Maria Zena Schneider (22 September 1929 – 21 April 2023), known professionally as Maria Charles, was an English film, television and stage actress, director and comedienne. She was probably best known for her performance as the overbearing mother Bea Fisher in the ITV sitcom '' Agony''. Charles also appeared on the stage in original West End productions including musicals by

Stephen Sondheim Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March22, 1930November26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. Regarded as one of the most important figures in 20th-century musical theater, he is credited with reinventing the American musical. He received Lis ...

Charles Strouse Charles Louis Strouse (June 7, 1928 – May 15, 2025) was an American composer and lyricist best known for writing the music to the Broadway musicals ''Bye Bye Birdie'', ''Applause (musical), Applause'', and ''Annie (musical), Annie''. Backgrou ...

and

Sandy Wilson Alexander Galbraith "Sandy" Wilson (19 May 1924 – 27 August 2014) was an English composer and lyricist, best known for his musical '' The Boy Friend'' (1953). Biography Wilson was born in Sale, Cheshire, England, and was educated at Harrow ...

Early life

Maria Zena Schneider was born in London on 22 September 1929.England and Wales Civil Registration Birth Index, 1929 Births. She was the daughter of David Schneider (1896–1980) and Celia Schneider (née Ashkenaza) (1906–1954). Her father was a hairdresser who used the soubriquet "Mr Charles". When she graduated from the

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art 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 London ...

in London in 1946 she took her father's working name as her stage surname.

Career

Charles had an exceptionally long acting career that spanned over seven decades. She made her stage debut as the Dormouse in a 1945 production of ''

Alice in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (also known as ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English Children's literature, children's novel by Lewis Carroll, a mathematics university don, don at the University of Oxford. It details the story of a ...

'' at the Connaught Theatre,

Worthing Worthing ( ) is a seaside town and borough in West Sussex, England, at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of Chichester. With a population of 113,094 and an area of , the borough is the second largest component of the Br ...

and her West End theatre debut in the ''Pick up Girl'' at the

Prince of Wales Theatre The Prince of Wales Theatre is a West End theatre in Coventry Street, near Leicester Square in London. It was established in 1884 and rebuilt in 1937, and extensively refurbished in 2004 by Sir Cameron Mackintosh, its current owner. The theatre ...

in 1946. Charles appeared in the original London production of '' The Boy Friend'' as 'Dulcie' which ran for a total of 2,082 performances (from 1954 to 1959). She played the part of 'Solange Lafitte' in the original West End production of '' Follies'' at the Shaftesbury Theatre by

. The show ran for 644 performances from 21 July 1987 to 4 February 1989 and starred Julia McKenzie, Daniel Massey and

Eartha Kitt Eartha Mae Kitt (née Keith; January 17, 1927 – December 25, 2008) was an American singer and actress. She was known for her highly distinctive singing style and her 1953 recordings of "C'est si bon" and the Christmas novelty song "Santa Baby" ...

. Charles has worked extensively in theatre, TV and films and has carved a niche for herself on television playing clingy

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

mothers. She appeared in the memorable

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

Play for Today ''Play for Today'' is a British television anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC1 from 1970 to 1984. During the run, more than three hundred programmes, featuring original television plays, and adaptations of stage ...

'' anthology TV series (which ran from 1970 to 1984), in the TV play the '' Bar Mitzvah Boy'' which won the

BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

British Academy Television Award The BAFTA TV Awards, or British Academy Television Awards, are presented in an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. They have been awarded annually since 1955. Background The first-ever Awards, given in 1 ...

for (best single play); in 1977 it was placed 56th in a BFI poll of the

100 Greatest British Television Programmes The BFI TV 100 is a list of 100 television programmes or series that was compiled in 2000 by the British Film Institute (BFI), as chosen by a poll of industry professionals, with the aim to determine the best British television programmes of any ...

of the 20th century, voted by industry professionals. She also played Maureen Lipman's character's mother in the ITV sitcom '' Agony'' from 1979 to 1981. In 1981 she starred in Nell Dunn's new comedy play, ''

Steaming Steaming is a method of cooking using steam. This is often done with a food steamer, a kitchen appliance made specifically to cook food with steam, but food can also be steamed in a wok. In the American Southwest, steam pits used for cooking ha ...

