Susannah York: Difference between revisions

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==Early life==

York was born in [[Chelsea, London]], in 1939, the younger daughter of Simon William Peel Vickers Fletcher (1910–2002), a merchant banker and steel magnate, and his first wife, the former Joan Nita Mary Bowring. They married in 1935, and divorced prior to 1943.<ref name="times_2002"/><ref name="independent_1992"/><ref>Marriage between Joan N.M. Bowring and [Simon] William P. Fletcher listed in ''England & Wales, Marriage Index, 1916–2005'', accessed on ancestry.com on 16 January 2011</ref><ref>Though York claimed she was born in 1942, the birth of Susannah Y. Fletcher to a mother whose maiden name was Bowring is recorded as having occurred in 1939 in ''England & Wales Birth Index: 1916–2005'', accessed on ancestry.com on 16 January 2011</ref> Her maternal grandfather was Walter Andrew Bowring, [[CBE]], a British diplomat who served as [[Administrator of Dominica]] (1933–1935); she was a great-great-granddaughter of political economist Sir [[John Bowring]].<ref name="telegraph_obit"/><ref name="independent_1992"/><ref name="heraldry-online"/><ref name="dominica">Ben Cahoon, [http://www.worldstatesmen.org/Dominica.html 'Dominica'], worldstatesmen.org.</ref><ref>Arthur Charles Fox Davies, ''Armorial Families'' (Hurst & Blackett, 1929), page 199</ref> York had an elder sister, as well as a half-brother, Eugene Xavier Charles William Peel Fletcher, from her father's second marriage to Pauline de Bearnez de Morton de La Chapelle.<ref name="times_2002"/><ref>''The London Gazette'', 28 August 1942, page 3,799, gives the full maiden name of York's stepmother as Pauline Laura Aylmer Eugenie de Bearnez de Morton de La Chapelle and gives her former married name as Marsh. ''The Nobilities of Europe'' (Elbiron.com, page 327) states that she was a granddaughter of French historian Jean Joseph Xavier Alfred de La Chapelle, Count de La Chapelle and Morton.</ref><ref>Eugene Xavier C. W. P. Fletcher was born to Simon Fletcher and his second wife, née de La Chapelle, in late 1942, in London, according to ''England & Wales Birth Index, 1916–2005'', Volume 1a, page 435, accessed on ancestry.com on 16 January 2011. He is also listed in the same book (Volume 5c, page 5/62), same date, same ___location, but with the mother's maiden name being given as "Le Bearney Morton de la Chapelle".</ref><ref>''England & Wales Marriage Index, 1916–2005'' (Volume 1a, page 705) states that Simon Fletcher married Pauline E.L.A. de Bearnaz de Morton de La Chapelle (formerly Mrs Marsh) in early 1943. The couple had divorced by early 1949, when Pauline Fletcher married her third husband, Richard G. Williams.</ref><ref name="freer"/>

In early 1943, York's mother married a Scottish businessman, Adam M. Hamilton, and moved, with her daughter, to Scotland.<ref>The marriage between Joan N.M. Bowring Fletcher, and Adam M. Hamilton, took place in London, England, in early 1943, according to ''England and Wales Marriage Index, 1916–2005'', accessed on ancestry.com on 16 January 2010</ref><ref name= "sunday-telegraph-2011-01-16"/> At the age of 11, York entered [[Marr College]] in [[Troon]], [[Ayrshire]].<ref name="telegraph_obit"/><ref name="independent_1997"/> Later, she became a boarder at [[Wispers School]] in Midhurst, Sussex. At 13, she was removed, effectively expelled, from Wispers after admitting to a nude midnight swim in the school pool, and she transferred to [[East Haddon Hall School]] in [[Northamptonshire]].<ref name="telegraph_obit"/><ref name="independent_1997"/>

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York was nominated for a [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress Oscar]] for ''[[They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (film)|They Shoot Horses, Don't They?]]'' (1969). She snubbed the [[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|Academy]] when, regarding her nomination, she declared it offended her to be nominated without being asked. She was highly praised for her performance, though she said "I don't think much of the film, or of myself in it." She did attend the ceremony but lost to [[Goldie Hawn]] for her role in ''[[Cactus Flower (film)|Cactus Flower]]''.<ref>{{YouTube|GVtKnZoKbjs|"Goldie Hawn winning Best Supporting Actress for "Cactus Flower"}} Retrieved 13 June 2010</ref>

In 1972, she won the [[Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress|Best Actress award]] at the [[1972 Cannes Film Festival|Cannes Film Festival]] for her role in ''[[Images (film)|Images]]''.<ref>[http://www.festival-cannes.fr/en/archives/1972/awardCompetition.html "List of 1972 Festival de Cannes Winners"] Festival de Cannes. Retrieved 15 January 2011.</ref> She played [[Superman]]'s mother [[Lara (character)|Lara]] on the doomed planet Krypton in ''[[Superman (1978 film)|Superman]]'' (1978) and its sequels, ''[[Superman II]]'' (1980) and ''[[Superman IV: The Quest for Peace]]'' (1987, voice role). York made extensive appearances in British television series, including ''[[Prince Regent (TV series)|Prince Regent]]'' (1979), as [[Maria Fitzherbert]], the clandestine wife of the future [[George IV]], and ''[[We'll Meet Again (TV series)|We'll Meet Again]]'' (1982).

