At the age of 72, British actress Susannah York has passed away.
Best known for her performance alongside Jane Fonda in the 1969 film They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?, York succumbed after a lengthy battle with cancer.
In the wake of her passing, her son Orlando Wells shared, ‘She was an absolutely fantastic mother, who was very down to earth.’
‘She was a woman characterized by grace and stature. She battled advanced bone marrow cancer and underwent surgery.’
‘However, following a scan last Thursday, her decline was rapid.’
‘Ultimately, her death was quick and painless.’
With her blonde hair, blue eyes, and youthful appearance, she became a recognizable figure among actresses of the 1960s, gaining numerous male admirers.
Recalling their interaction, playwright Tom Stoppard stated, ‘In 1961, as a budding journalist, I interviewed her for a magazine about her film Greengage Summer, and I still vividly remember how completely charmed I was.’
Alongside her acclaimed role in They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?, for which she garnered an Oscar nomination, York rose to international fame through iconic films like Tom Jones and A Man For All Seasons.
She appeared alongside esteemed actors such as Elizabeth Taylor, Marlon Brando, Montgomery Clift, and Peter O’Toole.
York was also celebrated for her extensive stage career, featuring in critically praised plays such as The Singular Life of Albert Nobbs and the Henry James play Appearances.
Wells remarked, ‘She felt equally at home in a pub theatre in Islington as she did in Hollywood.’
In a 2001 interview with Reuters, she expressed that theatre was her true passion, stating: ‘This is where I belong.’
Additionally, York ventured into writing, producing two children’s fantasy novels titled In Search of Unicorns in 1973 and Lark’s Castle in 1976.
She was a fervent anti-nuclear activist, having actively supported the release of Israeli whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu.
Vanunu revealed secrets that disclosed the Jewish state’s development of atomic bombs and was in Israel when he was eventually freed in 2004 after spending 18 years in prison.
In 1960, York married Michael Wells, with whom she welcomed two children, Orlando and Sasha.
Family played a significant role in York’s life, as she shared in a 2008 interview.
She mentioned to The Telegraph: ‘Spending time with family is an essential part of my weekend.’
‘I see a lot of my daughter Sasha and my son Orlando.’
‘We all live relatively close to each other on different sides of Clapham Common in south London.’
‘My grandson, Rafferty, is absolutely wonderful. He’s a year old, and another child is on the way.’
York and Wells divorced in 1976, and she never remarried.
She is survived by her two children, a grandson, and a granddaughter.
by John Jackson
