# Susan George (actress)

Susan Melody George (born 26 July 1950) is an English film and television actress. 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.
In the early 1970s, George came to be associated with rather provocative, sometimes (as in Straw Dogs) controversial roles and became 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.

## Early life

She was born in Surbiton, Surrey, to Billie and Norman George, with sister, Pamela Anne George. She 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.

## Career

She appeared in The Dickie Henderson Show in 1962 and started working steadily on television in shows such as ITV Television Playhouse, Swallows and Amazons and Weavers Green.
George had small roles in films such as The Sorcerers (1967) and Up the Junction (1968).

### British stardom

George starred opposite Michael York in The Strange Affair (1968). She starred in All Neat in Black Stockings (1969) then the lead and starring role in Lola (also known as Twinky) in 1969 with Charles Bronson. Other starring roles include: Spring and Port Wine (1970) with James Mason, Eyewitness (1970) with director John Hough, Die Screaming, Marianne (1971) and Fright (1971) for director Peter Collinson. A number of her early films were made for EMI Films.
George's international breakthrough was starring opposite Dustin Hoffman in Straw Dogs (1971) a huge box office hit. 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.
George went to Europe to appear in Sonny and Jed (1972).

### US career

George received an offer to star in Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry (1974) for director John Hough, which was a big hit. Also popular was Mandingo (1975).
Less seen were Out of Season (1975), A Small Town in Texas (1976), Tintorera (1977) and Tomorrow Never Comes (1978).
George guest starred on television and was in Enter the Ninja (1981), Venom (1981), The House Where Evil Dwells (1982)

### Later career

George moved into producing and later returned to England.

## 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, circa 1980, 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 | |
| 2014 | Margery Booth: The Spy in the Eagle's Nest | Mrs. Ada Booth | |
| 2023 | 1066 | Queen Emma | |

### 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 | Both episodes |
| 1990 | The Castle of Adventure | Allie Mannering | All 8 episodes |
| 1990 | Counterstrike | Annette Morley | Episode: "The Dealbreaker" |
| 1992 | Cluedo | Mrs. Peacock | 6 episodes |
| 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 |