Carol White
Encyclopedia
Carol White was a British actress.
She achieved notability for her performances in the television play Cathy Come Home
(1966) and the films Poor Cow
(1967) and I'll Never Forget What's'isname (1967), but alcoholism and drug abuse damaged her career, and from the early 1970s she worked infrequently.
. She attended the Corona Stage Academy
. She played minor roles in films from 1949 until the late 1950s, when she began to play more substantial supporting roles in films such as Carry on Teacher
(1959) and Never Let Go
(1960) in which she played the girlfriend of Peter Sellers
.
She continued working regularly and drew attention for her performances in the television version of Nell Dunn
's Up the Junction
(1965). She followed this success with roles in Cathy Come Home
(1966) and the films Poor Cow
(1967), based on another Nell Dunn book, and I'll Never Forget What's'isname (1967). Cathy Come Home and Poor Cow were both directed by Ken Loach
.
White starred opposite Alan Bates
, Dirk Bogarde
and Ian Holm
in the film adaptation of Bernard Malamud
's The Fixer (1968) and then travelled to Hollywood in 1968 to make Daddy's Gone A-Hunting
(1969). She appeared in Dulcima
in 1971, but her career went into decline soon after, largely as a result of personal problems including drug and alcohol abuse, though she had a prominent role as a hostage in The Squeeze (1977).
After living in Hollywood for several years, White returned to London to star in Nell Dunn's play Steaming
at the West End's Comedy Theatre, filming Nutcracker
at the same time. Despite receiving excellent reviews for Steaming, she often was late, missed performances, and finally was sacked. In 1981, a biography, Carol Comes Home, by Clifford Thurlow
, was published. Although White received publicity for the play and the biography, she was not able to renew her career. She returned to the United States, where she remained for the rest of her life.
, Frank Sinatra
, Oliver Reed
and (according to Julian Upton) Paul Burke
, hindered her career.
White died in 1991 in Florida
, at the age of 48. The cause of her death is disputed, with some sources claiming she took a drug overdose and others (including Upton and the The Sunday Times
) suggesting she succumbed to liver disease. She had two sons from her first marriage.
A television film of her life, The Battersea Bardot, was shown in 1994 with Wendy Morgan as White.
She achieved notability for her performances in the television play Cathy Come Home
Cathy Come Home
Cathy Come Home is a 1966 BBC television play by Jeremy Sandford, produced by Tony Garnett and directed by Ken Loach, about homelessness. An industry poll rated it as the best British television drama ever made. Filmed in a gritty, realistic drama documentary style, it was first broadcast on 16...
(1966) and the films Poor Cow
Poor Cow
Poor Cow is a 1967 British drama film directed by Ken Loach, based on Nell Dunn's novel of the same name.Although Malcolm McDowell is listed in the credits on the commercial release of the film, the scenes in which he appeared were deleted....
(1967) and I'll Never Forget What's'isname (1967), but alcoholism and drug abuse damaged her career, and from the early 1970s she worked infrequently.
Life and career
White, the daughter of a scrap merchant, was born in HammersmithHammersmith
Hammersmith is an urban centre in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in west London, England, in the United Kingdom, approximately five miles west of Charing Cross on the north bank of the River Thames...
. She attended the Corona Stage Academy
Corona Stage Academy
Corona Stage Academy also known as The Corona Stage School was a successful British drama school founded by Miss Rona Knight in the mid 1940's. The school started in Chiswick before later moving to 16 Ravenscourt Avenue, Hammersmith in 1955...
. She played minor roles in films from 1949 until the late 1950s, when she began to play more substantial supporting roles in films such as Carry on Teacher
Carry On Teacher
Carry On Teacher is the third Carry On film, released in 1959. It features Ted Ray in his only Carry On role, alongside series regulars; Kenneth Connor, Charles Hawtrey, Kenneth Williams and Hattie Jacques. Leslie Phillips and Joan Sims make their second appearances in the series here, having made...
