Sarah Evershed Brackett (13 May 1938 – 3 July 1996) was an American-born television and film actress who worked mostly in Britain. Brackett's parents were William Oliver Brackett, a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

minister, and his wife Nancy Alexis Thompson, who had been born in Scotland. They were married in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

in 1931, and Brackett was born in

Lake Forest, Illinois Lake Forest is a city located in Lake County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 19,367. The city is along the shore of Lake Michigan, and is a part of the Chicago metropolitan area and the North Shore. Lake Forest ...

. In 1945, her father died, and her mother decided to return home, so that from the age of seven Brackett was brought up in Scotland.''National Geographic'', 1961 volume, p. 539 She trained for an acting career at the Edinburgh College of Speech and Drama. Her entry in ''

Spotlight Spotlight or spot light may refer to: Lighting * Spot lights, automotive auxiliary lamps * Spotlight (theatre lighting) * Spotlight, a searchlight * Stage lighting instrument, stage lighting instruments, of several types Art, entertainment, an ...

'' in 1966 reported that she spoke fluent French and German.''Spotlight'' Issue 118, Part 2 (1966), p. 1459 Brackett began her career in the theatre. In 1960 she was in repertory at the

Byre Theatre The Byre Theatre is a theatre in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland. It was founded in 1933 by Charles Marford, an actor (found in the '' Who's Who'' of 1921) and Alexander B. Paterson, a local journalist and playwright, with help from a theatre group ...

St Andrews St Andrews ( la, S. Andrea(s); sco, Saunt Aundraes; gd, Cill Rìmhinn) is a town on the east coast of Fife in Scotland, southeast of Dundee and northeast of Edinburgh. St Andrews had a recorded population of 16,800 , making it Fife's fou ...

, and in 1961 played Portia in a production of ''

The Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock. Although classified as ...

'' at the Colchester Repertory Theatre. She also appeared in West End musicals, including ''

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum ''A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart. Inspired by the farces of the ancient Roman playwright Plautus (254–184 BC), specifica ...

'' at the Strand Theatre, and in a production of '' Funny Girl'' at the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

in 1966 she played Vera, a showgirl. She last worked as an actress in the late 1980s. On 3 July 1996, she was found dead, aged 58, in her flat in

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...

, London. The cause of death was found to be suicide and the date was estimated as 17 June.

Filmography

*''

Hugh and I ''Hugh and I'' is a black-and-white British sitcom that aired from 1962 to 1967. It starred Terry Scott and Hugh Lloyd as two friends who shared lodgings with Terry's mother and was followed by a sequel called ''Hugh and I Spy''. The two actors h ...

'', episode "April in Paris" (1963): Check-in Clerk *'' The Third Secret'' (1964): Nurse *''

The Saint The Saint may refer to: Fiction * Simon Templar, also known as "The Saint", the protagonist of a book series by Leslie Charteris and subsequent adaptations: ** ''The Saint'' (film series) (1938–43), starring Louis Hayward, George Sanders an ...

'', episode "The Unkind Philanthropist" (1964): Tristan Brown *''

The Masque of the Red Death "The Masque of the Red Death" (originally published as "The Mask of the Red Death: A Fantasy") is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1842. The story follows Prince Prospero's attempts to avoid a dangerous plague ...

'' (1964): Grandmother *''

Danger Man ''Danger Man'' (retitled ''Secret Agent'' in the United States for the revived series, and ''Destination Danger'' and ''John Drake'' in other overseas markets) is a British television series that was broadcast between 1960 and 1962, and again b ...

'' (1965): Annette / Glover's secretary *

BBC Play of the Month ''Play of the Month'' is a BBC television anthology series, which ran from 1965 to 1983 featuring productions of classic and contemporary stage plays (or adaptations) which were usually broadcast on BBC1. Each production featured a different wor ...

