Susan Burnet (25 November 1938 – 17 January 2010) was a British actress born in Salisbury,

Southern Rhodesia Southern Rhodesia was a self-governing British Crown colony in Southern Africa, established in 1923 and consisting of British South Africa Company (BSAC) territories lying south of the Zambezi River. The region was informally known as South ...

(which later became Harare, Zimbabwe). The granddaughter of one of

Rhodesia Rhodesia ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state, unrecognised state in Southern Africa that existed from 1965 to 1979. Rhodesia served as the ''de facto'' Succession of states, successor state to the ...

's first pioneers, she later became an opponent of

Ian Smith Ian Douglas Smith (8 April 191920 November 2007) was a Rhodesian politician, farmer, and fighter pilot who served as Prime Minister of Rhodesia (known as Southern Rhodesia until October 1964 and now known as Zimbabwe) from 1964 to 1979. He w ...

's UDI government, refusing to shake Smith's hand when they were introduced and protesting against his policies. She died on 17 January 2010 in London, England.

Education and career

After winning a scholarship to

LAMDA The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) is a drama school located in Hammersmith, London. Founded in 1861, it is the oldest specialist drama school in the British Isles and a founding member of the Federation of Drama Schools. In ...

at the age of 15 she had a brief but successful career in British television, film and on stage. Critics likened her looks to

Brigitte Bardot Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot ( ; ; born 28 September 1934), often referred to by her initials B.B., is a French former actress, singer, and model as well as an animal rights activist. Famous for portraying characters with Hedonism, hedonistic life ...

's. She met her husband, the actor Andrew Ray, in her first role after stage school, the West End play '' Flowering Cherry'', which also starred

Ralph Richardson Sir Ralph David Richardson (19 December 1902 – 10 October 1983) was an English actor who, with John Gielgud and Laurence Olivier, was one of the trinity of male actors who dominated the British stage for much of the 20th century. He wo ...

and

Celia Johnson Dame Celia Elizabeth Johnson (18 December 1908 – 26 April 1982) was an English actress, whose career included stage, television and film. She is especially known for her roles in the films ''In Which We Serve'' (1942), ''This Happy Breed ...

. Despite the initial objections of his father, comedian Ted Ray, who thought they were too young, the couple married in 1959. They separated in the 1970s but never divorced. Burnet, who took her husband's real name Olden, largely retired from acting after giving birth to their first child at the age of 24 and returned to her homeland.

References

External links

*
Obituary
at The Guardian {{DEFAULTSORT:Burnet, Susan 1938 births 2010 deaths British actresses Alumni of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art