Susan Hampshire, a renowned English actress, was born in Kensington, London on May 12, 1937. Initially, she aspired to become a nurse, but unfortunately, she was unable to pass her O-Level exam in Latin. This challenge persisted until she was 30 years old, when she discovered she was dyslexic. Her work on dyslexia subsequently earned her the Officer of the British Empire award. Undeterred, she decided to pursue a career in acting and received training in the theater.
Susan made her movie debut at the tender age of 10 in The Woman in the Hall (1947). However, her proper debut was in the Laurence Harvey picture, Expresso Bongo (1959),in 1958. She continued to excel in her craft, making a name for herself in her native Britain. Her breakthrough role came in 1962 when she appeared in Katy (1962) on TV for the BBC.
Walt Disney signed her to star in the 1964 family picture, The Three Lives of Thomasina (1963). However, it was her role in the 1967 BBC mini-series, The Forsyte Saga (1967),that catapulted her to fame and earned her the first of her three Emmy Awards. The series' immense popularity led the precursor to PBS to create Masterpiece (1971). Her subsequent role in The First Churchills (1969),in which she played "Sarah Churchill", was the first series offered on "Masterpiece Theater" and brought her her second Emmy.
In 1973, Susan won her third Emmy for her portrayal of "Becky Sharp" in Vanity Fair (1967),a mini-series that had been released in the UK in 1967. Throughout her illustrious career, she has remained active on television and in the theater. In 1981, she married her second husband, the theatrical impresario, Sir Eddie Kulukundis.
