Shirley Anne Field (born Shirley Broomfield; 27 June 1938) is an English actress who has performed on stage, film and television since 1955, prominent during the

British New Wave The British New Wave is a style of films released in Great Britain between 1959 and 1963. The label is a translation of ''Nouvelle Vague'', the French term first applied to the films of François Truffaut, and Jean-Luc Godard among others. Styl ...

Early life

Broomfield was born in

Forest Gate Forest Gate is a district in the London Borough of Newham, East London, England. It is located northeast of Charing Cross. The area's name relates to its position adjacent to Wanstead Flats, the southernmost part of Epping Forest. The town ...

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

(now in the

London Borough of Newham The London Borough of Newham is a London borough created in 1965 by the London Government Act 1963. It covers an area previously administered by the Essex county boroughs of West Ham and East Ham, authorities that were both abolished by the s ...

). She was the third of four children, with two elder sisters and a younger brother, Earnest "Guy" Broomfield (c. 1939–1999). Her brother was murdered, in 1999, by Harry Dalsey, the son of

Adrian Dalsey Adrian Dalsey (October 14, 1914, Illinois - October 10, 1994, Walnut Creek, California) was a co-founder of shipping company, DHL Express,. Early life Dalsey was born in Illinois on October 14, 1914. He attended Wheaton College there, but la ...

. At the age of six, Shirley was placed in the

National Children's Home Action for Children (formerly National Children's Home) is a UK children's charity created to help vulnerable children & young people and their families in the UK. The charity has 7,000 staff and volunteers who operate over 475 services in the ...

Edgworth Edgworth is a small village within the borough of Blackburn with Darwen, Lancashire, England. It is north east of North Turton between Broadhead Brook on the west (expanded artificially to form the Wayoh Reservoir) and Quarlton Brook in the sout ...

, near

Bolton Bolton (, locally ) is a large town in Greater Manchester in North West England, formerly a part of Lancashire. A former mill town, Bolton has been a production centre for textiles since Flemish people, Flemish weavers settled in the area i ...

, Lancashire and four years later was moved to another children's home in

Blackburn Blackburn () is an industrial town and the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The town is north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the Ribble Valley, east of Preston and north-n ...

, where she attended Blakey Moor School for Girls. She subsequently returned to Edgworth until she was 15, when she moved to a children's home hostel in London, training as a

typist Typist is a person who types, a clerical worker who writes documents, using a typewriter. Skills and occupations Typist may also refer to: *Data entry clerk, someone who types data into a database via a computer or terminal. * Audio typist, someone ...

while still attending school.

Acting career

Early roles

After a course at the Lucie Clayton School and Model Agency, she became a photographic model for pin-up magazines like ''

Reveille "Reveille" ( , ), called in French "Le Réveil" is a bugle call, trumpet call, drum, fife-and-drum or pipes call most often associated with the military; it is chiefly used to wake military personnel at sunrise. The name comes from (or ), th ...

'' and ''

Titbits ''Tit-Bits from all the interesting Books and Newspapers of the World'', more commonly known as ''Tit-Bits'', was a British weekly magazine founded by George Newnes, a founding figure in popular journalism, on 22 October 1881. History In 1886 ...

''. She was subsequently spotted by Bill Watts, who ran a theatrical agency and obtained for her roles in late 1950s British films, usually uncredited. Her first appearance in a film was as an extra in ''

Simon and Laura ''Simon and Laura'' is a 1955 British comedy film directed by Muriel Box and starring Peter Finch and Kay Kendall. Play Satirising the early days of BBC Television, ''Simon and Laura'' focuses on an argumentative theatrical couple called Simon a ...

'' (1955). She had small parts in '' All for Mary'' (1955), ''

Lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography *Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland * Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...

'' (1956), ''

Yield to the Night ''Yield to the Night'' (also titled ''Blonde Sinner'' in the US) is a 1956 British crime drama film directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring Diana Dors. The film is based on the 1954 novel of the same name by Joan Henry. The storyline bears a ...

'' (1956) (directed by

J. Lee Thompson John Lee Thompson (1 August 1914 – 30 August 2002) was a British film director, active in London and Hollywood, best known for award-winning films such as ''Woman in a Dressing Gown'', ''Ice Cold in Alex'' and ''The Guns of Navarone (film), Th ...

), '' It's Never Too Late'' (1956), '' It's a Wonderful World'' (1956), '' The Weapon'' (1956), ''

Loser Takes All ''Loser Takes All'' is a 1955 novella by British author Graham Greene. In his dedication Greene said he had not written "this little story" to encourage "adultery, the use of pyjama tops, or registry office weddings. Nor is it meant to discour ...

