Suzanna Leigh (born Sandra Eileen Anne Smith; 26 July 1945 – 11 December 2017) was a British actress, known for her film and television roles in the 1960s and 1970s.
Early life and education
Born Sandra Eileen Anne Smith on 26 July 1945, Leigh grew up in
Berkshire
Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...
, England,
and later went to convent schools outside London. She began working in films while still a child, appearing as an extra in several British productions. She changed her name to Suzanna Leigh after entering film, whilst under the tutelage of her godmother,
Vivien Leigh
Vivien Leigh ( ; 5 November 1913 – 8 July 1967; born Vivian Mary Hartley), styled as Lady Olivier after 1947, was a British actress. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress twice, for her definitive performances as Scarlett O'Hara in ''Gon ...
.
Career
Leigh's film roles include the love interest of
Elvis Presley in ''
Paradise, Hawaiian Style
''Paradise, Hawaiian Style'' is a 1966 American musical comedy film starring Elvis Presley. It was the third and final motion picture that Presley filmed in Hawaii. The film reached #40 on the ''Variety'' weekly box office chart, earning $2.5 mill ...
'' (1966), a stewardess in the comedy ''
Boeing Boeing'' (1965), and as the frail heroine in a couple of
Hammer
A hammer is a tool, most often a hand tool, consisting of a weighted "head" fixed to a long handle that is swung to deliver an impact to a small area of an object. This can be, for example, to drive nails into wood, to shape metal (as w ...
films -
''The Lost Continent'' (1968) and ''
Lust for a Vampire'' (1971).
She starred in the cult British horror films ''
The Deadly Bees'' (1966) and ''
The Fiend'' (1972). In 1974 she starred as Amber in ''
Son of Dracula''.
In 2015, she was a featured player in the film, ''Grace of the Father''. She wrote a 2000 autobiography, ''Paradise, Suzanna Style'', and was the mother of actress Natalia Leigh Denny.
Death
Leigh was diagnosed with
stage-four liver cancer in September 2016 and died in December 2017 in
Winter Garden, Florida.
Filmography
Writings
* ''Paradise, Suzanna Style''
* 2014: "Thank you, Lord"
''Touched by an Angel'' chickensoup.com; accessed 14 December 2017.
References
External links
Elvis2001.net
InStyle UK: 60s Fashion: Women Who Made The Decade Achingly Cool (pictured at numbers 32 & 42) instyle.co.uk
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leigh, Suzanna
1945 births
2017 deaths
20th-century English actresses
Actresses from Berkshire
Actors from Reading, Berkshire
English film actresses
English television actresses
Deaths from liver cancer
Deaths from cancer in Florida