In 1984, York starred as Mrs. Cratchit in ''[[A Christmas Carol (1984 film)|A Christmas Carol]]'' (1984), based on the novel by [[Charles Dickens]]. She again co-starred with [[George C. Scott]] (as [[Ebenezer Scrooge]]), [[David Warner (actor)|David Warner]] ([[Bob Cratchit]]), [[Frank Finlay]] ([[Jacob Marley]]), [[Angela Pleasence]] ([[The Ghost of Christmas Past]]) and Anthony Walters [[Tiny Tim (A Christmas Carol)|(Tiny Tim)]].

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In 1978, York appeared on stage at the [[New End Theatre]] in London in ''[[The Singular Life of Albert Nobbs]]'' with [[Lucinda Childs]], directed by French director [[Simone Benmussa]]. This was the first of 10 projects she completed with the producer Richard Jackson.<ref name=guardian-billington/> The following year, she appeared in Paris, [[French language|speaking French]] in a play by [[Henry James]]: ''Appearances'', with [[Sami Frey]]. The play was again directed by Benmussa.<ref name=guardian-billington/>

In the 1980s, again with Benmussa, York played in ''For No Good Reason'', an adaptation of [[George Moore (novelist)|George Moore]]'s short story, with [[Susan Hampshire]]. In 1985, she appeared in ''Fatal Attraction'' by [[Bernard Slade]] at the [[Theatre Royal Haymarket]]. In 1986-87, York starred as Mary in Claire Boothe's ''[[The Women (play)|The Women]]'' at the [[Old Vic]], a production that included [[Maria Aitken]], [[Diana Quick]] and [[Georgina Hale]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jensen |first=Gregory |date=26 December 1986 |title=&#039;The Women&#039; 50 years later UPI Arts &amp; Entertainment - UPI Archives |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1986/12/26/The-Women-50-years-later-UPI-Arts-Entertainment/1594535957200/ |access-date=2024-06-18 |website=UPI |language=en}}</ref>

In 2007, she appeared in the UK tour of ''[[The Wings of the Dove]]'', and continued performing her internationally well-received solo show, ''The Loves of Shakespeare's Women''. Also in 2007, she guest starred in the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' audio play ''[[Valhalla (Doctor Who audio)|Valhalla]]''. In 2008, she played the part of Nelly in an adaptation by [[April De Angelis]] of ''[[Wuthering Heights]]''.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Groocock|first1=Veronica|title=My perfect weekend: Susannah York|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/features/3638035/My-perfect-weekend-Susannah-York.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/features/3638035/My-perfect-weekend-Susannah-York.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=28 October 2014|work=The Telegraph|publisher=Telegraph Media Group Limited|date=27 September 2008}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

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==Death==

Diagnosed with cancer late in 2010, York refused [[chemotherapy]] and honoured a contractual obligation to appear in [[Ronald Harwood]]'s ''[[Quartet (Harwood play)|Quartet]]''.<ref name=guardian-billington/> She died at the [[Royal Marsden Hospital]] in London<ref>[http://www.channel4.com/news/tributes-paid-to-wonderful-susannah-york "Tributes paid to 'wonderful' Susannah York"]. Channel4.com. Retrieved 17 January 2011.</ref><ref>{{cite ODNB|author=Michael Billington|title=York, Susannah (1939–2011)|date= Jan 2015 |id=103576|url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/public/dnb/103576.html}}</ref> from [[multiple myeloma]] on 15 January 2011, sixaged days after her 72nd birthday72.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-12200725 "Actress Susannah York dies at 72"] "BBC News". 15 January 2011.</ref><ref name="WashPost-obit"/>

==TV and filmography==

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| ''[[Freud: The Secret Passion]]''

| Cecily Koertner

| Nominated – [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actress –in a Motion Picture – Drama]]

|-

| 1963

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| ''[[Jane Eyre (1970 film)|Jane Eyre]]''

| Jane Eyre

|Nominated – [[24th Primetime Emmy AwardsAward for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie|Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Single Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role]]

|-

| 1971

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!<ref name="guardian-billington">[[Michael Billington (critic)|Michael Billington]], [https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/jan/16/susannah-york-obituary Susannah York obituary], ''The Guardian'', 16 January 2011</ref>--The date currently given in the article is 14 January the day before she died-->

<ref name="rada">[http://www.rada.ac.uk/profiles?prof_act=5989 "Susannah York profile at RADA]</ref>

<ref name="times_2002">[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article1171008.ece 'Simon Fletcher: Steelworks owner who lost his livelihood during the war and spent the next 57 years trying to sue the Government']{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}, obituary in ''The Times'' or ''The Sunday Times'', 15 October 2002.</ref>

<ref name="freer">Alan Freer, [http://www.william1.co.uk/w11.html Descendants of William the Conqueror].</ref>

<ref name="heraldry-online">Stephen J F Plowman, [https://web.archive.org/web/20081121192420/http://www.heraldry-online.org.uk/bowring/bowring-pedigree.htm 'Descendents of Sir John Bowring'], heraldry-online.org.uk.</ref>

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*{{IMDb name|948772|Susannah York}}

*{{Tcmdb name}}

*{{amg name|78084|Susannah York}}

*{{Screenonline name|id=551998|name=Susannah York}}

{{Navboxes

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{{BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actress 1968-1984}}

{{Prix d'interprétation féminine 1960–1979}}

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{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2019}}

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[[Category:Best Supporting Actress BAFTA Award winners]]

[[Category:Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress winners]]

[[Category:Deaths from cancermultiple myeloma in England]]

[[Category:Deaths from multiple myeloma in the United Kingdom]]

[[Category:English film actresses]]

[[Category:English stage actresses]]