Billie Honor Whitelaw (6 June 1932 – 21 December 2014) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

actress. She worked in close collaboration with Irish playwright Samuel Beckett for 25 years and was regarded as one of the foremost interpreters of his works.Billie Whitelaw at New York State Writers Institute, State University of New York
/ref> She was also known for her portrayal of Mrs. Baylock, the demonic nanny in the 1976 horror film ''

The Omen ''The Omen'' is a 1976 supernatural horror film directed by Richard Donner and written by David Seltzer. An international co-production of the United Kingdom and the United States, it stars Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, David Warner, Harvey Spen ...

''.

Early life

Whitelaw was born in

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a city in the West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its city status until the Middle Ages. The city is governed b ...

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avo ...

,Prior to 1 April 1974 Coventry was in Warwickshire the daughter of Frances Mary (née Williams) and Gerry Whitelaw. She had one sister, Constance, who was 10 years older. Whitelaw grew up in a working class part of Bradford and later attended Grange Girls' Grammar School in Bradford. At age 11, she began performing as a child actress on radio programmes, including the part of Bunkle, an extrovert prep-schoolboy on Children's Hour from Manchester, and later worked as an assistant stage manager and acted with the repertory company at the Prince's Theatre in Bradford during high school. Her father died of

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from transformed, mali ...

when Billie was 9 years old. Money was tight, and her mother struggled to support the family. "It's something I haven't come to terms with ... I'm rather ashamed of having the good life I have", she later recalled. At the age of sixteen, Whitelaw met the director Joan Littlewood at the BBC in Manchester, and was invited to join her Theatre Workshop troupe. She was encouraged by her mother to join Harry Hanson's Leeds company in 1948, and then went on to play in repertory theatres in Dewsbury, New Brighton in Liverpool, and Oxford, eventually making her London debut in 1950.

Film career

Whitelaw made her film debut in ''

The Sleeping Tiger ''The Sleeping Tiger'' is a 1954 British film noir directed by Joseph Losey and starring Alexis Smith, Dirk Bogarde and Alexander Knox. It was Losey's first British feature, which he directed under the pseudonym of Victor Hanbury due to being bl ...

'' (1954), followed by roles in ''

Carve Her Name with Pride ''Carve Her Name with Pride'' is a 1958 British war drama film based on the book of the same name by R. J. Minney. The film, directed by Lewis Gilbert, is based on the true story of Special Operations Executive agent Violette Szabo, GC, who w ...

'' (1958) and '' Hell Is a City'' (1960). Whitelaw soon became a regular in British films of the 1950s and early 1960s. In her early film work, she specialised in blousy blondes and secretaries, but her dramatic range began to emerge by the late 1960s. She starred with Albert Finney in ''

Charlie Bubbles ''Charlie Bubbles'' is a 1968 British comedy-drama film directed by Albert Finney in his feature directorial debut. The film stars Finney alongside Billie Whitelaw and Liza Minnelli. It was screened at the 1968 Cannes Film Festival on the 11th, ...

'' (1967), a performance which won her a BAFTA award as Best Actress in a Supporting Role. She would win her second BAFTA as the sensuous mother of college student Hayley Mills in the psychological study '' Twisted Nerve'' (1969). She continued in film roles including ''

Leo the Last ''Leo the Last'' is a 1970 British drama film co-written and directed by John Boorman, based on the play ''The Prince'' by George Tabori, starring Marcello Mastroianni and Billie Whitelaw. Plot The ennui-afflicted heir to a deposed European t ...

'' (1970), '' Start the Revolution Without Me'' (1970), '' Gumshoe'' (1971), and the Alfred Hitchcock thriller ''

Frenzy ''Frenzy'' is a 1972 British thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock. It is the penultimate feature film of his extensive career. The screenplay by Anthony Shaffer was based on the 1966 novel ''Goodbye Piccadilly, Farewell Leicester Squa ...

'' (1972). Whitelaw gained international acclaim for her chilling role as Mrs. Baylock, the evil guardian of the demon child Damien in ''

'' (1976). Her performance was considered one of the more memorable of the film, winning her the ''Evening Standard'' British Film Award for Best Actress. Other films included performing the voice of Aughra in '' The Dark Crystal'', as the hopelessly naive Mrs. Hall in '' Maurice'' (1987), one of two sisters, with Joan Plowright, struggling to survive in war-time

Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...

in '' The Dressmaker'' (1988), the fiercely domineering and protective mother of psychopathic twin murderers in '' The Krays'' (1990), a performance that earned her a BAFTA nomination, as the nurse Grace Poole in ''

Jane Eyre ''Jane Eyre'' ( ; originally published as ''Jane Eyre: An Autobiography'') is a novel by the English writer Charlotte Brontë. It was published under her pen name "Currer Bell" on 19 October 1847 by Smith, Elder & Co. of London. The first ...

