'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' actor Sally Ann Howes dies at 91

Sally Ann Howes, who plays Mrs. Higgins in the touring company of "My Fair Lady," watches rehearsals in New York, on Aug. 22, 2007. (AP Photo/Richard Drew/File)

Los Angeles — Sally Ann Howes, who played as a child actor before she later starred in the 1968 film "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" with Dick Van Dyke, has died. She was 91.

Her son Andrew Hart Adler confirmed his mother's death in an interview with the Press Association on Wednesday. Her nephew, Toby Howes, said on Twitter that the family hoped Howes could "hold on" until the Christmas screening of "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang," but he said she ultimately died peacefully in her sleep.

The cause of Howes' death has not been released.

The New York Times reported she died in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, on Sunday.

Howes, an English actor, began her career on the big screen at the age of 12 in the 1943 film "Thursday's Child," where she played a schoolgirl turned successful actor. She comes from an acting lineage that includes her parents, Bobby Howes and Patricia Malone.

In five decades, Howes made appearances in more than 140 films, musicals, plays and television projects including the screen adaption of Charles Dickens' "Nicholas Nickleby" and "The History of Mr. Polly." She made her biggest splash as the character Truly Scrumptious in "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang," which became a holiday favorite.

"Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" was often broadcasted on Christmas Day in the United Kingdom.

Howes made a mark in the theater realm. She earned a Tony Award nomination for her performance in "Brigadoon" at the New York City Opera in 1962. The later part of her career was spent in theater. She made her last appearance on screen in the limited series "Secrets" in 1992.