Sarah Elizabeth Lawson was a talented British actress, born in London to naval officer Noel Lawson and his wife Edith (née Monteith). She was the youngest of three siblings and grew up in West Sussex. Her grandfather, Francis Wilfred Lawson, was a renowned Victorian painter and illustrator.
Lawson began her acting career on stage, performing in amateur productions at the Herons Ghyll Roman Catholic School. She later studied acting at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art, graduating in 1947. Her professional theatrical debut came a year later at the Perth Theatre repertory company.
In 1951, Lawson made her West End debut in a production of Jean Cocteau's play Intimate Relations. Five years later, she appeared in the original cast of Philip Mackie's thriller The Whole Truth at the Aldwych Theatre in London.
On screen, Lawson started off playing ingénues and juvenile second leads in B-movies and quota quickies. Her first leading role was in the forgotten mystery drama Meet Mr. Malcolm (1954). She also appeared in the satirical cold war naval farce You Know What Sailors Are (1954).
Lawson was better known for her roles in the genres of horror and science fiction. She starred as one of two psychic sisters investigating gruesome deaths in the Swiss Alps in the 6-part TV series The Trollenberg Terror (1956). She also appeared in thrillers directed by horror expert Terence Fisher, including Night of the Big Heat (1967) and The Devil Rides Out (1968).
From the late 1960s, Lawson was seen most often in 'crime time' television dramas, featuring in iconic series like Department S (1969),The Persuaders! (1971),Callan (1967),Father Brown (1974),and Bergerac (1981). She also played prison governess Sarah Marshall in twelve episodes of Within These Walls (1974).
Lawson retired from acting in 1989 and passed away on August 18, 2023, at the age of 95.
