedy film directed by Stanley Long and starring Barry Evans, Judy Geeson and Adrienne Posta. There are two sequels, ''Adventures of a Private Eye'' (1977) and ''Adventures of a Plumber ...

'' (1976), and ''

Adventures of a Private Eye ''Adventures of a Private Eye'' is a 1977 British sex comedy film directed by Stanley Long and starring Christopher Neil, Suzy Kendall, Harry H. Corbett and Liz Fraser. It followed '' Adventures of a Taxi Driver'' (1976), and was followed b ...

'' (1977). Her television credits included playing Cathy in a 1967 BBC production of ''

Wuthering Heights ''Wuthering Heights'' is the only novel by the English author Emily Brontë, initially published in 1847 under her pen name "Ellis Bell". It concerns two families of the landed gentry living on the West Yorkshire moors, the Earnshaws and the ...

'', ''

Doctor in the House Doctor in the House may refer to: * Doctor in the House (novel), ''Doctor in the House'' (novel), a 1952 novel by Richard Gordon ** Doctor in the House (film), ''Doctor in the House'' (film), a 1954 British film adaptation of the novel *** Doctor i ...

'', '' The Avengers'', ''

Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' (colloquially referred to as ''Corrie'') is a British television soap opera created by ITV Granada, Granada Television and shown on ITV (TV network), ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres on a cobbled, terraced ...

'', ''Penmarric'', '' As Time Goes By'' and ''

You Rang, M'Lord? ''You Rang, M'Lord?'' is a BBC television sitcom written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, the creators of ''Dad's Army''. It was broadcast between 29 December 1988 and 24 April 1993 on the BBC. The show was set in the house of an aristocratic fa ...

'' (in the recurring role of Lady Agatha Shawcross). Scoular appeared in a play entitled ''Little Lies'', starring Sir

John Mills Sir John Mills (born Lewis Ernest Watts Mills; 22 February 190823 April 2005) was an English actor who appeared in more than 120 films in a career spanning seven decades. He excelled on camera as an appealing British everyman who often portray ...

, at the

Wyndham's Theatre Wyndham's Theatre is a West End theatre, one of two opened by actor/manager Charles Wyndham (the other is the Criterion Theatre). Located on Charing Cross Road in the City of Westminster, it was designed c. 1898 by W. G. R. Sprague, the arch ...

, London, England, which ran from July 1983 through February 1984, written by Joseph George Caruso. The play was produced at the Royal Alexandra Theatre, Toronto, Canada in 1984, with the same cast, for six weeks.

Personal life

She was a niece of actress Margaret Johnston. She moved in with actor

Leslie Phillips Leslie Samuel Phillips (20 April 1924 – 7 November 2022) was an English actor. He achieved prominence in the 1950s, playing smooth, upper-class comic roles utilising his "Ding dong" and "Hello" catchphrases. He appeared in the '' Carry On'' ...

in 1977, at which time she was pregnant by another actor. She brought up her son with Phillips whom she married in 1982.

Illnesses and death

Scoular had depression and

anorexia nervosa Anorexia nervosa (AN), often referred to simply as anorexia, is an eating disorder characterized by Calorie restriction, food restriction, body image disturbance, fear of gaining weight, and an overpowering desire to be thin. Individuals wit ...

. She

attempted suicide A suicide attempt is an act in which an individual tries to kill themselves but survives. Mental health professionals discourage describing suicide attempts as "failed" or "unsuccessful", as doing so may imply that a suicide resulting in death is ...

in 1992. It was revealed in March 2009 that she had

bowel cancer Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowel ...

; she was eventually declared cancer-free, but in the months preceding her death she had feared its return. Weeks before her death, she was arrested for

driving under the influence Driving under the influence (DUI) is the crime of driving, operating, or being in control of a vehicle while one is impaired from doing so safely by the effect of either alcohol (drug), alcohol (see drunk driving) or some other drug, whether re ...

. She died on 11 April 2011 after ingesting

acid An acid is a molecule or ion capable of either donating a proton (i.e. Hydron, hydrogen cation, H+), known as a Brønsted–Lowry acid–base theory, Brønsted–Lowry acid, or forming a covalent bond with an electron pair, known as a Lewis ...

drain cleaner A drain cleaner, also known as drain opener, refers to a person, device, or product used to unblock sewer pipes or clear clogged wastewater drains. This term typically applies to chemical, enzymatic, or mechanical tools such as commercial chemical ...

and pouring it on her body, causing lethal burns to her digestive tract and skin. An inquest at Westminster Coroner's Court on 20 July 2011 established that Scoular had been an

alcoholic Alcoholism is the continued drinking of alcohol despite it causing problems. Some definitions require evidence of dependence and withdrawal. Problematic use of alcohol has been mentioned in the earliest historical records. The World Hea ...

and had depression and anxiety about debts; she was on medication for

bipolar disorder Bipolar disorder (BD), previously known as manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by periods of Depression (mood), depression and periods of abnormally elevated Mood (psychology), mood that each last from days to weeks, and in ...

at the time of her death. The coroner recorded that Scoular had "killed herself while the balance of her mind was disturbed", and stated that her death was not

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

Filmography

*''

'' (1967) as Cathy Earnshaw *''

'' (1967) as The Society Girl *'' Casino Royale'' (1967) as Buttercup *''

'' (1968) as Caroline Beauchamp *'' Great Catherine'' (1968) as Claire *'' On Her Majesty's Secret Service'' (1969) as Ruby Bartlett *'' The Adventurers'' (1970) as Denisonde *''

'' (1970) as Ophelia O'Brien *''

'' (1976) as Marion *''

'' (1977) as Jane Hogg

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Scoular, Angela 1945 births 2011 deaths 20th-century English actresses Actresses from London English film actresses English television actresses People with bipolar disorder Suicides by poison Suicides in Westminster Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art 2011 suicides 20th-century English businesspeople