Acting career Googie Withers

1 acting career

1.1 rising fame
1.2 stardom
1.3 australia
1.4 later career

acting career

she began acting @ age of twelve. student @ italia conti academy of theatre arts, dancer in west end production when offered work film in michael powell s girl in crowd (1935). arrived on set find 1 of major players in production had been dismissed, , asked step role in place.

during 1930s, withers in demand in lead roles in minor films , supporting roles in more prestigious productions. in windfall (1935), , in powell s girl in crowd (1935) wound playing second female lead.

powell used third time in love test (1935) , had lead in @ sea (1935). withers supported in dark world (1935), king of hearts (1936), , accused (1936). last affaire (1936) fourth film powell.

withers followed knew wanted (1936), crown v. stevens (1936) (directed powell), crime on london (1936), pearls bring tears (1937), action slander (1937), , paradise 2 (1937).

she had lead in re doctor (1938) , support kate plus ten (1938). best known work of period 1 of margaret lockwood s friends in alfred hitchcock s lady vanishes (1938).

withers kept in support roles in paid in error (1938) , strange boarders (1938). in hay film convict 99 (1938) , supported jack buchanan in gang s here (1939). appeared in crime films murder in soho (1939) , dead men dangerous (1939).

she supported george formby in trouble brewing (1939) , tommy trinder in couldn t no (1939). in robert montgomer film busman s honeymoon (1939) , reunited buchanan in bulldog sees through (1940). still supporting comics in back-room boy (1942) arthur askey.

rising fame

among successes of 1940s, , departure previous roles, powell , pressburger film 1 of our aircraft missing (1942), topical world war ii drama in played dutch resistance fighter helps british airmen return safety behind enemy lines.

powell , pressburger used in film produced did not direct, silver fleet (1943). played helen, significant second lead in clive book directed 1944 comedy on approval.

withers in came city (1945) directed basil dearden. 1 of several stars in dead of night (1945).

stardom

withers given star part in pink string , sealing wax (1945). received , withers given title role in loves of joanna godden (1947), hit. in cast john mccallum withers later married. remained married until mccallum died in 2010.

withers in rains on sunday (1948) 1 of biggest hits of year. in 1948 british exhibitors voted 8th popular british star in country.

withers had support role in hugely popular miranda (1948) mccallum. withers made 2 comedies, both directed ralph thomas: once upon dream (1949) , traveller s joy (1949). had support role in night , city (1950) opposite hollywood star richard widmark.

withers took 13 months off birth of first child returned play doctor in white corridors (1951), 1 of popular films of year in britain. 1 of many cameos in magic box (1951) , in play winter journey.

withers made 3 films husband, derby day (1952), devil on horseback (1954), , port of escape (1956).

australia

withers first toured australia in stage play simon , laura. when mccallum offered position running j.c. williamson theatres, moved australia in 1959. withers starred in number of stage plays, including rattigan s deep blue sea, desire of moth, first 400 years (with keith michell), circle, a. r. gurney s cocktail hour, time , conways, importance of being earnest, beekman place (for designed set) (1965), kingfisher, stardust, chekhov s cherry orchard , wilde s ideal husband melbourne theatre company; both productions toured australia. appeared in uk in school scandal @ duke of york s theatre in london s west end , on subsequent british council tour of europe in 1983–84 , in w. somerset maugham s circle @ chichester festival theatre.

withers starred on broadway michael redgrave in complaisant lover , in london alec guinness in exit king.

later career

withers returned films lead in nickel queen (1971), directed mccallum.

she in cherry orchard (1974) on australian tv.

during 1970s, appeared faye boswell, governor of women s prison, in television series within these walls. because within these walls had been moderate success in australia, approached producers play role of governor of wentworth detention centre in later series prisoner, job declined.

withers starred in bbc adaptation of hotel du lac (1986), followed year later bbc production of northanger abbey.

in 1989 appeared @ brighton in england in cocktail hour alongside husband john , daughter, joanna - play success new york starring nancy marchand, previous year. in 1990, appeared in itv s adaptation of ending up. last screen performance australian novelist katharine susannah prichard in film shine (1996), , other cast members nominated screen actors guild award outstanding performance cast .

in 2002, aged 85, withers appeared vanessa redgrave in oscar wilde s lady windermere s fan in london s west end.

in october 2007, aged 90 , 89 respectively, withers , mccallum appeared in extended interview peter thompson on abc tv s talking heads programme.