(1959) and Never Let Go
Never Let Go
Never Let Go is a 1960 British thriller film starring Peter Sellers and Richard Todd. It concerns a man's purchase, loss of, and attempt to recover a Ford Anglia car. Sellers played a London villain, in one of his rare straight roles.-Plot:...
(1960) in which she played the girlfriend of Peter Sellers
Peter Sellers
Richard Henry Sellers, CBE , known as Peter Sellers, was a British comedian and actor. Perhaps best known as Chief Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther film series, he is also notable for playing three different characters in Dr...
.
She continued working regularly and drew attention for her performances in the television version of Nell Dunn
Nell Dunn
-Early years:Dunn was born in London and educated at a convent, which she left at the age of fourteen. Although she came from an upper class background, in 1959 she moved to Battersea and made friends in the neighbourhood and worked for a time in a sweets factory...
's Up the Junction
Up the Junction
Up the Junction is a 1963 novel by Nell Dunn that depicts contemporary life in the industrial slums of Battersea near Clapham Junction.The book uses colloquial speech, and its portrayal of petty thieving, sexual encounters, births, deaths and back-street abortion provided a view of life that was...
(1965). She followed this success with roles in Cathy Come Home
Cathy Come Home
Cathy Come Home is a 1966 BBC television play by Jeremy Sandford, produced by Tony Garnett and directed by Ken Loach, about homelessness. An industry poll rated it as the best British television drama ever made. Filmed in a gritty, realistic drama documentary style, it was first broadcast on 16...
(1966) and the films Poor Cow
Poor Cow
Poor Cow is a 1967 British drama film directed by Ken Loach, based on Nell Dunn's novel of the same name.Although Malcolm McDowell is listed in the credits on the commercial release of the film, the scenes in which he appeared were deleted....
(1967), based on another Nell Dunn book, and I'll Never Forget What's'isname (1967). Cathy Come Home and Poor Cow were both directed by Ken Loach
Ken Loach
Kenneth "Ken" Loach is a Palme D'Or winning English film and television director.He is known for his naturalistic, social realist directing style and for his socialist beliefs, which are evident in his film treatment of social issues such as homelessness , labour rights and child abuse at the...
.
White starred opposite Alan Bates
Alan Bates
Sir Alan Arthur Bates CBE was an English actor, who came to prominence in the 1960s, a time of high creativity in British cinema, when he demonstrated his versatility in films ranging from the popular children’s story Whistle Down the Wind to the "kitchen sink" drama A Kind of Loving...
, Dirk Bogarde
Dirk Bogarde
Sir Dirk Bogarde was an English actor and novelist. Initially a matinee idol in such films as Doctor in the House and other Rank Organisation pictures, Bogarde later acted in art-house films such as Death in Venice...
and Ian Holm
Ian Holm
Sir Ian Holm, CBE is an English actor known for his stage work and for many film roles. He received the 1967 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor for his performance as Lenny in The Homecoming and the 1998 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for his performance in the title role of King Lear...
in the film adaptation of Bernard Malamud
Bernard Malamud
Bernard Malamud was an author of novels and short stories. Along with Saul Bellow and Philip Roth, he was one of the great American Jewish authors of the 20th century. His baseball novel, The Natural, was adapted into a 1984 film starring Robert Redford...
's The Fixer (1968) and then travelled to Hollywood in 1968 to make Daddy's Gone A-Hunting
Daddy's Gone A-Hunting
Daddy's Gone A-Hunting is a 1925 drama film directed by Frank Borzage based upon a play by Zoe Akins, with adaptation by Kenneth B. Clarke. The film brought together Vitagraph leading lady Alice Joyce and English actor Percy Marmont after his success with If Winter Comes. This is the only film...
