Sally Ann Howes, ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’ Star, Dead at 91

Actress Sally Ann Howes, best known for her role as Truly Scrumptious in the 1968 musical film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang opposite Dick Van Dyke, has died. Howes passed away at the age of 91 Sunday at a hospital in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, according to The New York Times. Her cause of death has not been announced.

Born in 1930 in London, Howes was the daughter of popular comedian Bobby Howes and the actress and singer Patricia Malone, getting a taste of the entertainment industry early on. When she was just 12 years old, Howes starred in her first movie, the 1943 film Thursday’s Child. Howes’ career would continue through her childhood as she starred in movies, TV shows and on stage, including 1948’s Anna Karenina opposite Vivien Leigh and 1945’s Dead of Night alongside Michael Redgrave.

Throughout her career, Howes became known for her roles in What Makes Sammy Run? and Brigadoon, among others, but the role of the off-kilter widowed inventor in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is what made her a household name. She would go on to perform at the White House for three presidents – Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson.

In 1958, Howes moved to New York after marrying composer Richard Adler, where she would make her Broadway debut in My Fair Lady as Eliza Doolittle, replacing original star Julie Andrews. In the years to come, Howes would appear in TV and movie roles, including Mission: Impossible and a British touring production of The King and I.

Howes previously recalled her acting methods to The Sunday Times. “When I was making the transition from child to mature actress,” she shared, “I auditioned for a role and was asked if I smoked. Naturally, I said yes. My father had taught me long before that when a casting director asked if you could do something, you immediately said yes, and if you couldn’t you learnt darn fast. At any rate, I learnt to smoke for that role and when I finished it, I stopped.”

In 2012, Howes looked back on her career during a Turner Classic Movies cruise that was showing Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. “The moment you hit 45 – now it’s 55 – your career changes,” she said, per the Times. “You have to rethink everything, and you have to adjust. I was always aware of it because of the people I was brought up with. We saw careers go up and down and be killed off.” She continued, “I’ve never prepared for anything. I’ve always jumped into the next thing, and therefore it’s been a strange career. I enjoyed experimenting.”