'' (1956), ''

The Silken Affair ''The Silken Affair'' is a 1956 British romantic comedy, romantic comedy film directed by Roy Kellino and starring David Niven, Geneviève Page, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Joan Sims, Irene Handl and Ronald Squire. The screenplay concerns an accountant ...

'' (1956), ''

Dry Rot Dry rot is wood decay caused by one of several species of fungi that digest parts of the wood which give the wood strength and stiffness. It was previously used to describe any decay of cured wood in ships and buildings by a fungus which resul ...

'' (1956), ''

The Good Companions ''The Good Companions'' is a novel by the English author J. B. Priestley. Written in 1929, it follows the fortunes of a concert party on a tour of England. It is Priestley's most famous novel and established him as a national figure. It won ...

'' (1957) (again for Thompson), '' Seven Thunders'' (1957), and ''

The Flesh Is Weak ''The Flesh Is Weak'' is a 1957 British film directed by Don Chaffey. It stars John Derek and Milly Vitale. Distributors Corporation of America released the film in the USA as a double feature with ''Blonde in Bondage''. Plot Tony Giani is a S ...

'' (1957). She was in episodes of ''

The New Adventures of Martin Kane ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' (1957) and ''International Detective''. Field's first sizeable film role was in ''

Horrors of the Black Museum ''Horrors of the Black Museum'' (1959) is a British-American horror film starring Michael Gough and directed by Arthur Crabtree. It was the first film in what film critic David Pirie dubbed Anglo-Amalgamated's "Sadian trilogy" (the other two b ...

'' (1959). She had minor parts in ''

Once More, with Feeling! ''Once More, with Feeling!'' is a 1960 British comedy film starring Yul Brynner and Kay Kendall in her final film appearance and directed and produced by Stanley Donen from a screenplay by Harry Kurnitz, based on his play. The film was relea ...

'' (1960) and ''

And the Same to You ''And the Same to You'' is a 1960 British boxing-themed comedy film directed by George Pollock and starring Brian Rix and William Hartnell. It is based on a stage farce by A.P. Dearsley. Premise Stuck with the nickname "Dreadnought", Dickie March ...

'' (1960). Field had a larger role in the controversial ''

Peeping Tom Lady Godiva (; died between 1066 and 1086), in Old English , was a late Anglo-Saxon noblewoman who is relatively well documented as the wife of Leofric, Earl of Mercia, and a patron of various churches and monasteries. Today, she is mainly reme ...

'' (1960). She appeared on stage in ''The Lily White Boys'' with Albert Finney.

Stardom

In 1960, Field's breakthrough came when she was chosen by

Tony Richardson Cecil Antonio "Tony" Richardson (5 June 1928 – 14 November 1991) was an English theatre and film director and producer whose career spanned five decades. In 1964, he won the Academy Award for Best Director for the film ''Tom Jones (1963 film ...

to play the role of model Tina Lapford in ''

The Entertainer An entertainer is a person who entertains (singer, actor, comedian, etc.) The Entertainer may refer to: Music Songs * "The Entertainer" (rag), a 1902 classic piano rag written by Scott Joplin *"The Entertainer", rearrangement of the Joplin rag by ...

'' (1960), starring Laurence Olivier, distributed by Bryanston Films. Half a century later, she clarified that she did not owe her break to Olivier: "It was Tony Richardson I owe it all to." Field had a supporting role in ''

Beat Girl ''Beat Girl'' is a 1960 British teen exploitation film directed by Edmond T. Gréville. The film was released in the United States under the title ''Wild for Kicks''. The title character of ''Beat Girl'' was played by starlet Gillian Hills, who ...

'' (1960), then appeared in probably her best known role as Doreen, the would-be girlfriend of rebellious Arthur Seaton (played by

Albert Finney Albert Finney (9 May 1936 – 7 February 2019) was an English actor. He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and worked in the theatre before attaining prominence on screen in the early 1960s, debuting with '' The Entertainer'' (1960) ...

), in the New Wave film for Bryanston, ''

Saturday Night and Sunday Morning ''Saturday Night and Sunday Morning'' is the first novel by British author Alan Sillitoe and won the Author's Club First Novel Award. It was adapted by Sillitoe into a 1960 film starring Albert Finney, directed by Karel Reisz, and in 1964 was ...

'' (1960). Director,

Karel Reisz Karel Reisz (21 July 1926 – 25 November 2002) was a Czech-born British filmmaker, one of the pioneers of the new realist strain in British cinema during the 1950s and 1960s. Two of the best-known films he directed are ''Saturday Night and Sun ...

