Susannah York (Chelsea, London, Great Britain, January 9, 1939 - London, Great Britain, January 15, 2011)

Susannah York, born Susannah Yolande Fletcher, is an English film, television and theater actress. She attended Marr College in Scotland and afterwards studied acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. She graduated in 1958 and started to act in theatre. In 1959 she appeared on TV for the first time and soon made her feature film debut in the war drama Tunes of Glory (1960). She had a bigger role in the romantic drama The Greengage Summer (1961). In the biography Freud (1962) by John Huston she starred opposite Montgomery Clift. She enchanted audiences while starring opposite Albert Finney in the historical drama Tom Jones (1963) by Tony Richardson. She acted with Warren Beatty in the comedy Kaleidoscope (1966), with Paul Scofield in the historical drama A Man for All Seasons (1966) by Fred Zinnemann, with Dirk Bogard in the romantic drama Sebastian (1968), and with James Coburn, James Mason and James Fox in the crime drama Duffy (1968). She kicked up some dust acting in a lesbian drama The Killing of Sister George (1968) by Robert Aldrich. She was nominated for an Oscar for her supporting role in Sydney Pollack’s drama They Shoot Horses, Don't They (1969) and in 1971 won the BAFTA for it. She had a significant role in the war drama Battle of Britain (1969) by Guy Hamilton starring as an officer. She began the 1970s starring opposite Peter O'Toole in the drama Country Dance (1970), and in 1971 she starred in Happy Birthday, Wanda June (1971) based on Kurt Vonnegut’s novel. She starred in Robert Altman’s Images (1972); it is interesting that for its screenplays Altman used Susannah’s book In Search of Unicorns. For that role, she won the award for Best Actress in Cannes in 1972. Afterwards she acted in the adventure film Gold (1974) acting opposite Roger Moore, then with Glenda Jackson in the film version of Jean Genet’s drama The Maids (1975), horror The Shout (1978.), thriller The Silent Partner (1978) and several smaller unnoticed films. She played Superman’s biological mother Lara in the film Superman (1978) and its sequels Superman II (1980) and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987). While in the 1970s her acting career slowed down, she started to write and published two books for children. She acted in and directed theatre plays and was the main actress and the co-screenwriter of the romantic drama Falling in Love Again (1980), directed by Steven Paul. In 1980s her career slowed down even more and her most important roles from that period include A Summer Story (1988) and the German-British co-production drama Melancholia (1989) in which she starred opposite Jeroen Krabbé. During her entire career she acted in TV series and films, such as the TV film Jane Eyre (1970) for which she got an Emmy nomination. In the1990s and early 2000’s she acted on television and in theatre while one of her last film roles was a small part in the comedy The Gigolos (2006).


Filmography:
The Calling (2009)
Franklyn (2008)
Maude (short film) (2007)
The Gigolos (2006)
Prick (kratkometražni) (2005)
Visitors (2003)
The Book of Eve (2002)
St. Patrick: The Irish Legend (TV film) (2000)
Jean (short film) (2000)
So This Is Romance? (1997)
Loop (1997)
The Higher Mortals (1993)
Piccolo grande amore (1993)
Illusions (TV film) (1992)
Barbablù, Barbablù (1990)
Just Ask for Diamond (1990)
Fate (1990)
En håndfull tid (1989)
Melancholia (1989)
Quattro piccole donne (TV film) (1989)
A Summer Story (1988)
Mio min Mio (1987)
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987) (voiceover)
Prettykill (1987)
Star Quality (TV film) (1985)
Daemon (TV film) (1985)
A Christmas Carol (TV film) (1984)
Yellowbeard (1983)
Nelly's Version (1983) (voiceover)
Alicja (1982)
Late Flowering Love (short film) (1981)
Loophole (1981)
Superman II (1980)
Falling in Love Again (1980)
The Awakening (1980)
The Golden Gate Murders (TV film) (1979)
Superman (1978)
Long Shot (1978)
The Silent Partner (1978)
A Month in the Country (TV film) (1978)
The Shout (1978)
Eliza Fraser (1976)
Sky Riders (1976)
Conduct Unbecoming (1975)
That Lucky Touch (1975)
The Maids (1975)
Gold (1974)
Fallen Angels (TV film) (1974)
Images (1972)
Zee and Co. (1972)
Happy Birthday, Wanda June (1971)
Jane Eyre (TV film) (1970)
Country Dance (1970)
They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969)
Battle of Britain (1969)
Lock Up Your Daughters! (1969)
Oh! What a Lovely War (1969)
The Killing of Sister George (1968)
Duffy (1968)
Sebastian (1968)
A Man for All Seasons (1966)
Kaleidoscope (1966)
Sands of the Kalahari (1965)
Scruggs (1965)
The 7th Dawn (1964)
Scene Nun, Take One (short film) (1964)
Tom Jones (1963)
Freud (1962)
The Slaughter of St. Teresa's Day (TV film) (1962)
The First Gentleman (TV film) (1961)
The Greengage Summer (1961)
Tunes of Glory (1960)
There Was a Crooked Man (1960)
The Richest Man in the World (TV film) (1960)