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Susan Hampshire | |
|---|---|
 Hampshire in a trailer forThe Three Lives of Thomasina (1963) | |
| Born | (1937-05-12)12 May 1937 (age 88) Kensington, London, England, UK |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1947–present |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 2 |
Susan Hampshire, Lady Kulukundis (born 12 May 1937) is an English actress.[1] She is a three-timeEmmy Award winner, winning for the television dramas,The Forsyte Saga in 1970,The First Churchills in 1971, and forVanity Fair in 1973. Her film credits includeDuring One Night (1961),The Long Shadow (1961),The Three Lives of Thomasina (1963),Night Must Fall (1964),Wonderful Life (1964),The Fighting Prince of Donegal (1966),The Trygon Factor (1966),The Violent Enemy (1967),Malpertuis (1971),Living Free (1972),Neither the Sea Nor the Sand (1972) andBang! (1977).
She is also known for her other television roles, such asThe Pallisers (1974),The Grand (1997–98), and as Molly MacDonald in the long runningBBC One dramaMonarch of the Glen (2000–2005).
Susan Hampshire was born inKensington, London,[2] to George Kenneth Hampshire and his wife June (née Pavey) and is ofIrish descent.[3] The youngest of four children, she had two sisters and one brother. Her mother was a teacher and her father was a director ofImperial Chemical Industries (ICI), who was rarely at home, her parents having unofficially separated. As a child, she had some developmental difficulties, unable to spell her name until she was nine and unable to read well until she was 12. Her determined mother founded a small London school in 1928, The Hampshire (now Gems Hampshire School), where Susan was taught.[4]
Her childhood ambition was to be a nurse, but she later decided to become an actress. She was diagnosed asdyslexic at the age of 30.[5]
As an actress, Hampshire worked in the theatre before moving to film and television work. She took the title role in a dramatised version ofLittle Black Sambo recorded by theHis Master's Voice Junior Record Club in 1961 (words byDavid Croft, music byCyril Ornadel)[6] and sang onThe Midday Show whenITV Anglia began broadcasting (as Anglia Television) in 1959.[7] Her first starring role was in the filmDuring One Night in 1960. She then took the leading role in a 1962BBC adaptation ofWhat Katy Did. Soon afterwards, she was taken up byWalt Disney and starred inThe Three Lives of Thomasina (oppositePatrick McGoohan) andThe Fighting Prince of Donegal. She would later appear opposite McGoohan again, in two episodes ofDanger Man. She co-starred withCliff Richard inSidney J. Furie's 1964 musicalWonderful Life.
In 1966, she was introduced to American TV viewers in the pilot episode ofThe Time Tunnel as a young passenger on theTitanic who befriends Dr Tony Newman. She later portrayed conservationistJoy Adamson inLiving Free, the sequel toBorn Free. In 1972, she played three different characters inMalpertuis, directed byHarry Kumel. She is known for her work on television, appearing in several popular television serials, includingThe Andromeda Breakthrough (1962) in which she replacedJulie Christie who was not available for the show but had played the part of Andromeda in the first season ofA for Andromeda (1961). Her most notable television role in the 1960s came in theBBC's 1967 adaptation ofThe Forsyte Saga, in which she played Fleur.
Hampshire receivedEmmy Awards from theAcademy of Television Arts & Sciences for her roles inThe Forsyte Saga (1970),The First Churchills (1969) andVanity Fair (1973). In 1973, she appeared again on US television withKirk Douglas in a musical version ofDr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.[8] Other miniseries in which she appeared areThe Pallisers,The Barchester Chronicles andComing Home. She was the subject ofThis Is Your Life in 1992 when she was surprised byMichael Aspel at theRitz Hotel.[citation needed] In 1997, she appeared in the ITV television seriesThe Grand where she played a madame residing in the hotel. More recent TV roles includeMolly MacDonald, Lady of Glenbogle, inMonarch of the Glen (2000–05)[9] and an appearance inCasualty (Series 26, No Goodbyes, 19 November 2011) as Caitlin Northwick.
