Diana Sowle


Diana Mae Sowle was an American actress.

Early life

Born as Diana Mae Laumer in Chico, California, she was one of five siblings. She attended Chico High School, and appeared in school plays, where she became interested in drama. She graduated in 1949, and attended the University of Denver, after which she appeared in the play "The Drunkard". She did voice-over for American plays and appeared in theater in Germany.

Career

Film roles

Diana is best known for playing Mrs. Bucket, Charlie Bucket's mother, in the 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory and her performance of "Cheer Up Charlie" in that film, although her voice in the song was dubbed by Diana Lee. Sowle joined the cast in Germany, where it was filmed. Apart from Chocolate Factory, her only other screen roles were cameos in Clear and Present Danger and Guarding Tess, both in 1994.

Video game

Sowle also gave voice to "Agatha" and other characters in the 2008 video game Fallout 3.

Theatre

She frequently performed in the long-running play Shear Madness at the Kennedy Center, portraying socialite Eleanor Shubert. Her last-known appearance was in May-June 2013. In mid-2012, she appeared in a production of Love Letters, opposite actor Larry Storch in Farmville, Virginia, to benefit The Tom Mix Rangers.

Personal life

Sowle lived in Germany for about 20 years starting in 1960 and had other homes, including one in Maryland. She was a mother of two and grandmother of four. Her husband Bill Sowle worked for the CIA and died in 2013. She ran a free tutoring program for underprivileged children in Washington D.C. for almost a quarter-century.

Death

Sowle died of undisclosed causes in Maryland on October 19, 2018, aged 88. At the time of her death, she was the last surviving credited cast member from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory who played an adult character.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games