''Lee Oswald: Assassin'' (1966): Katherine Mallory *''

Funeral in Berlin ''Funeral in Berlin'' is a 1964 spy novel by Len Deighton set between Saturday 5 October and Sunday 10 November 1963. It was the third of Deighton's novels about an unnamed British agent. It was preceded by ''The IPCRESS File'' (1962) and '' H ...

'' (1966): Babcock *'' George and the Dragon'', episode "The French Lesson" (1967): Air Hostess *''

Battle Beneath the Earth ''Battle Beneath the Earth'' is a 1967 British sci-fi thriller film starring Kerwin Mathews. It was released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The film also features character actor Ed Bishop. Plot Scientist Arnold Kramer believes that rogue elements o ...

'' (1967): Meg Webson *''Detective'', episode "Deaths on the Champs-Élysées" (1968): Valerie Dupont *''

The Portrait of a Lady ''The Portrait of a Lady'' is a novel by Henry James, first published as a serial in ''The Atlantic Monthly'' and ''Macmillan's Magazine'' in 1880–81 and then as a book in 1881. It is one of James's most popular novels and is regarded by cri ...

'' (television series, 1968): Henrietta StackpoleSusan M. Griffin, ''Henry James Goes to the Movies'' (2015), p. 347 *''

The Way We Live Now ''The Way We Live Now'' is a satirical novel by Anthony Trollope, published in London in 1875 after first appearing in serialised form. It is one of the last significant Victorian novels to have been published in monthly parts. The novel is ...

'' (television series, 1969): Mrs Hurtle *'' Counterstrike'' (1969 BBC television series): Mary * ''

The Golden Bowl ''The Golden Bowl'' is a 1904 novel by Henry James. Set in England, this complex, intense study of marriage and adultery completes what some critics have called the "major phase" of James's career. ''The Golden Bowl'' explores the tangle of int ...

'' (1972, TV series): Mrs. Rance *''Sex Play'' (1974): Harriet Best *''Katy'' (television series, 1976): Mrs Florence *''

The Awakening of Emily ''Emily'', also known as ''The Awakening of Emily'', is a 1976 British erotic historical drama film set in the 1920s directed by Henry Herbert, produced and written by Christopher Neame, and starring Koo Stark. The story revolves around a ...

'' (1976): Margaret Foster *'' Oppenheimer'' (1980 miniseries):

Priscilla Duffield Priscilla Duffield (April 8, 1918 – July 21, 2009) worked on the Manhattan Project during World War II. She was secretary to Ernest O. Lawrence at the Radiation Laboratory, and to J. Robert Oppenheimer at the Los Alamos Laboratory. After th ...

*''

Priest of Love ''Priest of Love'' is a British biographical film about D. H. Lawrence and his wife Frieda (née Von Richthofen) played by Ian McKellen and Janet Suzman. It was a Stanley J. Seeger presentation, produced and directed by Christopher Miles and ...

'' (1981): Achsah Barlow Brewster *''

The Lords of Discipline ''The Lords of Discipline'' is a 1980 novel by Pat Conroy that was later adapted in a 1983 film of the same name. The story centers on Will McLean, who is in his fourth year at the fictional Carolina Military Institute in Charleston, South C ...

'' (1983): Mrs Durrell *''

The Old Men at the Zoo ''The Old Men at the Zoo'' is a novel written by Angus Wilson, first published in 1961 by Secker and Warburg and by Penguin books in 1964. It was adapted, with many changes—nuclear bombing of London, not present in the novel, is added—into ...

'' (1983): Reporter at White House *''

Scream for Help ''Scream for Help'' is a 1984 British horror film directed by Michael Winner, written by Tom Holland, and starring Rachael Kelly, David Brooks, and Marie Masters. Set in New Rochelle, New York, the film follows a teenage girl who discovers that ...

'' (1984): School Secretary *''What Mad Pursuit?'' (1985): Lady at Literary Luncheon *''Odyssée d'amour'' (1987)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Brackett, Sarah Evershed 1938 births 1996 deaths American film actresses American people of Scottish descent 20th-century American actresses American emigrants to Scotland Scottish actresses 1996 suicides Suicides in Westminster