1) She was nominated for an Oscar and (yes) a Golden Globe for her role in “They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?” This movie ran constantly on network TV, or so my memory leads me to believe. Somebody needs to issue this movie on Blu-ray already!
2) She made her feature debut opposite Alec Guinness in “Tunes of Glory.”
3) She played Sophie Western opposite Albert Finney in “Tom Jones.”
4) She played Jane Eyre in “Jane Eyre” opposite George C. Scott.
5) She played the former Lara Lor-Van, an important resident of the doomed planet Krypton, in “Superman,” “Superman II” and Superman IV.” She became an even bigger deal when producers decided they could cut Marlon Brando out ot the sequels to save money.
Talkbacker "Childs" offers:
An actress who was never afraid to take controversial or unpopular roles in projects that were far from box office certainties, and who actively chose to take the path of an actress, rather than that of a 'star'...an option that was very much open to her at the height of her popularity, when she made her big splash in the 60's with the likes of Tom Jones, A Man for All Seasons, Tunes of Glory, Freud, and her hugely praised and biggest popular success They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
Choosing instead to make great, though largely uncommercial films such as The Shout, The Killing of Sister George, Images, Conduct Unbecoming, and the Vonnegut adaptation Happy Birthday Wanda J[u]ne, then suddenly turning around doing something like Sky Riders, with James Coburn and Robert Culp, or Silent Partner with Elliot Gould and Christopher Plummer (both great, under-rated 70's flicks in their own rights), and of course also popping up in the likes of the two Donner directed Superman movies and Yellowbeard, apparently just for the fun of it, she was an actress of skill and telent, but not of pretention, even as she largely trod that non populist path for much of her career.
On top of that she was a staple of the stage, performing with all the greats of the time, as well as in her own one woman shows, as well as both directing and writing for the stage. It must be said that her attempts at writing for the screen was not as successful however.
Despite that, and the aging actress curse of being relegated to smaller roles and television as the years go by, she never stopped working, and has left behind her one hell of a filmic legacy, the likes of which any actor worth their salt would be proud. For fans of 60's and 70's cinema especially, but also likely for anyone who ever saw her perform and give her all regardless of the role or project she was in, she will be missed.
Huge girl of cinema!
Kneel!
