Prunella Scales has been married to renowned English actor and presenter, Timothy West since 1963. Although she is now retired, she made a name for herself during her heydays. She is notable for featuring in films like the BBC Fawlty Towers(1975,1979), A Question of Attribution(1988), and Great Canal Journeys(2014-2019). Scales also shared the screen with her lifelong husband, Timothy West.
Apart from her career, she is the proud mother of two children namely Samuel West and Joseph West.
Prunelle Scales is Still Married to Timothy West after (61 ) Years
Scales and Timothy West got married in 1963. The pair celebrated their diamond anniversary in 2023. The actors first met while working on BBC’s play, She Died Young. According to the 90-year-old actor, the play that brought them together was a bad one. Thankfully, it did not affect their attraction to each other as they soon started a relationship that led to marriage.
Prior to the marriage, West was married to Jacqueline Boyer between 1957 and 1961. They welcomed a daughter named Juliet.
More on Scales and West’s affair, they found a common interest in writing letters in the early years of their relationship, and through this, they were able to keep in touch.
According to a BBC interview during their 60th wedding anniversary in 2023, West revealed that they understand each other. However, it does not mean that they have not faced challenges during their marriage of 6 decades.
Their struggles were showcased in the documentary series Great Canal Journeys as well as West’s book Pru and Me: The Amazing Marriage of Petrunelle Scales and Timothy West gives more details about how they have been able to cope with regard to Prunelle’s dementia. West reveals that they can no longer discuss plays and concerts because Prunelle cannot remember them. Likewise, he misses his companion and her creative energy. Needless to say, the couple has made it clear that not even dementia can break them apart.
On her own, the Fawlty Towers actress thanked West for sticking with her for so long.
Other Fascinating Facts about Timothy West’s Wife that You Should Know
1. Prunella Scales was born 7 years before the Second World War
She was born Prunella Margaret Rumney Illingworth on June 22, 1932, in Surrey, England. Her mother, Catherine, was an actress while her father, John, was a cotton salesman. Considering her year of birth, Prunella’s childhood was affected by the war. She and her younger brother, Timothy together with their parents moved to Bucks Mills at the start of the war.
When she got a scholarship to study at Moira House School, her mother and brother accompanied her to the school. By 1949, she got a two-year scholarship at The Old Vic School.
2. She launched her career in the ’50s and made her breakthrough in the ’60s
Scales started her career as an assistant stage manager back in the 50s but gained wide acclaim for her acting roles on stage and screen. At the time she started out, Scales wanted to be an actress. At first, she only got small roles in works like Pride and Prejudice(1952) and Waltz of the Toreadors(1962).
She eventually got her career breakthrough in the 1960 sitcom Marriage Lines. This was followed by other successful roles. One of her most remarkable works is Great Canal Journeys. So far, IMDB credits her with over 120 acting credits.
3. Her two children are also actors
Prunella is the mother of two children, Samuel West and Joseph West whom she shares with Timothy West.
Her oldest son Samuel also followed in her and Timothy’s footsteps. The 58-year-old is an actor, director, and narrator who is notable for his role as Siegfried Farnon in the drama series All Creatures Great and Small(2020-Present). In the course of his career, he has shared the screen with his famous mother in Howards End(1992) and Stiff Upper Lips(1997) and his father in stage productions like A Number(2002).
Like her oldest son, Joseph is also an actor and he has shared the screen and stage with other members of the West family.
4. She retired from acting due to Dementia
As mentioned earlier, Prunella has been suffering from dementia for over a decade. While she and West have been able to cope with it, she couldn’t keep up with her career. In 2019, she and West left Great CanalJourneys due to her poor health.
Prior, she was diagnosed with dementia in 2014 even though her husband revealed he started noticing changes in her as far back as 2001.
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5. Scales believes in giving back to the society
Despite the fact that the retired English actress has been slowed down by advancing dementia, her past charity activities prove that she is a philanthropist. Between 1997 and 2002, she held the position of president of the Council for the Preservation of Rural England.
As the name of the charity implies, it is an environmental protection charity that focuses on the prevention of urban sprawl.
