Suzanna Leigh | |
|---|---|
 Leigh in 1977 | |
| Born | Sandra Eileen Anne Smith 26 July 1945 |
| Died | 11 December 2017 (aged 72) Winter Garden, Florida, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1956–2016 |
| Partner | Tim Hue-Williams (1972–1982)[1] |
| Children | 1 |
Suzanna Leigh (born Sandra Eileen Anne Smith; 26 July 1945 – 11 December 2017) was a British actress, known for her film and television roles in the 1960s and 1970s.[2]
Early life and education
Born Sandra Eileen Anne Smith on 26 July 1945, Leigh grew up in Berkshire, England,[3] and later went to convent schools outside London. She began working in films while still a child, appearing as an extra in several British productions. She changed her name to Suzanna Leigh after entering film, whilst under the tutelage of her godmother, Vivien Leigh[4]
Career
Leigh's film roles include the love interest of Elvis Presley in Paradise, Hawaiian Style (1966), a stewardess in the comedy Boeing Boeing (1965), and as the frail heroine in a couple of Hammer films - The Lost Continent (1968) and Lust for a Vampire (1971).[5]
She starred in the cult British horror films The Deadly Bees (1966) and The Fiend (1972). In 1974 she starred as Amber in Son of Dracula.[5] In 2015, she was a featured player in the film, Grace of the Father. She wrote a 2000 autobiography, Paradise, Suzanna Style, and was the mother of actress Natalia Leigh Denny.
Death
Leigh was diagnosed with stage-four liver cancer in September 2016 and died in December 2017 in Winter Garden, Florida.[6][7]
Filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1956 | The Silken Affair | Minor Role | Uncredited |
| 1957 | Man from Tangier | Uncredited | |
| 1958 | Tom Thumb | Extra in 'Dancing Shoes' sequence | Uncredited |
| 1960 | Oscar Wilde | Minor Role | Uncredited |
| 1961 | Bomb in the High Street | Jackie | |
| 1965 | The Pleasure Girls | Dee | |
| 1965 | Boeing Boeing | Vicky Hawkins | British United |
| 1966 | Paradise, Hawaiian Style | Judy Hudson (Friday) | |
| 1966 | The Deadly Bees | Vicki Robbins | |
| 1967 | Deadlier Than the Male | Grace | |
| 1968 | The Lost Continent | Unity Webster | |
| 1968 | Subterfuge | Donetta | |
| 1970 | Docteur Caraïbes | Laura | |
| 1971 | Lust for a Vampire | Janet Playfair | |
| 1972 | The Fiend | Paddy Lynch | |
| 1973 | Son of Dracula | Amber | |
| 2015 | Grace of the Father | Judith Hudson | (final film role) |
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1963 | It Happened Like This | Amanda Morris | 1 episode |
| 1964 | The Saint | Lilla McAndrew | 1 episode |
| 1966 | The Wednesday Play | Elaine | 1 episode |
| 1966 | Trois étoiles en Touraine | TV movie | |
| 1969 | Journey to the Unknown | Vickie | 1 episode |
| 1970 | ITV Playhouse | Ingrid | 1 episode |
| 1971 | Amicalement Vôtre! | Emily Major | 1 episode |
| 1973 | Docteur Caraïbes | Laura | 4 episodes |
| 1978 | The Chiffy Kids | Miss Armitage | 1 episode |
Writings
- Paradise, Suzanna Style[8]
- 2014: "Thank you, Lord", Touched by an Angel, chickensoup.com; accessed 14 December 2017.
References
- ↑ Profile, independent.co.uk; accessed 26 July 2015.
- ↑ "Suzanna Leigh". BFI. Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
- ↑ Sandra Brennan (2014). "Suzanna Leigh - Biography". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on 12 August 2014. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
- ↑ "Suzanna Leigh Obituary". 2017.
- 1 2 Suzanna Leigh at IMDb
- ↑ "Natalia Leigh". Natalia Leigh. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
- ↑ Suzanna Leigh, Elvis Presley's Co-Star in 'Paradise, Hawaiian Style,' Dies at 72 The Hollywood Reporter, 12 December 2017. Retrieved 13 December 2017.
- ↑ Leigh, Suzanna (2000). Paradise. CreateSpace. ISBN 9781439209684.
External links
- Interview with Joe Krein, Elvis2001.net
- InStyle UK: 60s Fashion: Women Who Made The Decade Achingly Cool (pictured at numbers 32 & 42), instyle.co.uk