Prunella Scales, 'Fawlty Towers' actress, dead at 93

Prunella Scales, the British actress best known for her role as Sybil Fawlty in the BBC sitcom "Fawlty Towers," has died. She was 93. Her sons, Samuel and Joseph West, confirmed to The Post she died "peacefully at home in London" on Monday. She was diagnosed with vascular dementia in 2013. The boys also revealed that Scales was watching "Fawlty Towers" the day before she died. "Although dementia forced her retirement from a remarkable acting career of nearly 70 years, she continued to live at home," Samuel and Joseph said in a statement to The Post. "We would like to thank all those who gave Pru such wonderful care at the end of her life: her last days were comfortable, contented and surrounded by love," her sons added. Scales shared her sons with her late husband, actor Timothy West, who died in Nov. 2024 at age 90. Born in Surrey, England on June 22, 1932, Scales began her career as an assistant stage manager before she pivoted to acting, with her breakout gig being the 1960s sitcom "Marriage Lines." From 1975 to 1979, Scales starred as the domineering Sybil Fawlty in "Fawlty Towers" which made her a household name. The series, created by John Cleese and Connie Booth, takes place in a dysfunctional hotel in a seaside town in South West England and centers on owner Basil Fawlty (Cleese), his wife Sybil (Sccales), chambermaid Polly (Booth) and waiter Manuel (Andrew Sachs). "I never really felt ready to go on Fawlty Towers," she said. "Do you think I'm still lumbered with that show? People need a peg to hang you on and I'm grateful to it on the whole. It opened, rather than closed, doors for me." Scales was also well known for playing Sarah France in the ITV sitcom "After Henry" from 1988 to 1992. Her other notable acting credits included the shows "Mapp & Lucia" and "Seven of One," and the films "The Boys from Brazil," "The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne," "Howards End" and "An Awfully Big Adventure." In 1992, Scales got nominated for a BAFTA for playing Queen Elizabeth II in Alan Bennett's one-act stage play "A Question of Attribution." Scales married Timothy in 1963. The couple appeared together in the 1987 two-act farce "What the Butler Saw." They also were presenters of the travel documentary series "Great Canal Journey." Before his death in 2024, Timothy spoke about his wife's dementia battle. "I miss Pru's companionship as my best friend," he said in an interview, per The Sun. "She doesn't have much awareness of time so when she joins me, her face lights up as if we've been apart for days." "The look on her face makes me realize how much I love her," Timothy added. In addition to her sons, Scales is survived by one stepdaughter, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.