Jill Bennett

Jill Bennett was a British actress who was known for her roles in films, television, and theatre. She was born in Penang, Malaysia, to British parents who owned a rubber plantation. She attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and made her stage debut in 1947. She joined the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in 1949 and appeared in several plays by William Shakespeare and other classical writers. She also starred in modern plays by John Osborne, Harold Pinter, and Alan Bennett, among others. She was considered a versatile actress who could portray emotional vulnerability and elegant comedy. She made her film debut in 1950 and appeared in many British films, such as Lust for Life, The Nanny, The Charge of the Light Brigade, For Your Eyes Only, and The Sheltering Sky. She also wrote and starred in the sitcom Poor Little Rich Girls in 1984. She was married twice, first to screenwriter Willis Hall and then to playwright John Osborne. Her marriage to Osborne was turbulent and ended in a bitter divorce. She suffered from depression and committed suicide by taking an overdose of pills in 1990. She was 58 years old.