'' (1996), and the blind laundress in '' Quills'' (2000). She returned to film, in a comedy turn, as Joyce Cooper in '' Hot Fuzz'' (2007). In 1970, she was a member of the jury at the 20th Berlin International Film Festival.

Theatre and Beckett

In 1963, Billie Whitelaw met Irish playwright Samuel Beckett. She and Beckett enjoyed an intense professional relationship until his death in 1989. He wrote many of his more experimental plays especially for her, referring to Whitelaw as "a perfect actress". Whitelaw became Beckett's muse, as he created, reworked and revised each play while she physically, at times to the point of total exhaustion, acted each movement. Whitelaw remained the foremost interpreter of the man and his work. She gave lectures on the Beckettian technique, and explained, "He used me as a piece of plaster he was moulding until he got just the right shape". They collaborated on Beckett plays such as '' Play'', ''

Eh Joe ''Eh Joe'' is a piece for television, written in English by Samuel Beckett, his first work for the medium. It was begun on the author's fifty-ninth birthday, 13 April 1965, and completed by 1 May. “It asfollowed by six undated typescripts (num ...

'', '' Happy Days'', '' Not I'', '' Footfalls'' and ''

Rockaby ''Rockaby'' is a short one-woman play by Samuel Beckett. It was written in English in 1980, at the request of Daniel Labeille, who produced it on behalf of ''Programs in the Arts'', State University of New York, for a festival and symposium in co ...

'' for both stage and screen. For her performance in ''Rockaby'' Whitelaw was nominated for a

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. F ...

. From 1964 to 1966, she was a member of Britain's National Theatre Company. In 1965, she took over the part of Desdemona opposite

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier (; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, was one of a trio of male actors who dominated the British stage ...

's Othello from Maggie Smith.

Television career

Whitelaw also appeared frequently on television and won acclaim for her work. A very early TV appearance was in the first series of the long-running BBC1 police series '' Dixon of Dock Green'' (1955), as Mary Dixon, daughter of George ( Jack Warner). She also appeared as a woman who tries to join Robin Hood's outlaw band in a 1957 episode of '' The Adventures of Robin Hood'', "The Bride of Robin Hood", and won a BAFTA award as Best Actress for her performance in ''The Sextet'' (1972). She starred on the 1958–59 sitcom '' Time Out for Peggy''. She also appeared in an episode of '' Wicked Women'' (1970), the BBC adaptation of Thomas Hardy's ''

Wessex Tales ''Wessex Tales'' is an 1888 collection of tales written by English novelist and poet Thomas Hardy, many of which are set before Hardy's birth in 1840. In the various short stories, Hardy writes of the true nature of nineteenth-century marria ...

'' (1973), '' A Tale of Two Cities'' (1980), ''

Private Schulz ''Private Schulz'' is a 1981 BBC television comedy drama serial set mostly in Germany, during and immediately after World War II. It stars Michael Elphick in the title role and Ian Richardson playing various parts. Other notable actors included ...

'' (1982), '' A Murder of Quality'' (1991), ''

Duel of Hearts ''Duel of Hearts'' is a 1991 romantic television film directed by John Hough. Terence Feely penned the screenplay, based on the 1949 Barbara Cartland novel, ''A Duel of Hearts''. The film stars Alison Doody, Michael York, Geraldine Chaplin an ...

'' (1991), '' Firm Friends'' (1992–1994) with Madhur Jaffrey, ''

'' (1996), '' Born to Run'' (1997), '' Merlin'' (1998) and ''A Dinner of Herbs'' (2000).

Personal life and death

Whitelaw was married to the actor

Peter Vaughan Peter Vaughan (born Peter Ewart Ohm; 4 April 1923 – 6 December 2016) was an English character actor known for many supporting roles in British film and television productions. He also acted extensively on the stage. He is perhaps best known ...

from 1952 to 1966 then to the writer and drama critic Robert Muller, with whom she had a son, until his death in 1998. Her

autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life. It is a form of biography. Definition The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English peri ...