, described her as "difficult to play with". Co-star Finney had previously had a small role in ''The Entertainer''. The film was a huge hit. Field starred alongside

Kenneth More Kenneth Gilbert More, Order of the British Empire#Current classes, CBE (20 September 1914 – 12 July 1982) was an English film and stage actor. Initially achieving fame in the comedy ''Genevieve (film), Genevieve'' (1953), he appeared in many ...

in ''

Man in the Moon In many cultures, several pareidolic images of a human face, head or body are recognized in the disc of the full moon; they are generally known as the Man in the Moon. The images are based on the appearance of the dark areas (known as lunar mar ...

'' (1960). With those three big film starring roles in 1960, she became one of the very few actors ever to have their name above the titles in all the major cinemas around Leicester Square simultaneously. Although offered a role in '' A Kind of Loving'' (1962), Field turned it down to play the female lead in a Hollywood financed film, ''

The War Lover ''The War Lover'' is a 1962 British war film directed by Philip Leacock and written by Howard Koch (screenwriter), Howard Koch loosely based on the 1959 novel by John Hersey, altering the names of characters and events but retaining its basic f ...

'' (1962), with Steve McQueen. Four decades later, she admitted that the shoot was not ideal: In the UK, Field had the lead in ''

Lunch Hour ''Lunch Hour'' is a 1962 British romantic drama film directed by James Hill and starring Shirley Anne Field, Robert Stephens and Kay Walsh. Based on a one-act play by John Mortimer, it is about a man and a woman who attempt to have an affair duri ...

'' (1962), which was one of her favorite films. For Hammer films, Field starred in '' The Damned'' (1963), directed by Joseph Losey. She went to Hollywood to play the female lead in an epic directed by J. Lee Thompson, ''

Kings of the Sun ''Kings of the Sun'' is a 1963 DeLuxe Color film directed by J. Lee Thompson for Mirisch Productions set in Mesoamerica at the time of the conquest of Chichen Itza by Hunac Ceel. Location scenes filmed in Mazatlán and Chichen Itza. The film mark ...

'' (1963). Thompson had her under personal contract at this stage. She says she turned down roles in a James Bond movie and an Elvis Presley movie. Field went to Italy to appear in '' The Wedding March'' (1966), then back in England made ''

Doctor in Clover ''Doctor in Clover'' is a British comedy film released in 1966, starring Leslie Phillips. The film is based on the novel of the same title by Richard Gordon. It is the sixth of the seven films in the ''Doctor'' series. The film was released i ...

'' (1966) and ''

Alfie Alfie may refer to: Theatre and film * ''Alfie'' (play), a 1963 play by Bill Naughton * ''Alfie'' (1966 film), a film based on the play starring Michael Caine * ''Alfie'' (2004 film), a remake of the 1966 film * ''Alfie'' (2013 film), an Indi ...

'' (1966). She had a supporting role in ''

Hell Is Empty ''Hell is Empty'' is a 1967 British crime film. It began filming in 1965 under the direction of Bernard Knowles. Filming was suspended and later resumed by John Ainsworth after Martine Carol's death. It also starred Anthony Steel, Shirley Anne ...

'' (1967).

Later career

Field starred in '' With Love in Mind'' (1970) and ''

A Touch of the Other ''A Touch of the Other'' is a 1970 British drama film directed by Arnold L. Miller and starring Hélène Françoise, Kenneth Cope and Shirley Anne Field. Premise A London private detective finds himself the target of a gangster. Delger, "the ma ...

'' (1970), then made ''

House of the Living Dead ''House of the Living Dead'' (''Skaduwees Oor Brugplaas'', or ''Shadows over Bridge Farm''), also known as ''Doctor Maniac'', is a 1974 science-fiction horror film directed by Ray Austin. The film, an international co-production between Great ...

'' (1974). By the late 1970s Field was more commonly seen on TV, in shows such as ''Centre Play'', ''Shoestring'', ''Buccaneer'', ''Never the Twain'' and a long run on ''Santa Barbara'' as well as TV movies like '' Two by Forsyth''. She had a notable role in films like ''

My Beautiful Laundrette ''My Beautiful Laundrette'' is a 1985 British romantic comedy-drama film directed by Stephen Frears from a screenplay by Hanif Kureishi. The film was also one of the first films released by Working Title Films. The story is set in London during ...

'' (1985), ''

Shag Shag, or Shagged, or Shagger, or Shagging, or Shags may refer to: Animals * Shag or cormorant, a bird family ** European shag, a specific species of the shag or cormorant family ** Great cormorant another species of the family People Pseudonym ...