(1969). She appeared in Dulcima
Dulcima
Dulcima is a 1971 British drama film directed by Frank Nesbitt. It was entered into the 21st Berlin International Film Festival.-Cast:* Carol White - Dulcima Gaskain* John Mills - Mr. Parker* Stuart Wilson - Forest Warden* Bernard Lee - Mr. Gaskain...
in 1971, but her career went into decline soon after, largely as a result of personal problems including drug and alcohol abuse, though she had a prominent role as a hostage in The Squeeze (1977).
After living in Hollywood for several years, White returned to London to star in Nell Dunn's play Steaming
Steaming (play)
Steaming is a 1981 play written by English playwright Nell Dunn first staged at Theatre Royal, Stratford, in London. It won the 1981 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Comedy ....
at the West End's Comedy Theatre, filming Nutcracker
Nutcracker (film)
Nutcracker is a 1982 British drama film directed by Anwar Kawadri and starring Joan Collins, Carol White and Paul Nicholas. During the Cold War a Soviet ballerina attempts to defect to the West and settle in London.-Cast:* Joan Collins - Laura Carrere...
at the same time. Despite receiving excellent reviews for Steaming, she often was late, missed performances, and finally was sacked. In 1981, a biography, Carol Comes Home, by Clifford Thurlow
Clifford Thurlow
Clifford Thurlow trained as a journalist after failing to get a place at Cambridge and wrote his first book at age 23. He has been described by Penny Wark of The Times as "one of the UK's best ghostwriters."...
, was published. Although White received publicity for the play and the biography, she was not able to renew her career. She returned to the United States, where she remained for the rest of her life.
Personal life
During the late 1960s, White was considered one of the most promising actresses in British cinema. Her problems with alcoholism and substance abuse, as well as unhappy relationships with male stars such as Richard BurtonRichard Burton
Richard Burton, CBE was a Welsh actor. He was nominated seven times for an Academy Award, six of which were for Best Actor in a Leading Role , and was a recipient of BAFTA, Golden Globe and Tony Awards for Best Actor. Although never trained as an actor, Burton was, at one time, the highest-paid...
, Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
, Oliver Reed
Oliver Reed
Oliver Reed was an English actor known for his burly screen presence. Reed exemplified his real-life macho image in "tough guy" roles...
and (according to Julian Upton) Paul Burke
Paul Burke (actor)
Paul Burke was an American actor best known for his lead roles in two 1960s ABC television series, Naked City and Twelve O'Clock High...
, hindered her career.
White died in 1991 in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, at the age of 48. The cause of her death is disputed, with some sources claiming she took a drug overdose and others (including Upton and the The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
) suggesting she succumbed to liver disease. She had two sons from her first marriage.
A television film of her life, The Battersea Bardot, was shown in 1994 with Wendy Morgan as White.
Selected filmography
- Kind Hearts and CoronetsKind Hearts and CoronetsKind Hearts and Coronets is a 1949 British black comedy feature film. The plot is loosely based on the 1907 novel Israel Rank: The Autobiography of a Criminal by Roy Horniman, with the screenplay written by Robert Hamer and John Dighton and the film directed by Hamer...
(1949) - The Belles of St Trinian'sThe Belles of St Trinian'sThe Belles of St Trinian's is a comedy film set in the fictional St Trinian's School, released in 1954. It and its sequels were inspired by British cartoonist Ronald Searle. Directed by Frank Launder and written by him and Sidney Gilliat, it was the first of a series of five...
(1954) - Carry On TeacherCarry On TeacherCarry On Teacher is the third Carry On film, released in 1959. It features Ted Ray in his only Carry On role, alongside series regulars; Kenneth Connor, Charles Hawtrey, Kenneth Williams and Hattie Jacques. Leslie Phillips and Joan Sims make their second appearances in the series here, having made...
(1959) - Never Let GoNever Let GoNever Let Go is a 1960 British thriller film starring Peter Sellers and Richard Todd. It concerns a man's purchase, loss of, and attempt to recover a Ford Anglia car. Sellers played a London villain, in one of his rare straight roles.-Plot:...