'' at the Comedy Theatre Stratford East, playing alongside

Brenda Blethyn Brenda Blethyn ( Bottle; born 20 February 1946) is an English actress. Known for her character work and versatility, she is the recipient of various accolades, including a Golden Globe, a BAFTA, and a Cannes Film Festival Award, as well as n ...

; the production won the

Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Comedy The Noël Coward Award for Best Entertainment or Comedy Play is an annual award presented by the Society of London Theatre in recognition of achievements in commercial London theatre. The awards were established as the Society of West End Theatre ...

that year. Other notable television credits included well known television series such as ''

Z-Cars ''Z-Cars'' or ''Z Cars'' (pronounced "zed cars") is a British television police procedural series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police and CID detectives in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby, near Liverpool. Produced by ...

'', '' Crossroads'', '' Secret Army'', ''

Brideshead Revisited ''Brideshead Revisited: The Sacred & Profane Memories of Captain Charles Ryder'' is a novel by the English writer Evelyn Waugh, first published in 1945. It follows, from the 1920s to the early 1940s, the life and romances of Charles Ryder, esp ...

'', ''

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 ...

'', '' Whoops Apocalypse'', '' Boon'', '' Never the Twain'', ''

Lovejoy ''Lovejoy'' is a British television comedy-drama mystery fiction, mystery series, based on the Lovejoy (novel series), novels by John Grant (Lovejoy), John Grant under the pen name Jonathan Gash. The show, which ran to 71 episodes over six ser ...

'', ''

Casualty Casualty may refer to: *Casualty (person), a person who is killed or rendered unfit for service in a war or natural disaster **Civilian casualty, a non-combatant killed or injured in warfare * The emergency department of a hospital, also known as ...

'', ''

Holby City ''Holby City'' (stylised on-screen as HOLBY CIY) is a British medical drama television series that aired weekly on BBC One. It was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a Spin-off (media), spin-off from the established BBC medical drama '' ...

'' and '' Bad Girls''. Her notable film credits included: '' Sisterhood'', ''

Hot Fuzz ''Hot Fuzz'' is a 2007 buddy cop action comedy film directed by Edgar Wright, who co-wrote the film with Simon Pegg. Pegg stars as Nicholas Angel, an elite London police officer, whose proficiency makes the rest of his team look bad, causing hi ...

'', ''

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

'', '' Revenge of the Pink Panther'', Victor Victoria, and '' Sixty Six''.

Personal life and death

Charles died on 21 April 2023, at the age of 93. She was survived by two daughters; Kelly, an actress, and Samantha, a production stage manager.

Stage appearances

*(Stage debut) Dormouse, ''

'', Connaught Theatre, Worthing, England, 1945 *(London West End debut) Ruby Lockwood, ''The Pick-Up Girl'',

, London, 1946 *Rosie, '' Women of Twilight'', Vaudeville Theatre, London, 1951 *''See You Again'' (Sandy Wilson revue),

Watergate Theatre, London The Watergate Theatre in London existed from 1949-56, located on Buckingham Street, Westminster. In 1949 Elizabeth Denby, together with the theatre director and playwright Velona Pilcher, the writer Elizabeth Sprigge, and Jane Drew converted a ...

, 1952 *''Swing Back the Gate'' (Geoffrey Wright, revue), Irving Theatre, London, 1952. *Sorrell Connaught, ''A Kiss for Adele'',

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a West End theatre#London's non-commercial theatres, non-commercial theatre in Sloane Square, London, England, opene ...

, London, 1952 *Florrie Solomon, ''Spring Song'', Embassy Theatre, London, 1953 *Dulcie, '' The Boy Friend'',

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, 1954–1958 *Dulcie Du Bois, '' The Boy Friend'',

Globe Theatre The Globe Theatre was a Theater (structure), theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 at Southwark, close to the south bank of the Thames, by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men. It was ...