Hampshire has been active on the stage, taking the lead roles in many leading plays. In 2007, she was in the playThe Bargain, based on a meeting betweenRobert Maxwell andMother Teresa. She played the Fairy Godmother inpantomime at theNew Wimbledon Theatre in 2005–06 and at theNew Victoria Theatre inWoking in 2006–07. In 2008, she joined the relatively small band of actors who have played two generations in the same play on different occasions. Her appearance at theChichester Festival Theatre inSomerset Maugham'sThe Circle as Lady Catherine Champion-Cheney in 2008 followed on from her appearance in the same play (and venue) as Elizabeth Champion-Cheney (Lady Catherine's daughter-in-law) in 1976.[10]
Until the publication in 1981 of her autobiography,Susan's Story, few people were aware of Hampshire's struggle withdyslexia. Since then, she has become a prominent campaigner in the UK on dyslexia issues and was president of theDyslexia Institute from 1995 to 1998.[11]
Her second book,The Maternal Instinct (1984), discussed women and fertility issues and she published a collection of interviews,Every Letter Counts: Winning in Life Despite Dyslexia, in 1990. She has written children's books, includingLucy Jane at the Ballet,Lucy Jane and the Russian Ballet,Lucy Jane and the Dancing Competition,Lucy Jane on Television,Bear's Christmas,Rosie's First Ballet Lesson andRosie's Ballet Slippers as well as various books and videos about her lifelong hobby of gardening, includingEasy Gardening,My Secret Garden andTrouble Free Gardening.
She is a patron of theBritish Homeopathic Association, HIV charityBody Positive Dorset,The National Osteoporosis Society,Dignity in Dying, children's education charity Life Education Wessex and Thames Valley and population concern charityPopulation Matters.[12] She is also patron of Mousetrap Theatre Projects in London which supports theatre productions for the enjoyment of disadvantaged and disabled children. She holds the position of vice-president at Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Ltd, UK. She is also a vice-president of The International Tree Foundation.
Hampshire was married to her first husband, the French film producerPierre Granier-Deferre, from 1967 until 1974. The couple have a son, Christopher, a film director, actor, and film producer.[13] Their daughter died within 24 hours of her birth.
She was married to her second husband,Sir Eddie Kulukundis, the theatreimpresario, shipping magnate, and sport philanthropist, from 1981 until his death in 2021.
Hampshire was appointedOfficer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the1995 Birthday Honours, for services to dyslexic people. In the2018 New Year Honours, she was madeCommander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), for services to drama and charity.[14]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 | The Woman in the Hall | Young Jay | |
| 1959 | Idol on Parade | Martha | |
| 1959 | Upstairs and Downstairs | Arriving Passenger | Uncredited |
| 1959 | Expresso Bongo | Cynthia | Uncredited |
| 1960 | During One Night | Jean | |
| 1961 | The Long Shadow | Gunilla | |
| 1963 | The Three Lives of Thomasina | Lori MacGregor | |
| 1964 | Night Must Fall | Olivia Greyne | |
| 1964 | Wonderful Life | Jenny Taylor | |
| 1964 | A Hard Day's Night | Dancer at Disco | Uncredited |
| 1966 | Paris au mois d'août | Patricia Seagrave | Paris in August (English title) |
| 1966 | The Fighting Prince of Donegal | Kathleen McSweeney | |
| 1966 | The Trygon Factor | Trudy Emberday | [15] |
| 1967 | The Violent Enemy | Hannah Costello | |
| 1969 | Monte Carlo or Bust! | Betty | |
| 1971 | A Time for Loving | Patricia Robinson | |
| 1971 | Malpertuis | Nancy / Euryale / Alice (Alecto) / Nurse / Charlotte | |