''Billie Whitelaw... Who He?'' was published by St. Martin's Press in 1996. Having divided her time between a home in

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, and extends from the A5 road (Roman Watling Street) to Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland. The area forms the northwest part of the London Borough o ...

, north London, and a cottage in

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include ...

, Whitelaw spent the last four years of her life as a resident of Denville Hall, the actors’ retirement and nursing home in Northwood, Hillingdon.Michael Coveney, "Whitelaw, Billie Honor (1932–2014)", ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, Feb 201
available online
Retrieved 18 June 2020. She died there following a bout of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severit ...

on 21 December 2014, aged 82.

Honours

Whitelaw was appointed a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

in the 1991 Birthday Honours.

Selected filmography

* '' The Fake'' (1953) as Waitress * ''

'' (1954) as Receptionist at Pearce & Mann * '' Companions in Crime'' (1955) * ''

Room in the House ''Room in the House'' is a 1955 comedy-drama film directed by Maurice Elvey. The film's screenplay, by Alfred Shaughnessy Alfred James Shaughnessy (19 May 1916 – 2 November 2005) was an English scriptwriter, film director and producer best kn ...

'' (1955) * ''

Mr. Arkadin ''Mr. Arkadin'' (first released in Spain, 1955), known in Britain as ''Confidential Report'', is a French-Spanish-Swiss coproduction film, written and directed by Orson Welles and shot in several Spanish locations, including Costa Brava, Segovi ...

'' (1955) (voice) * '' Miracle in Soho'' (1957) as Maggie * ''

Small Hotel ''Small Hotel'' is a 1957 British comedy film directed by David MacDonald and stars Gordon Harker, Marie Lohr, John Loder, and Janet Munro. It is based on the play of the same name by Rex Frost. Premise Albert, a crafty old waiter in a count ...

'' (1957) as Caroline Mallet * ''

'' (1958) as Winnie * ''

Gideon's Day ''Gideon's Day'' is the first in a series of police procedural novels by John Creasey writing as J.J. Marric. Published in 1955, it features a day in the professional life of Detective Superintendent George Gideon of the C.I.D., Scotland Y ...

'' (1958) as Christine (uncredited) * '' Time Out for Peggy'' (1958–1959, TV Series) as Peggy Spencer * '' Breakout'' (1959) as Rose Munro * '' Bobbikins'' (1959) as Lydia Simmons * '' The Flesh and the Fiends'' (1960) as Mary Patterson * '' Hell Is a City'' (1960) as Chloe Hawkins * ''

Make Mine Mink ''Make Mine Mink'' is a 1960 British comedy farce film directed by Robert Asher and featuring Terry-Thomas, Athene Seyler, Hattie Jacques and Billie Whitelaw. The screenplay concerns a group of eccentric misfits who go on a spree, stealing mink ...

'' (1960) as Lily * '' Payroll'' (1961) as Jackie Parker * ''

No Love for Johnnie ''No Love for Johnnie'' is a 1961 British drama film in CinemaScope directed by Ralph Thomas. It was based on the 1959 book of the same title by the Labour Member of Parliament Wilfred Fienburgh, and stars Peter Finch. It depicts the disillu ...

'' (1961) as Mary * '' Mr. Topaze'' (1961) as Ernestine * '' The Devil's Agent'' (1962) as Piroska Maslov * '' The Comedy Man'' (1964) as Judy * ''

'' (1967) as Lottie Bubbles * '' The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'' (1968, TV Movie) as Gwyn Thomas * '' Twisted Nerve'' (1968) as Joan Harper * ''

The Adding Machine ''The Adding Machine'' is a 1923 play by Elmer Rice; it has been called "... a landmark of American Expressionism, reflecting the growing interest in this highly subjective and nonrealistic form of modern drama." Plot The author of this play ta ...

'' (1969) as Daisy Devore * '' Start the Revolution Without Me'' (1970) as Queen Marie Antoinette * ''

'' (1970) as Margaret * '' Gumshoe'' (1971) as Ellen * ''

Eagle in a Cage ''Eagle in a Cage'' is an Anglo-American historical drama film, produced in 1972. Plot summary After his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo and surrender to the British Empire, Napoleon Bonaparte is delivered into exile and imprisonment on St. He ...