, London, 1965 *Fairy Sorayah, '' Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves'',

Players' Theatre The Players' Theatre was a London theatre which opened at 43 King Street, Covent Garden, on 18 October 1936. The club originally mounted period-style musical comedies, introducing Victorian-style music hall in December 1937. The threat of Worl ...

, London, 1965 *Florence, '' Enter a Free Man'', St. Martin's Theatre, London, 1968 *Jessie Macfarlane, Mrs. Dawkins, Bridgid O'Cooney, Mrs. van Boven, Dellarosa Paravici, Miss Minter, Mary Thornton, Mrs. Campbell-Scully, and Mrs. Zuckmeyer, '' They Don't Grow on Trees'',

, 1969 *Felice Kovacs, ''Partners'',

Royal Lyceum Theatre The Royal Lyceum Theatre is a 658-seat theatre in the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, named after the Theatre Royal Lyceum and English Opera House, the residence at the time of legendary Shakespearean actor Henry Irving. It was built in 1883 by a ...

, Edinburgh, Scotland, 1969 *Piglet, '' Winnie the Pooh'', Phoenix Theatre, London, 1972 *Fairy Cabbage Rose, ''

Beauty and the Beast "Beauty and the Beast" is a fairy tale written by the French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in (''The Young American and Marine Tales''). Villeneuve's lengthy version was abridged, rewritten, and publish ...

'', Players' Theatre, 1973 *Annie Chapman, ''

Jack the Ripper Jack the Ripper was an unidentified serial killer who was active in and around the impoverished Whitechapel district of London, England, in 1888. In both criminal case files and the contemporaneous journalistic accounts, the killer was also ...

'', Players' Theatre, 1974 *Mrs. Dolly Gallagher Levi, '' The Matchmaker'',

Her Majesty's Theatre His Majesty's Theatre is a West End theatre situated in the Haymarket, London, Haymarket in the City of Westminster, London. The building, designed by Charles J. Phipps, was constructed in 1897 for the actor-manager Herbert Beerbohm Tree, who ...

, London, 1978 *Mistress Overdone, ''

Measure for Measure ''Measure for Measure'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1603 or 1604 and first performed in 1604. It was published in the First Folio of 1623. The play centers on the despotic and puritan Angelo (Measure for ...

'',

Riverside Studios Riverside Studios is an arts centre on the north bank of the River Thames in Hammersmith, London, England. The venue plays host to contemporary performance, film, visual art exhibitions and television production. Having opened in May 1976, th ...

, Hammersmith, England, 1979 *Miss Hannigan, '' Annie'', Victoria Palace Theatre, London, 1979 *''

'',

Theatre Royal Stratford East Stratford East (formerly known as Theatre Royal Stratford East) is a 460 seat Victorian producing theatre in Stratford in the London Borough of Newham. Since 1953, it has been the home of the Theatre Workshop company, famously associated with di ...

, London, 1981. *Yente, ''

Fiddler on the Roof ''Fiddler on the Roof'' is a musical theatre, musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and musical theatre#Book musicals, book by Joseph Stein, set in the Pale of Settlement of Russian Empire, Imperial Russia in or around 19 ...

'', Apollo Theatre, London, 1983 *Solange Lafitte, '' Follies'', Shaftesbury Theatre, London 1987 *Multiple roles in the British National Theatre repertoire season at the Cottesloe Theatre, Lyttelton Theatre, and Olivier Theatre in London, 1989 *Vera Klein, '' The Absence of War'',

Royal National Theatre The National Theatre (NT), officially the Royal National Theatre and sometimes referred to in international contexts as the National Theatre of Great Britain, is a performing arts venue and associated theatre company located in London, England, ...