'' (1989), '' Getting It Right'' (1989), ''

The Rachel Papers ''The Rachel Papers'' is a 1989 British film written and directed by Damian Harris, and based on the 1973 novel of the same name by Martin Amis. It stars Dexter Fletcher and Ione Skye with Jonathan Pryce, James Spader, Bill Paterson, Jared ...

'' (1989), ''

Hear My Song ''Hear My Song'' is a 1991 British comedy-drama film directed by Peter Chelsom, who co-wrote the screenplay with Adrian Dunbar, based on the story of Irish tenor Josef Locke. It was nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the 46th British Ac ...

'' (1991), ''

UFO An unidentified flying object (UFO), more recently renamed by US officials as a UAP (unidentified aerial phenomenon), is any perceived aerial phenomenon that cannot be immediately identified or explained. On investigation, most UFOs are id ...

'' (1993), ''

Taking Liberty Taking or takings may refer to: * Theft, illicit taking * The acquisition of land under eminent domain * Take (hunting) or taking, an action that adversely affects a species * Kidnapping of persons See also

* * * * Take (disambiguation) * ...

'' (1993), '' Loving Deadly'' (1994), and ''At Risk'' (1994). Later TV included '' Anna Lee: Headcase'' (1993), ''Murder She Wrote'', ''Lady Chatterly'', ''Rumble'', ''Bramwell'', ''Barbara'', ''Madson'', ''Dalziel and Pascoe'', ''The Bill'', ''Where the Heart Is'', ''Waking the Dead'', ''Monarch of the Glen'', ''Last of the Summer Wine'', ''Doctors''. Her most recent films are ''The Kid'', ''The Power of Three'' and ''Beautiful Relics''.

Personal life

On 7 July 1967, Field married the aristocratic

RAF The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

pilot and racing driver Charles Crichton-Stuart (1939–2001). They had a daughter, Nicola Crichton-Stuart, who was born in 1969. The marriage ended in divorce during the late 1970s. Her autobiography, ''A Time for Love'', was published in 1991. On 14 November 1993, Field appeared on

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...

's ''

Desert Island Discs ''Desert Island Discs'' is a radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4. It was first broadcast on the BBC Forces Programme on 29 January 1942. Each week a guest, called a " castaway" during the programme, is asked to choose eight recordings (usu ...

'', talking to

Sue Lawley Susan Lawley (born 14 July 1946) is a retired English television and radio broadcaster. Her main broadcasting background involved television news and current affairs. From 1988–2006, Lawley was the presenter of ''Desert Island Discs'' on BBC R ...

about her upbringing in different children's homes in

Northern England Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North Country, or simply the North, is the northern area of England. It broadly corresponds to the former borders of Angle Northumbria, the Anglo-Scandinavian Kingdom of Jorvik, and the ...

and her success as an actress in the 1960s. She also reminisced about her friendship with

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination i ...

and an ill-fated date with

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...

. Her record choices included

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...

's Piano Concerto No. 1 in C major and pieces by

Rachmaninov Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff; in Russian pre-revolutionary script. (28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one of ...

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

and

the Carpenters The Carpenters (officially known as Carpenters) were an American vocal and instrumental duo consisting of siblings Karen Carpenter, Karen (1950–1983) and Richard Carpenter (musician), Richard Carpenter (born 1946). They produced a distinct ...

. In the September 2009 issue of ''

Cinema Retro ''Cinema Retro'' is an English magazine devoted to "celebrating films of the 1960s & 1970s". Founded in 2005 by Lee Pfeiffer and Dave Worrall, it is subtitled "the Essential Guide to Cult and Classic Movies". The 64-page full-colour magazine is p ...

'', there was a long interview with Field, where she candidly talked about her childhood and the making of ''

'', ''

'' and ''

''.

Filmography

* ''Lost'' (1955) as Taxi driver's daughter (uncredited) * ''

'' (1956) as Waitress in Cafe (uncredited) * ''

'' (1956) as Girl at Roulette Table * '' It's a Wonderful World'' (1956) as Pretty Girl * ''

'' (1957) as Susan * ''

'' (1957) as Redhead * ''

'' (1959) as Angela Banks * ''

Upstairs and Downstairs ''Upstairs and Downstairs'' is a 1959 British comedy film directed by Ralph Thomas and starring Michael Craig (actor), Michael Craig, Anne Heywood, Mylène Demongeot, Claudia Cardinale, James Robertson Justice, Joan Sims, Joan Hickson and Sid ...

