Quick Facts
LeoBiography
Susan Melody George (born 26 July 1950) is an English film and television actress.
Early life
She was born in Surbiton, Surrey (now London), and has recalled many holidays at the caravan park in Font-y-Gary in South Wales as a child. She trained at the Stage School, Corona Theatre School and has acted since the age of four.
Acting
She is best known for appearing in films such as Straw Dogs (1971) with Dustin Hoffman, Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry (1974) with Peter Fonda, and Mandingo (1975) with Ken Norton.
When asked in a 2013 interview about working with Hoffman and director Sam Peckinpah in Straw Dogs, George said:
I had a love-hate relationship with Sam, but he was a brilliant director and a genius of his time. Dustin was a generous actor to work with, who could be intense at times, but had a great personality and an incredibly mischievous sense of humour. Making the film was a fantastic experience and one that I cherish to this day.
In the early 1970s, George came to be associated with rather provocative, sometimes (as in Straw Dogs) controversial roles and became quite typecast. Cinema writer Leslie Halliwell's rather terse summary of her career was: "British leading lady, former child actress; usually typed as sexpot".
Her lighter side was apparent in some of her TV appearances, such as in an episode ("The Gold Napoleon") of The Persuaders (1971) with Roger Moore and Tony Curtis. In 1988, George marked her film-producing debut with Stealing Heaven.
Personal life
Susan George was married to British actor Simon MacCorkindale from 5 October 1984 until his death on 14 October 2010. They did not have any children.
Before her marriage, she had a four-year relationship with American singer Jack Jones, and later spent another four years as the partner of casino manager Derek Webster.
George breeds Arabian horses and has a stud farm called Georgian Arabians.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | Cup Fever | Vicky Davis | |
| 1966 | Davy Jones' Locker | Susan Haddock | |
| 1967 | The Sorcerers | Audrey | |
| 1967 | Billion Dollar Brain | Russian girl on train | (Uncredited) |
| 1968 | Up the Junction | Joyce | |
| 1968 | The Strange Affair | 'Fred' March | |
| 1969 | All Neat in Black Stockings | Jill | |
| 1969 | Twinky | Twinky | |
| 1970 | The Looking Glass War | Susan | |
| 1970 | Spring and Port Wine | Hilda Crompton | |
| 1970 | Eyewitness | Pippa | |
| 1971 | Die Screaming, Marianne | Marianne | |
| 1971 | Fright | Amanda | |
| 1971 | Straw Dogs | Amy Sumner | |
| 1972 | Sonny and Jed | Sonny Lester Trigado | |
| 1974 | Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry | Mary Coombs | |
| 1975 | Mandingo | Blanche Maxwell | |
| 1975 | Out of Season | Joanna | |
| 1976 | A Small Town in Texas | Mary Lee Carter | |
| 1977 | Tintorera | Gabriella | |
| 1978 | Tomorrow Never Comes | Janie | |
| 1981 | Enter the Ninja | Mary Ann | |
| 1981 | Venom | Louise Andrews | |
| 1982 | The House Where Evil Dwells | Laura Fletcher | |
| 1982 | Kiss My Grits | Baby | |
| 1983 | The Jigsaw Man | Penelope Kimberley | |
| 1986 | Lightning, the White Stallion | Madame Rene | |
| 1989 | That Summer of White Roses | Ana | |
| 2008 | In Your Dreams | Barbara Wood-Ross | |
| 2009 | City of Life | Constance |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | ITV Television Playhouse | Jane | Episode: "Adam's Apple" |
| 1963 | Swallows and Amazons | Kitty Walker | All 6 episodes |
| 1963 | ITV Television Playhouse | Jenny Warren | Episode: "December Child" |
| 1965 | The Human Jungle | Gina McCutcheon | Episode: "Heartbeats in a Tin Box" |
| 1966 | Weavers Green | Barbara Fielding | Episode: #1.25 |
| 1967 | Armchair Theatre | Shop Girl | Episode: "Compensation Alice" |
| 1967 | Theatre 625 | Young Barbara | Episode: "The Lost Years of Brian Hooper" |
| 1968 | Theatre 625 | Angela Buck | Episode: "The Life Class" |
| 1968 | Mystery and Imagination | Lucy Weston | Episode: "Dracula" |
| 1970 | Doctor in the House | Jenny | Episode: "May The Best Man..." |
| 1970 | Tales of Unease | Sarah Stone | Episode: "Ride, Ride" |
| 1971 | The Persuaders! | Michelle Devigne | Episode: "The Gold Napoleon" |
| 1973 | Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde | Anne | TV film |
| 1979 | Tales of the Unexpected | Mary Marney | Episode: "Lamb to the Slaughter" |
| 1980 | Tales of the Unexpected | Mabel Taylor | Episode: "Royal Jelly" |
| 1982 | Computercide | Lisa Korter | TV film |
| 1983 | Pajama Tops | Mrs. Chavinet | TV film |
| 1984 | Masquerade | Megan | Episode: "The Defector" |
| 1984 | Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense | Vicky Duncan | Episode: "Czech Mate" |
| 1986 | Hotel | Barbara Fremont | Episode: "Hearts Divided" |
| 1986 | Blacke's Magic | Maggie | Episode: "Wax Poetic" |
| 1988 | Jack the Ripper | Catherine Eddowes | All 2 episodes |
| 1990 | The Castle of Adventure | Allie Mannering | All 8 episodes |
| 1990 | Counterstrike | Annette Morley | Episode: "The Dealbreaker" |
| 1992 | Cluedo | Mrs. Peacock | Episode: "A-Hunting We Will Go" |
| 1993 | Stay Lucky | Samantha Mansfield | 4 episodes |
| 1995 | Tales of Mystery and Imagination | Betty Wilson | Episode: "The Black Cat" |
| 1995 | The House That Mary Bought | Mary Close | TV film |
| 2001 | EastEnders | Margaret Walker | 25 episodes |
As executive producer
- Stealing Heaven (1988)
- That Summer of White Roses (1989)
- The House That Mary Bought (1995) (TV)
As miscellaneous crew
- Jackie Brown (1997) ('very special thanks')
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 10th Saturn Awards | Best Actress | The House Where Evil Dwells | Nominated |