, London, 1993 *Melissa, ''Party Time'' & '' One for the Road'',

Battersea Arts Centre The Battersea Arts Centre ("BAC") is a performance space specialising in Theater, theatre productions. Located near Clapham Junction railway station in Battersea, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, it was formerly Battersea Town Hall. It is a ...

, London, 2003. *Noreen Biggs, '' Bad Girls'',

Garrick Theatre The Garrick Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Charing Cross Road, in the City of Westminster, named after the stage actor David Garrick. It opened in 1889 with ''The Profligate'', a play by Arthur Wing Pinero, and another Pinero play, ...

, London, 2007

Film appearances

*Goldie, '' A Gunman Has Escaped'',

Monarch A monarch () is a head of stateWebster's II New College Dictionary. "Monarch". Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. Life tenure, for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest ...

, 1948 *WRAC female soldier, ''

Folly to Be Wise ''Folly to Be Wise'' is a 1952 British comedy film directed by Frank Launder and starring Alastair Sim, Elizabeth Allan, Roland Culver, Colin Gordon, Martita Hunt and Edward Chapman. It was written by James Bridie, John Dighton and Launder ...

'', British Lion, 1952 *Blonde, '' The Deadly Affair'', Columbia, 1967 *Tea lady, '' The Strange Case of the End of Civilization as We Know It'', 1977 *Lady Client, '' Revenge of the Pink Panther'', 1978 *Senora Pulido, ''

'',

United Artists United Artists (UA) is an American film production and film distribution, distribution company owned by Amazon MGM Studios. In its original operating period, it was founded in February 1919 by Charlie Chaplin, D. W. Griffith, Mary Pickford an ...

, 1979 *Madame President, '' Victor/Victoria'', MGM/UA, 1982 *Mrs. Weedle, ''Under the Bed'', CFU, 1988. *The Pure Gatherer, '' The Fool'', 1990 *Sylvia Pinker, ''Antonia & Jane'', Miramax, 1991. *''Maria'', August Entertainment/Bratton/Wavepower Navigation Corp., 1995 *The Broadway Babies, '' Hey, Mr Producer!'' (also known as ''Hey Mr. Producer! The Musical World of Cameron Mackintosh''), Act Two, Broadway Baby, ''Follies'', 1998 *Mrs Glitzman, '' Sixty Six'', 2006. *Mrs Reaper, ''

'', 2007. *Ethel, '' Sisterhood'', 2008.

Television appearances

Series

*Lorelei Macefield, '' Crossroads'', 1964. *Mrs. Higgins, '' Pollyanna'', BBC, 1973 *Madge, '' Thomas and Sarah'', 1979 *Bea Fisher, '' Agony'', LWT 1979 *Mrs. Sadler, '' Never the Twain'',

Thames Television Thames Television, commonly simplified to just Thames, was a franchise holder for a region of the British ITV television network serving London and surrounding areas from 30 July 1968 until the night of 31 December 1992. Thames Television broa ...

1981 *May, '' Dream Stuffing'',

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

1984 *Bea Fisher, '' Agony Again'',

, 1995. *Lena Thistlewood, ''

'', ITV, 2005.

Miniseries

*Miss Ninetta Crummles, '' Nicholas Nickleby'', BBC, 1957. *Maria D'Israeli, '' Disraeli'', ATV, 1978. *Ma Mayfield, ''

'',

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

, 1982. *Lady Chairperson, '' A Perfect Spy'' (also known as "John Le Carre's A Perfect Spy"), Masterpiece Theatre, PBS, 1988 *Sarah Pocket, ''

Great Expectations ''Great Expectations'' is the thirteenth novel by English author Charles Dickens and his penultimate completed novel. The novel is a bildungsroman and depicts the education of an orphan nicknamed Pip. It is Dickens' second novel, after ''Dav ...

'', ITV 1989. *Old lady gambler, '' The 10th Kingdom'',

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

, 2000.

