Anna Wing facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Anna Wing
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Wing in 2007
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| Born |
Anna Eva Lydia Catherine Wing
30 October 1914 Hackney, East London, England
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| Died | 7 July 2013 (aged 98) Hackney, East London, England
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| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active |
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| Television | EastEnders |
| Spouse(s) |
Peter Davey
(m. 1944; div. 1950) |
| Partner(s) | Philip O'Connor (1953–1960) |
| Children | 2, including Mark Wing-Davey |
Anna Wing (30 October 1914 – 7 July 2013) was a talented English actress. She had a very long career in television and theatre. Many people remember her for playing Lou Beale in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders. She was also awarded an MBE, which stands for Member of the Order of the British Empire, for her work in drama and charity.
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About Anna Wing
Anna Wing was born in Hackney, a part of London, England. Before she became a famous actress, she worked as an artist's model. During World War II, she helped out in hospitals in the East End of London.
When she was 30, Anna married an actor named Peter Davey. They had a son together, Mark Wing-Davey, who also became an actor and director. Their marriage ended after six years. Later, Anna had another son, Jon O'Connor, with writer Philip O'Connor. For a while, she worked as a nursery teacher in West London.
Her Acting Career
Anna Wing is most famous for her role as Lou Beale in EastEnders. She played the strong and wise head of the Beale and Fowler family. She was part of the show right from the very beginning in February 1985.
Anna left EastEnders in July 1988 because she wasn't happy with how the story was going for her character. However, she later thought that leaving might not have been the best choice.
Training and Theatre Work
Anna studied acting at the Croydon School of Acting in London. She spent over 65 years performing in plays at different theatres in London. She also acted in Canada at the Stratford Festival in 1967.
On Television and in Films
Before EastEnders, Anna appeared in other TV shows. She was in Market in Honey Lane in the late 1960s. She also had a role in the science fiction show Doctor Who in an episode called "Kinda" in 1982.
Some of her other TV appearances include:
- The Witches and the Grinnygog
- Dixon of Dock Green
- Z-Cars
- Play for Today
- The Sweeney (in the episode On the Run)
Anna also acted in many films. These include:
- Billy Liar (1963)
- A Doll's House (1973), which starred Jane Fonda
- The Hound of the Baskervilles (1978)
- Several horror films like Full Circle (1977) and Xtro (1983). In Xtro, her character had a very unusual scene!
After EastEnders
After leaving EastEnders, Anna continued to act on stage. She played Madame Arcati in the comedy play Blithe Spirit. She also had many more TV roles, such as:
- Casualty
- Doctors
- French and Saunders
- The Bill
She even lent her voice to the cartoon series Fungus the Bogeyman. Her later films included The Calcium Kid (with Orlando Bloom) and Son of Rambow (2007), where she played Grandma.
In 2005, when she was 91 years old, Anna helped present an award to her EastEnders co-star June Brown (who played Dot Branning) at the British Soap Awards. That same year, Anna was in a short film called Ex Memoria. This film was about an elderly woman dealing with Alzheimer's disease. It was even nominated for an award!
In 2009, at 94, Anna worked on another short film called Numbers Up. In the same year, she was given the MBE award for her amazing contributions to drama and charity work. In 2012, she appeared in a music video for the band Quarrel.
Later Life and Passing
Anna Wing was a member of the Religious Society of Friends, also known as the Quakers. She also supported the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, which works to get rid of nuclear weapons.
She attended the funeral of her EastEnders on-screen daughter, Wendy Richard, in 2009.
Anna Wing passed away peacefully in her sleep on 7 July 2013, at the age of 98. The EastEnders episode shown the next day was dedicated to her memory. A news report about her death followed immediately after the show. Her funeral was held in London, and many people, including actor Adam Woodyatt (who plays Ian Beale in EastEnders), attended to say goodbye.
