Prunella Scales dies: How old is John Cleese, who is his wife, when was he married to Connie Booth?
Prunella Scales, who died at 93, was best known for playing Sybil Fawlty in Fawlty Towers.
In an interview with the Radio Times in 1995, Prunella Scales said: "It's a dreadful thing to say - because I suppose I earn the bulk of my living from them - but TV sitcoms are my least favourite form of work. I don't mind situation comedy in the theatre, where you do it night after night and can learn from the audience.
“ I love long runs because I'm a slow worker. But on TV it's a horrendous schedule. I never really felt ready to go on Fawlty Towers.
“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. I enjoyed After Henry enormously and was quite proud of it."
Following the death of actress Prunella Scales at 93, her family shared a statement to PA News Agency that read: “Our darling mother Prunella Scales died peacefully at home in London yesterday.
"She was 93. Although dementia forced her retirement from a remarkable acting career of nearly 70 years, she continued to live at home. She was watching Fawlty Towers the day before she died.
"Pru was married to Timothy West for 61 years. He died in November 2024.
"She is survived by two sons and one stepdaughter, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
"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."
When it comes to Prunella Scales’s co-star John Cleese, he is married to his fourth wife Jennifer Wade. He told The Times last year that “The third wife got two properties, one was in London and one was in New York, and we had to sell the other three. I’ve actually given the flat behind Peter Jones to Jennifer, so I don’t have a house, I don’t have a car.”
John Cleese’s first wife was Barbara Trentham, he was married to Connie Booth from 1968 until 1978 and he was married to Alyce Faye Cleese from 1992 until 2008. He married Jennifer Wade in 2012.
When John Cleese submitted the script of Fawlty Towers with his then wife Connie Booth, actress Bridget Turner was first approached to play Sybil Fawlty before Prunella Scales.
In August of this year, Connie Booth told the Radio Times that “In the year and a half it took to write Fawlty Towers, John and I never imagined the impact the show would have. On its 50th anniversary, I’d like to take the opportunity to get something straight. John wrote the dialogue.
“Before that dialogue was written, he and I developed the plots. Each episode took about a month to contrive.
“Out of the ridiculous complications of farce, his brilliant lines emerged. When the issue of billing arose, I thought ‘Written by John Cleese, storyline by us both’ would’ve been fine for me. John said they didn’t do that in TV comedy and insisted on co-authorship.”
How old is John Cleese?
John Cleese is 86. In an interview with Saga magazine a couple of years ago, he revealed that he was getting stem cell therapy and said: “These cells travel around the body and when they discover a place that needs repair, they’ll then change into the cells that you want for repair, so they might become cartilage cells or liver cells.
“So I think that’s why I don’t look bad for 84.”
He also addressed the 32-age gap between him and fourth wife Jennifer Wade and said: “A lot of people comment and then the moment they actually see us together for two minutes they say ‘oh, I get it’ and it never arises again.
“What I love is that she’s 30 years younger than I am, but she keeps me young.
“I mean, it is sad to think I shall die some time before she will, but I’m in pretty good health.
“I’m not fit, but the way I put it is the doctors don’t yet know what I’m going to die of.”