(1960) - LindaLinda (film)Linda is a 1960 British teen film drama, directed by Don Sharp and starring Carol White and Alan Rothwell. The film was shot on location in South London and Brighton, and played in cinemas as the support feature to Saturday Night and Sunday Morning. The film was featured as an episode of Cinema...
(1960) - The Man in the Back SeatThe Man in the Back SeatThe Man in the Back Seat is a 1961 British B-movie crime film, directed by Vernon Sewell and starring Derren Nesbitt and Keith Faulkner. The film was based on an Edgar Wallace story, and was tightly shot, with only four name-credited actors and much of the action taking place in a cramped flat...
(1961) - All Night Long (1962)
- The BoysThe Boys (1962 film)The Boys is a 1962 British courtroom drama film, directed by Sidney J. Furie and with a screenplay by Stuart Douglass.-Plot:A night watchman at a garage is found murdered, and four teddy boys are put on trial for the crime...
(1962) - Ladies Who DoLadies Who DoLadies Who Do 1963 British comedy film starring Peggy Mount, Robert Morley and Harry H. Corbett.-Cast:*Peggy Mount as Mrs. Cragg*Robert Morley as Colonel Whitforth*Harry H. Corbett as James Ryder*Miriam Karlin as Mrs. Higgins...
(1963) - I'll Never Forget What's'isname (1967)
- Poor CowPoor CowPoor Cow is a 1967 British drama film directed by Ken Loach, based on Nell Dunn's novel of the same name.Although Malcolm McDowell is listed in the credits on the commercial release of the film, the scenes in which he appeared were deleted....
(1967) - The FixerThe Fixer (film)The Fixer is a 1968 British drama film based on the 1966 semi-biographical novel of the same name, written by Bernard Malamud.-Plot:Like the book, the film's main character Yakov Bok, a Jew living in the Russian Empire, who was unjustly imprisoned based on prejudice and the charge of having...
(1968) - Daddy's Gone A-HuntingDaddy's Gone A-Hunting (1969 film)Daddy's Gone A-Hunting is a 1969 film drama directed by Mark Robson.This is the first film directed by Robson after his 1967 box-office hit Valley of the Dolls. It bears little or no relationship to a 1925 silent film with the same name.-Plot:...
(1969) - The Man Who Had Power Over WomenThe Man Who Had Power Over WomenThe Man Who Had Power Over Women is a 1970 British comedy film directed by John Krish and starring Rod Taylor, Carol White and James Booth. A successful Australian talent agent grows disenchanted with his life, which includes includes a failing marriage and having to represent a troublesome rock...
(1970) - Something BigSomething BigSomething Big is a 1971 American motion picture produced by Andrew V. McLaglen and James Lee Barrett . The film stars Dean Martin and Brian Keith.-Description:...
(1971) - DulcimaDulcimaDulcima is a 1971 British drama film directed by Frank Nesbitt. It was entered into the 21st Berlin International Film Festival.-Cast:* Carol White - Dulcima Gaskain* John Mills - Mr. Parker* Stuart Wilson - Forest Warden* Bernard Lee - Mr. Gaskain...
(1971) - MadeMade (1972 film)Made is a 1972 film directed by John Mackenzie. It stars Carol White and Roy Harper.-Cast:*Carol White as Valerie Marshall*Roy Harper as Mike Preston*John Castle as Father Dyson*Margery Mason as Mrs. Marshall*Doremy Vernon as June...
(1972) - The Squeeze (1977)
- Cathy Come HomeCathy Come HomeCathy Come Home is a 1966 BBC television play by Jeremy Sandford, produced by Tony Garnett and directed by Ken Loach, about homelessness. An industry poll rated it as the best British television drama ever made. Filmed in a gritty, realistic drama documentary style, it was first broadcast on 16...
(1966)