Actress Sally Ann Howes, who is best known for her role in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang from 1968 has passed away.
Although she is best known for playing alongside Dick Van Dyke in that film, she had a prolific career that included some 140 roles.
Howes was in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida when she died in a hospital on December 19. She had lived in West Palm Beach for many years.
After she died, the news of her passing was shared by Susan Granger, a film critic and personal friend. She shared a clip of Howes on the Rosie O’Donnell show from 1998:
My dear friend Sally Ann Howes ("Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" passed. Here's a wonderful interview with Rosie O'Donnell…https://t.co/8qX9Nvd4n3 #ChittyChittyBangBang #RosieODonnell
— Susan Granger (@susangranger) December 20, 2021
Howes was born on July 20, 1930, in London. Both her mother and father were singers and actors and her grandfather was a director of theatrical musicals. The first time she was on stage was at the age of 13 when she starred in the movie Thursday’s Child.
Her major breakthrough came a few years later when she replaced Julie Andrews in the My Fair Lady Broadway production. She played the role of Eliza Doolittle.
Howes was married three different times, but the longest was her marriage to Douglas Rae, which started in 1973 and lasted for 48 years until his death. She is survived by her son, Andrew.
Rest in peace, Sally Ann Howes.