Samantha Eggar
British actress
Tom Stern
(m. 1964; div. 1971)Jenna Stern
Victoria Louise Samantha Marie Elizabeth Therese Eggar (born 5 March 1939) is a retired English actress. After beginning her career in Shakespearean theatre she rose to fame for her performance in William Wyler's thriller The Collector (1965), which earned her a Golden Globe Award, a Cannes Film Festival Award and an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.
She later appeared as Emma Fairfax in Doctor Dolittle (1967) and the American drama The Molly Maguires (1970). In the early 1970s Eggar moved to the United States and Canada, where she later starred in several horror films, including The Dead Are Alive (1972), The Uncanny (1977) and David Cronenberg's cult thriller The Brood (1979).
Eggar has also worked as a voice actress, as Hera in Walt Disney's Hercules (1997) and in several video games, including Gabriel Knight 3: Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned and 007: Nightfire. Her television work includes roles on Fantasy Island and a recurring part as Charlotte Devane in the soap opera All My Children in 2000.[1]
Early life
Samantha Eggar was born Victoria Louise Samantha Marie Elizabeth Therese Eggar[2][3] on 5 March 1939[4] in Hampstead, London, to Ralph Alfred James Eggar (a brigadier in the British Army) and Muriel Olga Palache-Bouma, who was of Dutch and Portuguese descent.[5][6] The initials of the two triplets of given names form the initials of each of her parents' first lovers. Soon after her birth, her family moved to rural Bledlow, Buckinghamshire, during World War II, where she spent her childhood.[2]
Eggar was brought up as a Roman Catholic and educated at St Mary's Providence Convent in Woking, Surrey. Reflecting on her time at convent school, Eggar said: "The nuns didn't have too much success with me – I've always had a violent temper. In fact, once I almost killed one of the nuns."[3] At age 16 she began to go by the name Samantha.[2] Although Eggar expressed interest in acting at a young age, she was urged against a career in the theatre by her parents. She was offered a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts but instead studied fashion for two years at the Thanet School of Art.[3] After completing her studies she enrolled at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London.[7]
Career
Theatre and early work
Eggar began her acting career in several Shakespearean companies, notably playing Titania in a 1962 production of A Midsummer Night's Dream directed by Tony Richardson.[8] She also appeared on stage in a production of Douglas Seale's Landscape with Figures, where she was noticed by a talent scout, and from there was cast in the biographical film Dr. Crippen (1962) opposite Donald Pleasence.[9] Her second film role was in 1962 in The Wild and the Willing; in the same year she appeared on stage again as Olivia in a production of Twelfth Night by George Devine.[8]
In 1963 she played the lead role of Claire Avery in 'Marcia', a second-season episode of The Saint. After her appearance in The Saint Eggar did not appear on television for 10 years, instead focusing exclusively on feature films.
In 1965 Eggar appeared in the thriller The Collector, directed by William Wyler, playing a kidnap victim. She received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress and won a Golden Globe award for her performance.[10] She was also awarded Best Actress at the Cannes Film Festival in 1966.[11] On her role as Miranda in The Collector Eggar has said: "My biggest relationship on set was with William Wyler. The tension on set was real. And if the tension wasn't there – if I didn't exude precisely what he wanted – well, Willi just poured cold water over me."[12]
The following year Eggar starred in the comedy Walk, Don't Run (1966) with Cary Grant (his last motion picture) and Jim Hutton, followed by a lead role as Emma Fairfax in Richard Fleischer's musical adaptation of Doctor Dolittle (1967). She also appeared in The Walking Stick, a psychological thriller by Eric Till where she costarred with David Hemmings, The Molly Maguires (1970), a social drama directed by Martin Ritt in which she starred with Sean Connery, and The Light at the Edge of the World (1971), an adventure movie from a novel by Jules Verne in which she shared the screen with Kirk Douglas and Yul Brynner.
She also played the main character in The Lady in the Car with Glasses and a Gun (1970), a thriller based on a book by French novelist Sébastien Japrisot and the last film directed by Anatole Litvak. She then went to Italy to shoot The Dead Are Alive (1972), a giallo directed by Armando Crispino.
