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Maria Charles, a petite, red-haired character actress from London, was born Maria Zena Schneider into a Jewish family. Her parents were hairdresser David Schneider and Celia (née Ashken, originally Ashkenaza). A 1946 graduate of RADA, her career stretched over six and a half decades, starting in 1945. In 1946, she made her West End debut in Pick-up Girl, a play by Russian-American writer Elsa Shelley. Her first extensive theatrical engagement was as Dulcie in Sandy Wilson's popular musical The Boy Friend, running from April 1953 to February 1959.
Charles appeared on screen for the first time in 1947 and built an extensive resume in miniseries and episodic television. She became well-known for portraying fussy or protective Jewish matriarchs, such as Bea Fisher in ITV’s sitcom Agony (1979) and Rita Green in Bar Mitzvah Boy (1976). She also portrayed Dickensian roles, including Miss Ninetta Crummles in Nicholas Nickleby (1957), Sarah Pocket in Great Expectations (1974), and Mrs. Corney in The Wonderful World of Disney’s Oliver Twist episode (1997). Later in her career, she often played kindly elderly women and grandmothers. Her recurring television roles included parts in Crown Court (1972), Secret Army (1977), Never the Twain (1981) as the clumsy Mrs. Sadler, and Coronation Street (1960). On the big screen, she had supporting roles in films such as Revenge of the Pink Panther (1978), Cuba (1979), Savage Hearts (1995), and Hot Fuzz (2007), where she played the farmer Reaper’s wife.
From 1952 to 1966, Charles was married to English actor Robin Hunter. They had two daughters, including the acclaimed actress Kelly Hunter.
