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, Charles Strouse and Sandy Wilson.

Early life

Maria Zena Schneider was born in London on 22 September 1929.^[1] She was the daughter of David Schneider (1896–1980) and Celia Schneider (née Ashkenaza) (1906–1954).^[1] Her father was a hairdresser who used the soubriquet "Mr Charles". When she graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London in 1946^[2] 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 at the Connaught Theatre, Worthing and her West End theatre debut in the Pick up Girl at the Prince of Wales 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 Stephen Sondheim. The show ran for 644 performances from 21 July 1987 to 4 February 1989 and starred Julia McKenzie, Daniel Massey and Eartha Kitt. Charles has worked extensively in theatre, TV and films and has carved a niche for herself on television playing clingy Jewish mothers. She appeared in the memorable BBC Play for Today anthology TV series (which ran from 1970 to 1984), in the TV play the Bar Mitzvah Boy which won the BAFTA, British Academy Television Award for (best single play); in 1977 it was placed 56th in a BFI poll of the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes 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 at the Comedy Theatre Stratford East, playing alongside Brenda Blethyn; the production won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Comedy that year.

Other notable television credits included well known television series such as Z-Cars, Crossroads, Secret Army, Brideshead Revisited, Coronation Street, Whoops Apocalypse, Boon, Never the Twain, Lovejoy, Casualty, Holby City and Bad Girls.

Her notable film credits included: Sisterhood, Hot Fuzz, Cuba, 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.^[3]

Stage appearances

• (Stage debut) Dormouse, Alice in Wonderland, Connaught Theatre, Worthing, England, 1945
• (London West End debut) Ruby Lockwood, The Pick-Up Girl, Prince of Wales Theatre, London, 1946
• Rosie, Women of Twilight, Vaudeville Theatre, London, 1951
• See You Again (Sandy Wilson revue), Watergate Theatre, London, 1952
• Swing Back the Gate (Geoffrey Wright, revue), Irving Theatre, London, 1952.^[4]
• Sorrell Connaught, A Kiss for Adele, Royal Court Theatre, London, 1952
• Florrie Solomon, Spring Song, Embassy Theatre, London, 1953
• Dulcie, The Boy Friend, Wyndham's Theatre, London, 1954–1958
• Dulcie Du Bois, The Boy Friend,^[5] Globe Theatre, London, 1965
• Fairy Sorayah, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, Players' Theatre, 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, Prince of Wales Theatre, 1969
• Felice Kovacs, Partners, Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, Scotland, 1969
• Piglet, Winnie the Pooh, Phoenix Theatre, London, 1972
• Fairy Cabbage Rose, Beauty and the Beast, Players' Theatre, 1973
• Annie Chapman, Jack the Ripper, Players' Theatre,^[6] 1974
• Mrs. Dolly Gallagher Levi, The Matchmaker, Her Majesty's Theatre, London, 1978
• Mistress Overdone, Measure for Measure, Riverside Studios, Hammersmith, England, 1979
• Miss Hannigan, Annie, Victoria Palace Theatre, London, 1979
• Steaming, Theatre Royal Stratford East, London, 1981.
• Yente, Fiddler on the Roof, 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, London, 1993
• Melissa, Party Time & One for the Road, Battersea Arts Centre, London, 2003.^[7]
• Noreen Biggs, Bad Girls, Garrick Theatre, London, 2007

Film appearances

• Goldie, A Gunman Has Escaped, Monarch, 1948
• WRAC female soldier, Folly to Be Wise, 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, Cuba, United Artists, 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.^[8]
• 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, Hot Fuzz, 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 1981
• May, Dream Stuffing, Channel 4 1984
• Bea Fisher, Agony Again, BBC, 1995.
• Lena Thistlewood, Coronation Street, ITV, 2005.

Miniseries

• Miss Ninetta Crummles, Nicholas Nickleby, BBC, 1957.^[9]
• Maria D'Israeli, Disraeli, ATV, 1978.
• Ma Mayfield, Brideshead Revisited, PBS, 1982.
• Lady Chairperson, A Perfect Spy (also known as "John Le Carre's A Perfect Spy"), Masterpiece Theatre, PBS, 1988
• Sarah Pocket, Great Expectations, ITV 1989.
• Old lady gambler, The 10th Kingdom, NBC, 2000.

Television films

• Florrie Small, The Likes of 'Er, BBC Films, 1947.
• Blanaid, The Moon in the Yellow River, BBC Films, 1947.
• Sara Pocket, Great Expectations, NBC, 1974
• Widow Corney, Oliver Twist, ABC, 1997.^[10]
• Alena, Crime and Punishment (also known as Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment), NBC, 1998
• Mrs. Hawtrey, Cor, Blimey!, Company 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), 1977

Television episodes

• Rogues Gallery, ITV, 1968.
• Joyce Farrington, Crown Court, 1975.
• Grandma Canty, The Prince and the Pauper, 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," Casualty, 1989
• Alas Smith & Jones, 1990
• Alice, "The Galloping Major," Lovejoy, 1993
• Second lady, "Paris, October 1916," The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, 1993
• Celia Owen, "Release," Holby City, 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 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.