Although she co-starred with Yul Brynner in the television series Anna and the King (1972) she did not make another television guest appearance until 1973, when she starred in the episode 'The Cardboard House' of the romantic anthology series Love Story. That same year she played Phyllis Dietrichson in a TV remake of the 1944 film Double Indemnity.[13]
Move to United States
In 1973, Eggar moved to the United States, settling in Los Angeles, and appeared first in television, guest-starring in episodes of Starsky & Hutch and Columbo, the latter with Peter Falk and Theodore Bikel in the episode 'The Bye-Bye Sky High IQ Murder Case'. She would go on to star in a number of horror films, including A Name for Evil (1973) and Demonoid Messenger of Death (1981).
During this period, Eggar also appeared in two British-Canadian co-productions, Welcome to Blood City, an early "virtual-reality" thriller directed by Peter Sasdy in which she plays opposite Jack Palance and Keir Dullea, and The Uncanny, a horror movie directed by Denis Héroux.
Eggar was also in the Canadian movie Why Shoot the Teacher?, a dramatic comedy filmed in Alberta by Silvio Narizzano that went on to be the most successful Canadian movie that year. But it is another Canadian movie that was to become one of Samantha's best known film, David Cronenberg's cult sci-fi film The Brood (1979).
In 1980, she filmed the Canadian slasher film Curtains, released in 1983.[14]
She also appeared as Maggie Gioberti in 'The Vintage Years', the pilot for the drama Falcon Crest, but was replaced by Susan Sullivan when the series went into production.[3] She appeared twice on The Love Boat, first charming ship's captain, Merrill Stubing (played by Gavin McLeod), as fortune-teller Mary-Louise Murphy in 2 March 1979's 'A Funny Valentine'. Her second sailing, in 'Touchdown Twins', which was aired on 14 February 1981, was as Meg Chase, the mother of Billy (played by Philip Brown (actor)) whose friend Frank (played by Vincent Van Patten) develops a crush on Eggar's character. She appeared in the drama Dark Horse (1992), followed by the superhero film The Phantom (1996). In 1997, she provided the voice of Hera in Disney's animated film Hercules; she would also supply the voice for the subsequent television series. Eggar also had a role in the sci-fi thriller The Astronaut's Wife (1999), which starred Johnny Depp.
She has appeared as the wife of Captain Jean-Luc Picard's brother Robert on the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, and as Sarah Templeton, the wife of Speaker of the House Nathan Templeton (Donald Sutherland), on the short-lived television series Commander in Chief, which starred Geena Davis. In the year 2000, she had a brief run as Charlotte Devane in the American soap opera All My Children. In 2003, she appeared in the first season of Cold Case, episode 14 ("The Boy in the Box") as Sister Vivian. In 2009, she played the mother of Jack and Becky Gallagher in season 1, episode 11 ("Lines in the Sand") of the Fox television series Mental.
