Actress Jeannette Charles, best known for her work in Austin Powers and Naked Gun, has died aged 96.
The star died at her care home in Great Beddow, Essex on Sunday, June 2, surrounded by loved ones.
She rose to fame after her uncanny resemblance to Queen Elizabeth II — who also died at the age of 96 — was spotted in 1971.
‘Mum was a real character and a force of nature,’ her daughter Carol Christophi said in a moving tribute.
‘She had an amazing life. She was always respectful of the Queen and adored the Royal Family. We will miss her dearly.’
Charles played the Queen in popular films such as Austin Powers in Goldmember, National Lampoon’s European Vacation, and The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
She had initially struggled to find work as an actress due to her very famous lookalike so began her career as a secretary instead.
It was then in the early 70s when she had a self-portrait commissioned as a present for her husband that things started to change.
Charles’ portrait was displayed at the Royal Academy in London and spectators assumed it was of the monarch instead.
The artwork was even disqualified as it supposedly broke rules around artists needing real-life subjects in person.
When Charles, born October 15, 1927, revealed herself she made headlines across the country.
The late star was inundated with film offers and studied the Queen’s mannerisms and voice in order to perfect her lookalike role.
She also made a hilarious cameo in Big Brother, surprising series 10 contestant Rodrigo Lopes who thought he was meeting the real deal.
Charles was regarded as one of the best Queen Elizabeth lookalikes in the business and worked across film and TV until retiring in 2014.
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