Television films

*Florrie Small, '' The Likes of 'Er'', BBC Films, 1947. *Blanaid, '' The Moon in the Yellow River'', BBC Films, 1947. *Sara Pocket, ''

'', NBC, 1974 *Widow Corney, ''

Oliver Twist ''Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress'', is the second novel by English author Charles Dickens. It was originally published as a serial from 1837 to 1839 and as a three-volume book in 1838. The story follows the titular orphan, who, ...

'', ABC, 1997. *Alena, ''

Crime and Punishment ''Crime and Punishment'' is a novel by the Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky. It was first published in the literary journal '' The Russian Messenger'' in twelve monthly installments during 1866.

'' (also known as ''Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment''), NBC, 1998 *Mrs. Hawtrey, '' Cor, Blimey!'',

Company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether Natural person, natural, Juridical person, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members ...

2000.

Television specials

*Mrs Hartop, ''The Mill'', Country Matters I, 1972 *Mrs. Rita Green, '' Bar Mitzvah Boy'' (also known as ''Play for Today:Bar Mitzvah Boy''), 1976

Television episodes

*'' Rogues Gallery'', ITV, 1968. *Joyce Farrington, ''

Crown Court The Crown Court is the criminal trial court, court of first instance in England and Wales responsible for hearing all indictable offences, some Hybrid offence, either way offences and appeals of the decisions of magistrates' courts. It is ...

'', 1975. *Grandma Canty, ''

The Prince and the Pauper ''The Prince and the Pauper'' is a novel by American author Mark Twain. It was first published in 1881 in Canada, before its 1882 publication in the United States. The novel represents Twain's first attempt at historical fiction. The plot conce ...

'', 1976. * Louise Colbert, '' Secret Army'', BBC, 1977. *Jewish woman, " The Violet Hour," '' Whoops Apocalypse'', 1982 *Mrs. Jowett, "Charity Begins at Home: Parts 1 & 2," '' Boon'', 1988 *Miss Phelan, "

Deluge A deluge is a large downpour of rain, often a flood. The Deluge refers to the flood narrative in the biblical book of Genesis. Deluge or Le Déluge may also refer to: History *Deluge (history), the Swedish and Russian invasion of the Polish-L ...

," ''

'', 1989 *'' Alas Smith & Jones'', 1990 *Alice, "The Galloping Major," ''

'', 1993 *Second lady, "Paris, October 1916," The '' Young Indiana Jones Chronicles'', 1993 *Celia Owen, "Release," ''

'', 2001 *Noreen Biggs, "Pillow Talk", "Prison Issue" & "5.12" '' Bad Girls'', 2002 & 2003 *Granny, Series Finale, '' Skins'', 2009.

Directing credits

*'' The Boy Friend'', (40th anniversary original cast reunion), at the Players Theatre, London, 1995. *''

Poppy A poppy is a flowering plant in the subfamily Papaveroideae of the family Papaveraceae. Poppies are herbaceous plants, often grown for their colourful flowers. One species of poppy, '' Papaver somniferum'', is the source of the narcotic drug ...

'' at the ICA, London, 1999.

Other

*Anna Gemignani, ''Anna'' (pilot), NBC, 1990 Charles also appeared in ''Angel Pavement'', ''Down Our Street'', ''Easter Passion'', ''The Fourth Wall'', '' The Good Old Days'', ''La Ronde'', ''Rogue's Gallery'', '' Shine on Harvey Moon'', ''Turn Out the Lights'', '' The Ugliest Girl in Town'', '' The Voice of the Turtle'', and '' Sheppey''.

References

External links

* . Accessed: 21 July 2013.
Monarch Film Corporation (films)
at IMDb. Accessed: 21 July 2013.
Maria Charles
at Hollywood.com. Accessed: 21 July 2013.
Maria Charles
at DigiGuide.tv. Accessed: 21 July 2013. * . Accessed: 21 July 2013. {{DEFAULTSORT:Charles, Maria 1929 births 2023 deaths English film actresses English television actresses English musical theatre actresses English soap opera actresses Actresses from London British people of Jewish descent Jewish English actresses English women comedians Jewish English comedians Comedians from London