'' (1959) * ''

Jungle Street ''Jungle Street'' is a 1961 black and white British crime drama directed by Charles Saunders and starring David McCallum, Kenneth Cope, and Jill Ireland, about a young man who attempts to escape his working-class background and win the girl h ...

'' (later renamed ''Jungle Street Girls'') (1960) as Jaqui * ''

'' (1960) as Polly * ''

'' (1960) as Dodo * ''

'' (1960) as Angela Hopper * ''

'' (1960) as Iris Collins * ''

'' (1960) as Diane Ashley * ''

'' (1960) as Tina Lapford * ''

'' (1960) as Doreen * ''

'' (1962) as Girl "Flipside 017: Lunch Hour (Dual Format Edition)" by James Hill, at filmstore.bfi.org.uk
/ref> * ''

'' (1962) as Daphne * '' The Damned'' (1963) as Joan * ''

'' (1963) as Ixchel * ''

'' (1966) as Nurse Bancroft * ''

'' (1966) as Carla * ''

'' (1970) as Elaine * ''

'' (1974) as Mary Anne Carew * ''

'' (1985) as Rachel * '' Getting It Right'' (1989) as Anne * ''

'' (1989) as Mrs. Clatterback * ''

'' (1989) as Mrs. Smith * ''

'' (1991) as Cathleen Doyle * ''Loving Deadly'' (1994) as Madame * ''

Christie Malry's Own Double-Entry ''Christie Malry's Own Double-Entry'' (1973) is the penultimate novel by the late British avant-garde novelist B. S. Johnson. It is the metafictional account of a disaffected young man, Christie Malry, who applies the principles of double-entry b ...

'' (2000) as Mary, the Mother of Christie * ''

The Kid The Kid or The Kids may refer to: Fictional characters * The kid (''Blood Meridian''), a character in Cormac McCarthy's 1985 novel ''Blood Meridian'' * The Kid (''The Matrix''), a character in the ''Matrix'' film series * The Kid (''The Stand'' ...

'' (2010) as Margaret * ''The Power of Three'' (2011) as Jenni

Selected television appearances

* '' Santa Barbara'' * '' Monarch of the Glen'' * '' Where the Heart Is'' * ''

The Bill ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, first broadcast on ITV from 16 August 1983 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, '' Woodentop'', broadcast in August 1983. The programme focused on ...

'' * ''

Dalziel and Pascoe Detective Superintendent Andrew "Andy" Dalziel and Detective Sergeant, later Detective Inspector, Peter Pascoe are two fictional Yorkshire detectives featuring in a series of novels by Reginald Hill. Characterisation and style Dalziel is d ...

'' * ''

Murder, She Wrote ''Murder, She Wrote'' is an American crime drama television series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link, starring Angela Lansbury, and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network. The series f ...

'' * ''

Never the Twain ''Never the Twain'' is a British sitcom that ran for eleven series from 7 September 1981 to 9 October 1991. It was created by Johnnie Mortimer, and was the only sitcom he ever created without his usual writing partner, Brian Cooke. Mortimer w ...

'' * '' Upstairs, Downstairs'' * ''

Last of the Summer Wine ''Last of the Summer Wine'' is a British sitcom created and written by Roy Clarke and originally broadcast by the BBC from 1973 to 2010. It premiered as an episode of ''Comedy Playhouse'' on 4 January 1973, and the first series of episodes foll ...

'' * ''

Shoestring Shoelaces, also called shoestrings (US English) or bootlaces (UK English), are a system commonly used to secure shoes, boots, and other footwear. They typically consist of a pair of strings or cords, one for each shoe, finished off at both ends ...

'' * ''

Doctors Doctor or The Doctor may refer to: Personal titles * Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree * A medical practitioner, including: ** Physician ** Surgeon ** Dentist ** Veterinary physician ** Optometrist *Other roles ** ...

'' * '' Bramwell'', season 1, episode 2 ("The Threat of Reprise") as Peggy Heart

References

Bibliography

* * *

External links

* - Retrieved 2012-12-07
Shirley Anne Field
at

BFI Screenonline Screenonline is a website about the history of British film, television and social history as documented by film and television. The project has been developed by the British Film Institute and funded by a £1.2 million grant from the National Lot ...

- Retrieved 2012-12-07 *
''Field of Dreams''
four-page interview with Shirley Anne Field in the September 2009 issue of

- Retrieved 2012-12-07 {{DEFAULTSORT:Field, Shirley Anne 1936 births English film actresses English television actresses Living people People from Bolton