'' (1972) as Madame Bertrand * ''

'' (1972) as Hetty Porter * ''

Follow the Yellow Brick Road ''Follow the Yellow Brick Road'' is a television play by Dennis Potter, first broadcast in 1972 as part of BBC Two's ''The Sextet'' series of eight plays featuring the same six actors. The play's central theme is of popular culture becoming the i ...

'' (1972, TV Series) as Judy Black * ''

Night Watch Night Watch or Nightwatch may refer to: Books * ''The Night Watch'', a 1977 memoir by Central Intelligence Agency officer David Atlee Phillips Novels * ''Night Watch'', a 1972 novel by American screenwriter Lucille Fletcher * ''Night Watch'', a 1 ...

'' (1973) as Sarah Cooke * ''

Napoleon and Love ''Napoleon and Love'' is a 1974 British television series originally aired on ITV and lasting for 9 episodes from 5 March to 30 April 1974. The series stars Ian Holm in the title role as Napoleon and depicts his relationships with the women who ...

'' (1974, TV Mini-Series) as Josephine * ''

'' (1976) as Mrs Baylock * '' Space: 1999'' (1976, TV Series ) as Zamara * '' The Water Babies'' (1978) as Mrs. Doasyouwouldbedoneby / Old Crone / Mrs Tripp / Woman in Black / Water Babies 'Gate Keeper' * ''

Leopard in the Snow ''Leopard in the Snow'' is a 1978 British drama film directed by Gerry O'Hara and starring Keir Dullea, Susan Penhaligon, Kenneth More and Billie Whitelaw. It was based on the 1974 novel ''Leopard in the Snow'' by Anne Mather. Plot summary In t ...

'' (1978) as Isabel James * '' A Tale of Two Cities'' (1980) as Madame Therese Defarge * ''

'' (1980) as Bertha Freyer * '' An Unsuitable Job for a Woman'' (1982) as Elizabeth Leaming * '' The Dark Crystal'' (1982) as Aughra (voice) * '' Jamaica Inn'' (1983, TV Series) as Aunt Patience * '' Terror in the Aisles'' (1984) as Madge * '' The Chain'' (1984) as Mrs. Andreos * '' Camille'' (1984, TV Movie) as Prudence Duvorney * '' Tangiers'' (1985) as Louise * ''

Shadey ''Shadey'' is a 1985 British comedy film directed by Philip Saville and starring Antony Sher, Billie Whitelaw and Patrick Macnee. The screenplay concerns a man with clairvoyant qualities who is recruited by British intelligence for a secret missi ...

'' (1985) as Doctor Cloud * ''Murder Elite'' (1985) as Margaret Baker * '' Maurice'' (1987) as Mrs Hall * '' The Secret Garden'' (1987) as Mrs Medlock * ''Joyriders'' (1988) as Tammy O'Moore * '' The Dressmaker'' (1988) as Margo * '' The Krays'' (1990) as Violet Kray * ''

Freddie as F.R.O.7 ''Freddie as F.R.O.7'' (also known as ''Freddie the Frog'') is a 1992 British animated musical action fantasy comedy film written and directed by Jon Acevski and starring the voice of Ben Kingsley. Inspired by bedtime stories Acevski told to hi ...

'' (1992) as Messina (voice) * '' Deadly Advice'' (1994) as Kate Webster * ''

'' (1996) as Grace Poole * '' Merlin'' (1998, TV Mini-Series) as Ambrosia * '' The Lost Son'' (1999) as Mrs Spitz * ''

The Last of the Blonde Bombshells ''The Last of the Blonde Bombshells'' is a 2000 British-American television film directed by Gillies MacKinnon. The script by Alan Plater focuses on the efforts of a recently widowed woman to re-unite the members of the World War II-era swing ...

'' (2000) as Evelyn * '' Quills'' (2000) as Madame LeClerc * '' Hot Fuzz'' (2007) as Joyce Cooper (final film role)

References

External links

Daily Telegraph obituary
*
Video of Billie Whitelaw performing Beckett's ''Not I''
*
Billie Whitelaw; Aveleyman
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whitelaw, Billie 1932 births 2014 deaths Actresses from Coventry Actresses from Warwickshire Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art Best Supporting Actress BAFTA Award winners Best Actress BAFTA Award (television) winners Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Deaths from pneumonia in England English film actresses English stage actresses English television actresses English voice actresses 20th-century British businesspeople