Personal life
In 1964 she married actor Tom Stern and the couple have two children: film producer Nicolas Stern and actress Jenna Stern.[15] Eggar and Stern divorced in 1971.[16]
Eggar holds dual UK and American citizenship.[17] She is retired and resides in Los Angeles.[12]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Roles | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | Dr. Crippen | Ethel Le Neve | |
| The Wild and the Willing | Josie | ||
| 1963 | Doctor in Distress | Delia Mallory | |
| 1964 | Psyche 59 | Robin | |
| 1965 | Return from the Ashes | Fabienne 'Fabi' Wolf | |
| The Collector | Miranda Grey | Also known as The Butterfly Collector Cannes Film Festival Best Actress Award Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama Sant Jordi Award for Best Performance in a Foreign Film Nominated – Academy Award for Best Actress | |
| 1966 | Walk, Don't Run | Christine Easton | |
| 1967 | Doctor Dolittle | Emma Fairfax | |
| 1970 | The Molly Maguires | Miss Mary Raines | |
| The Walking Stick | Deborah Dainton | The first use of the tune Cavatina in a feature film | |
| The Lady in the Car with Glasses and a Gun | Danielle Lang ("Dany") | ||
| 1971 | The Light at the Edge of the World | Arabella | |
| 1972 | The Dead Are Alive | Myra Shelton | |
| 1973 | A Name for Evil | Joanna Blake | |
| 1974 | All the Kind Strangers | Carol Ann | |
| 1976 | The Seven-Per-Cent Solution | Mary Morstan Watson | |
| 1977 | The Uncanny | Edina Hamilton | |
| Welcome to Blood City | Katherine | ||
| Why Shoot the Teacher? | Alice Field | ||
| 1978 | The Greatest Battle | Annelise Ackermann | |
| 1979 | The Brood | Nola Carveth | Nominated – Genie Award for Best Performance by a Foreign Actress |
| 1980 | The Exterminator | Dr. Megan Stewart | |
| 1981 | The Hot Touch | Samantha O'Brien | |
| Demonoid Messenger of Death | Jennifer Baines | ||
| 1983 | Curtains | Samantha Sherwood | |
| 1987 | Love Among Thieves | Solange | |
| 1991 | Ragin' Cajun | Dr. May | |
| 1992 | Dark Horse | Mrs. Curtis | |
| Round Numbers | Anne | ||
| 1994 | Inevitable Grace | Britt | |
| 1996 | The Phantom | Lily Palmer | |
| 1996 | Everything to Gain | Diana Keswick | |
| 1997 | Hercules | Hera | Voice |
| 1998 | Loss of Faith | Insp. Strong | Television film |
| 1999 | The Astronaut's Wife | Dr. Patraba |
Television
| Year | Title | Roles | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Rob Roy | Diana Vernon | Recurring |
| 1963 | The Saint | Claire Avery | Episode: "Marcia" |
| 1972 | Anna and the King | Anna Leonowens | Starring in the Title role |
| 1973 | Love Story | Ruth Wilson | Episode: "The Cardboard House" |
| Double Indemnity | Phyllis Dietrichson | Television movie | |
| 1977 | Family | Norah McKay | Season 3, Episode 10: "Labours of Love" |
| Columbo | Vivian Brandt | Episode: "The Bye-Bye Sky High IQ Murder Case" | |
| Starsky and Hutch | Charlotte | Episode: "Starsky and Hutch on Playboy Island" | |
| 1978 | Fantasy Island | Helena Marsh | Episode: "Return/The Toughest Man Alive" |
| 1978 | Hawaii Five-O | Episode: "Horoscope for Murder" | Agnes DuBois |
| 1978 | Ziegfeld: The Man and His Women | Billie Burke | TV movie |
| 1979 | The Love Boat | Mary-Louise Murphy | S2 E21: "A Funny Valentine" |
| 1979 | Fantasy Island | Helena Marsh | Episode: "The Wedding" |
| 1981 | The Love Boat | Meg Chase | Episode: "Touchdown Twins" |
| 1983 | For the Term of his Natural Life | Julie Vickers | Miniseries |
| Hart to Hart | Gillian Rawlings | Episode: "Long Lost Love" | |
| 1984 | Murder, She Wrote | Marta Quintessa | Episode "Hooray for Homicide" |
| Magnum, P.I. | Laura Bennett | Episode "Fragments" | |
| 1985 | Tales of the Unexpected | Gwen Carter | Episode "People Don't Do Such Things" |
| 1986 | Stingray | Camila | Episode "Echos" |
| 1990 | A Ghost in Monte Carlo | Jeanne | Miniseries |
| Star Trek: The Next Generation | Marie Picard | Episode "Family" | |
| 1991 | The Legend of Prince Valiant | Queen Guinevere | Voice; recurring |
| 1993 | L.A. Law | Camille Bancroft | Episode "Where There's a Will" |
| 1998–99 | Hercules | Hera | Voice; 7 episodes |
| 2000 | All My Children | Charlotte Devane | 20 episodes |
| 2005 | Commander in Chief | Sara Templeton | Recurring |