| 1972 | Living Free | Joy Adamson | |
| 1972 | Neither the Sea Nor the Sand | Anna Robinson | |
| 1973 | Le fils | L'Américaine | Uncredited;The Son (English title) |
| 1973 | No encontré rosas para mi madre | Elaine | The Lonely Woman (English title) |
| 1977 | Bang! | Cilla Brown | |
| 2001 | Eve Buckingham | Eve Buckingham | Short |
| 2017 | Another Mother's Son | Elena Le Fevre | |
| 2018 | An Ideal Husband | Lady Markby | |
| 2021 | Smyrni mou agapimeni | Lady Whittall | Smyrna, my Beloved (English title) |
| TBA | Maurice's Jubilee | Helena | Pre-production |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | Theatre Night | Ensemble | Series 2, Episode 4 |
| 1959 | Probation Officer | Jane | Series 1, Episode 6 |
| 1961 | Armchair Theatre | Gerta Blake | Series 5, Episode 33 |
| 1961 | Adventures in Paradise | Estelle Heydin | Series 3, Episode 1 |
| 1962 | Sir Francis Drake | Celia | Series 1, Episode 14 |
| 1962 | The Andromeda Breakthrough | Andromeda | Series 1: 6 episodes |
| 1962 | Katy | Katy Carr | Series 1: 8 episodes |
| 1963 | ITV Television Playhouse | Gloria • Delphinie | Series 8, Episode 34 & Episode 37 |
| 1964 | First Night | Jenny | Series 1, Episode 33 |
| 1965 | Danger Man | Lena • Lesley Arden | Series 2, Episode 1 & Episode 10 |
| 1965 | Court Martial | Evelyn Tarrant | Series 1, Episode 11 |
| 1966 | The Time Tunnel | Althea Hall | Series 1, Episode 1 |
| 1967 | Coronet Blue | Alix Frame | Series 1, Episode 1 |
| 1967 | The Forsyte Saga | Fleur Mont (née Forsyte) | Series 1: 14 episodes |
| 1967 | Jackanory | Storyteller | Series 3: 5 episodes |
| 1967 | Vanity Fair | Becky Sharp | Miniseries: 5 episodes |
| 1968 | Theatre 625 | Isabella | Series 5, Episode 16 |
| 1969 | BBC Play of the Month | Mabel Chiltern | Series 4, Episode 9 |
| 1969 | The First Churchills | Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough | Miniseries: 12 episodes |
| 1970 | David Copperfield | Agnes Wickfield | TV film |
| 1972 | Baffled! | Michele Brent | TV film |
| 1973 | Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde | Isabel | TV film |
| 1974 | The Pallisers | Lady Glencora M'Cluskie | Miniseries: 26 episodes |
| 1975 | Thriller | Sally | Series 6, Episode 5 |
| 1976 | The Story of David | Michal | TV film |
| 1981 | Dick Turpin | Lady Melford | Series 3, Episodes 1 & 5 |
| 1982 | The Barchester Chronicles | Signora Madeline Neroni | Miniseries: 5 episodes |
| 1984–85 | Leaving | Martha Ford | Series 1 & 2: 12 episodes |
| 1992 | Don't Tell Father | Natasha Bancroft | Series 1: 6 episodes |
| 1997–98 | The Grand | Esme Harkness | Series 1 & 2: 18 episodes |
| 1998 | Coming Home | Miss Catto | Miniseries: 2 episodes |
| 1999 | Nancherrow | Miss Catto | Miniseries: 2 episodes |
| 2000–05 | Monarch of the Glen | Molly MacDonald | Series 1–7: 60 episodes |
| 2003 | Sparkling Cyanide | Lucilla Drake | TV film |
| 2009 | The Royal | Elizabeth Middleditch | Series 7 & 8: 2 episodes |
| 2011–13 | Casualty | Caitlin Northwick • Sylvia Black | Series 26, Episode 13 • Series 28, Episode 16 |
| 2017 | Midsomer Murders | Delphi Hartley | Series 19, Episode 4 |
| 2025 | The Forsytes | Lady Carteret | Miniseries: 6 episodes |
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Series | The Forsyte Saga | Won | [16] |
| 1971 | Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Series | The First Churchills | Won | [17] | |
| 1973 | Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (Drama/Comedy - Limited Episodes) | Vanity Fair | Won | [18] | |
| 1976 | TP de Oro | Best Foreign Actress (Mejor Actriz Extranjera) | The Forsyte Saga | 3rd place | [19] |
FAR from being a dotty dowager, Molly - now the Second Lady of Glenbogle - has style...
