Susan George

MAIN

BIRTHDAY

July 26, 1950

Surbiton, Surrey, England, United Kingdom

BIOGRAPHY

Expand Full Bio

This attractive, second-rank star of the 1960s has appeared in mostly inferior vehicles since the mid-70s. One of Susan George's best-known efforts remains her seductive work opposite Dustin Hoffman in Sam Peckinpah's ultra-violent "Straw Dogs" (1971), but she followed with the lurid likes of "Mandingo" (1975) and a series of undistinguished horror films that more or less damaged her career. Blonde, with a fresh, cleanly sexual aura, George was the daughter of show people and began acting at age four, including work in TV commercials and films. At age 12, she was in the London production of "The Sound of Music" (by her estimation playing nearly all of the female children's roles). George segued to playing teens and youthful roles in films, including her American debut, "The Billion Dollar Brain" (1967, although most of her scenes did not make the final cut). In 1968, under the direction of David Greene, she made her adult debut--complete with an "introducing" credit--in "The Strange Affair", nearly stealing the film as a kittenish, free-loving nymphet for whom Michael York is willing to sell his future. Her immediate follow-up films, such as "The Looking Glass War" (1969), went nowhere, and she headed to the USA to appear in "Straw Dogs". "Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry" (1974), in which she was racing car driver Peter Fonda's squeeze, proved somewhat memorable, but the actress then plunged into a series of awful films, which were the result of bad choices, bad career advice, or bad offers. By 1982, she was reduced to appearing in turkeys like the horror flick "The House Where Evil Dwells". Despite the presence of prestige co-stars like Michael Caine and Laurence Olivier, "The Jigsaw Man" (1984) proved a muddle.

After several high profile relationships, George married actor Simon MacCorkindale and shortly thereafter turned to producing. By the late 80s, the pair had returned to Europe where they formed Amy International through which they co-produced modestly successful efforts like "Stealing Heaven" (1988) and "That Summer of White Roses" (1989).

Collapse Full Bio