| 2009 | Mental | Margo Stroud | 2 episodes |
| 2012 | Metalocalypse | Whale | (voice) Recurring |
Stage credits
| Year | Title | Role | Director | Venue | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Landscape with Figures | — | Douglas Seale | Olympia Theatre; Theatre Royal, Brighton; Grand, Wolverhampton | [8] |
| 1962 | A Midsummer Night's Dream | Titania | Tony Richardson | Royal Court Theatre | [8] |
| 1962 | Twelfth Night | Olivia | George Devine | Royal Court Theatre | [8][18] |
| 1985 | The Lonely Road | Irene Herms | Christopher Fettes | Yvonne Arnaud Theatre; Old Vic Theatre | [8][19] |
| 1985 | The Seagull | Irina Nikolayevna Arkadina | Charles Sturridge | Oxford Playhouse; Theatre Royal, Bath | [8][20] |
| 1992 | Auntie Mame | Vera | Karin Baker | Candlewood Playhouse, New Fairfield, Connecticut | [8][21] |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Title of work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | Cannes Film Festival | Best Actress | The Collector | Won |
| 1965 | Laurel Award | New Faces, Female | 4th place | |
| 1966 | Dramatic Performance, Female | The Collector | Nominated | |
| 1966 | Female Star | 14th place | ||
| 1966 | Golden Globe | Best Actress, Drama | The Collector | Won |
| 1966 | Academy Award | Best Actress | Nominated | |
| 1966 | Sant Jordi Award | Best Performance in a Foreign Film | Won | |
| 1980 | Genie Award | Best Performance by a Foreign Actress | The Brood | Nominated |
References
Notes
- ^ "Samantha Eggar Biography". Biography.com. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
- ^ a b c Cooper 2015, p. 105.
- ^ a b c d "The Private Life and Times of Samantha Eggar". Glamour Girls of the Silver Screen. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
- ^ "Samantha Eggar". The British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 16 July 2012. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
- ^ Hal Erickson (2016). "Samantha Eggar Biography". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
- ^ "Eggar, Samantha 1939–". Contemporary Theatre, Film, and Television. Gale Research Company. 2004. ISBN 978-0787670986 – via Encyclopedia.com.
- ^ Cooper 2015, p. 106.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Cooper 2015, p. 120.
- ^ Cooper 2015, p. 107.
- ^ "Samantha Eggar". GoldenGlobes.com. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
- ^ "All Awards". Awards 1965. Festival de Cannes. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
- ^ a b "Collecting Life: An Interview with Samantha Eggar". The Terror Trap. July 2014. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
- ^ MacKellar 2006, p. 371.
- ^ Nowell 2010, p. 232.
- ^ "Bio". Jenna Stern.
- ^ "People". Time. 5 April 1971. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
- ^ "Samantha Celebrates Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee". Samantha Eggar: Official Website. April 2012. Retrieved 24 January 2017.
I am now an American citizen, but my heritage is indomitable.
- ^ "Performance Details – Twelfth Night (Devine, English Stage Company, February 1962)". AHDS: Performing Arts. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
- ^ "Production of The Lonely Road". Theatricalia. Retrieved 24 January 2017.
- ^ Borny 2010, p. 162.
- ^ Klein, Alvin (9 August 1992). "THEATER; Candlewood Brings Back 'Mame'". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
Sources
- Borny, Geoffrey (2010). Interpreting Chekhov. ANU E. Press. ISBN 978-1-920-94267-0.
- Cooper, Barbara Roisman (2015). Great Britons of Stage and Screen: In Conversation. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-442-24620-1.
- MacKellar, Landis (2006). Double Indemnity Murder: Ruth Snyder, Judd Gray, and New York's Crime of the Century. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 978-0-815-60824-0.
- Nowell, Richard (23 December 2010). Blood Money: A History of the First Teen Slasher Film Cycle. Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN 978-1-441-12496-8.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Samantha Eggar.
- Samantha Eggar at IMDb
- Samantha Eggar biography and credits at the BFI's Screenonline
- Official website
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