Susannah York
| Susannah York | ||
 | ||
| Background information | ||
| Born as: | Susannah Yolande Fletcher | |
| Born | Jan 9, 1939 Chelsea, London, England | |
| Died | Jan 15, 2011 - age 72 Brompton, London, England | |
| Spouse(s): | Michael Wells (1959 - 1976) divorced | |
| Children: | 2, including Orlando Wells | |
| Occupation: | Actress | |
| Years active | 1959–2011 | |
| Nationality: | British | |
Susannah Yolande Fletcher (✦9 January 1939 – †15 January 2011), known professionally as Susannah York, was an English actress. Her appearances in various films of the 1960s, including Tom Jones (1963) and They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969), formed the basis of her international reputation. An obituary in The Telegraph characterized her as "the blue-eyed English rose with the china-white skin and cupid lips who epitomized the sensuality of the swinging sixties", who later "proved that she was a real actor of extraordinary emotional range"
York's early films included The Greengage Summer (1961) and Freud (1962). She received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for They Shoot Horses, Don't They? She also won the 1972 Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress for Images. Her other film appearances included The 7th Dawn (1964), Sands of the Kalahari (1965), A Man for all Seasons (1966), The Killing of Sister George (1968), Battle of Britain (1969), Jane Eyre (1970), Zee and Co. (1972), Gold (1974), The Maids (1975), Conduct Unbecoming (1975), Eliza Fraser (1976), The Shout (1978), The Silent Partner (1978), and Superman (1978). She was appointed an Officier de L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 1991.
Life and career
Personal life
In 1959, York married Michael Wells, with whom she had two children: daughter Sasha (born May 1972), and son Orlando (born June 1973). They divorced in 1976. In the 1984 TV adaptation of A Christmas Carol, she played Mrs. Cratchit, and both of her children co-starred as Cratchit offspring. York's first grandchild by way of Orlando was born in 2007.
Politically, she was left-leaning and publicly supported Mordechai Vanunu, the Israeli dissident who revealed Israel's nuclear weapons program. While performing "The Loves of Shakespeare's Women" at the Cameri Theatre in Tel Aviv in June 2007, York dedicated the performance to Vanunu, evoking both cheers and jeers from the audience.
Death
York was diagnosed with cancer late in 2010, but she refused to have chemotherapy. Nevertheless, she still honored a contractual obligation to appear in Ronald Harwood's "Quartet". She died at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London from multiple myeloma on 15 January 2011, six days after her 72nd birthday
Filmography
- Wikipedia article: Susannah York filmography
Trivia
The The 7th Dawn film script included a nude scene for Susannah York, who did not want to do it, but on location, the filmmakers insisted. She appeared in one take, and her stand-in appeared in another. Photos of York shooting the scene were later published in Playboy. York explained, "Someone had a long-distance camera. I'd just like to forget about it. It's an unfortunate business."
- Wikipedia article: Susannah York
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