Susan George
Susan George's journey from the sultry teenage star to international film star has never been without excitement. It has always been packed with incident and eagerly chronicled by the worlds' press. From her star roles in some of the seminal movies of the seventies, STRAW DOGS; DIRTY MARY, CRAZY LARRY; MANDINGO, through the publicity which seemed to follow her constantly, to now running her own film production company (Amy International), her equine therapeutic company (Susan George Naturally and her Arabian Stud Farm (Georgian Arabians). In 2002 Susan even starred in East Enders, which made headline news as she was the first star of this caliber to make such a guest appearance.
She grew up in the business, leaving conventional school at the age of eleven to go to stage school and, at twelve, landed a part as one of the Von Trapp children in THE SOUND OF MUSIC at the Palace Theatre in London. At this tender age, she would attend the Corona Academy during the day then rush to the West End for THE SOUND OF MUSIC at night.
Throughout the early sixties, she was scarcely away from our television screens appearing in, amongst other productions, the BBC series SWALLOWS AND AMAZONS; the ATV series WEAVERS GREEN; the BBC film DRACULA with Denholm Elliott; THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL for Yorkshire TV and LIFE CLASS, one of the first live plays for BBC2.
It was inevitable that her undeniable screen presence would lead to a career in films and, in 1966, she landed her first screen role - two lines in Ken Russell's THE BILLION DOLLAR BRAIN starring Michael Caine. After this came UP THE JUNCTION.
In 1967, her first starring role introduced Susan George, as the young hippie Fred who seduced policeman Michael York, in David Greene's THE STRANGE AFFAIR. George's charismatic and flirtatious performance not only garnered good reviews but launched her reputation as a sex symbol which endures to this day.