Patricia June Thorburn Smith (8 June 1931 – 4 November 1967) was a popular English actress whose career was cut short by her death in an air crash.

Early life

Thorburn was born in

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...

, then part of

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

. She was the eldest of three children, including her sister Diana and her brother Keith. She spent most of her schooldays in boarding schools in India, since her father was a colonel in the Indian Army and therefore her parents travelled a lot. When he retired from the military, they moved back to

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

. The 1956 edition of 'Picture Show Who's Who on The Screen', (page 147), made the claim that she was a child "Skiing champion". June began writing plays from about the age of seven. Her grandfather (Sydney Thorburn) who had also spent many years in India as a design engineer, building many important bridges, made early 'movies' and she was the star in several, the first being "Her Second Birthday", when she was only two years old.

Family

When she was 20 she left home and moved to London to pursue her career, where she met and married her first husband, Aldon Richard Bryse-Harvey. During their short and stressful marriage, she bore one daughter in 1953, named Heather-Louise June. The marriage ended in divorce and June moved back to

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

, close to her family, for a couple of years until her career started to take off. In 1957, she moved back to London, where shortly thereafter she met Morten Smith-Petersen, who subsequently became her second husband. She was married to him until her death in 1967. Together with Morten, she had a second daughter named Inger-Sheleen Christabel.

Career

She appeared in her first commercial film in 1952, and quickly worked her way up from supporting roles to second female leads. One of her most notable roles in the mid-1950s was in the comedy-drama '' Touch and Go'' (1955), starring

Jack Hawkins John Edward Hawkins, CBE (14 September 1910 – 18 July 1973) was an English actor who worked on stage and in film from the 1930s until the 1970s. One of the most popular British film stars of the 1950s, he was known for his portrayal of mili ...

. Thorburn began to win leading roles, in British comedies such as ''

True as a Turtle ''True as a Turtle'' is a 1957 British comedy film directed by Wendy Toye and starring John Gregson, Cecil Parker, June Thorburn and Keith Michell. In the film, a young couple embark on a voyage on a ketch named ''Turtle''. John Coates wrote th ...

'' (1957) and costume dramas such as ''

Fury at Smugglers' Bay ''Fury at Smugglers' Bay'' is a 1961 British adventure film produced, written and directed by John Gilling and starring Peter Cushing, Bernard Lee, Michèle Mercier and John Fraser. The plot revolves around smuggling in Cornwall. Studio sequence ...

'' (1961) and ''

The Scarlet Blade ''The Scarlet Blade'' (released in the United States as ''The Crimson Blade'') is a 1963 British adventure film directed by John Gilling and starring Lionel Jeffries, Oliver Reed, Jack Hedley and June Thorburn. It is a period drama set during ...

'' (1963). Her most notable film appearance was as the Forest Queen in ''

Tom Thumb Tom Thumb is a character of English folklore. ''The History of Tom Thumb'' was published in 1621 and was the first fairy tale printed in English. Tom is no bigger than his father's thumb, and his adventures include being swallowed by a cow, tangl ...

'' (1958). During the early 1960s, she also appeared regularly on British television.

Death

She was pregnant with her third child when returning to London from

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

Iberia Flight 062 Iberia Flight 062 was a twin-engined Sud Aviation Caravelle registered ''EC-BDD'' operating a scheduled flight from Málaga Airport, Spain, to London Heathrow Airport. While on approach to Heathrow on 4 November 1967, the Caravelle descended far ...

when it crashed at

Blackdown, Sussex Blackdown, or Black Down, summit elevation AMSL, is the highest point in both the historic county of Sussex and the South Downs National Park. It is one of the highest points in the south east of England, exceeded by Walbury Hill, Leith Hill ...

, killing all 37 people on board.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

*
June Thorburn timeline with citations

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Thorburn, June 1931 births 1967 deaths English television actresses Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in England Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1967 Actresses from Karachi 20th-century British actresses 20th-century English women 20th-century English people