Billie Whitelaw. In Memoriam

Many news outlets report the death of the British actress Billie Whitelaw (1932-2014). She was most remembered by her work with Samuel Beckett (she was 'her perfect acctress' in the playwright's own words).  She won a BAFTA for Best Actress in the film Charlie Bubbles (1968) and The Sextet (1972). Other award winning film roles include The Dressmaker (1988) and The Krays (1990). She was also well known for her role in The Omen (1976) or Alfred Hithcock's Frenzy (1972). The most veteran S/F lovers will remember her for her appearance as Zamara on a episode of Space 1999.

Born in 1932, Whitelaw made her radio acting debut aged just 11 and made her first stage appearance in Bradford in 1950.
She was well known for her role as Mrs Baylock in horror film The Omen and more recently appeared in the comedy Hot Fuzz. That film's director Edgar Wright tweeted that he was "very sad to hear that the magnificent Billie Whitelaw passed away" while adding he was "so very happy" to have worked with her.
Hot Fuzz was her last feature film and in a long tribute on his website Wright wrote that filming with her was an honour.
"She made me laugh a lot. She had a wicked sense of humour and could be devastatingly funny."
He admitted to frequently questioning her about her illustrious career and said "she was both very proud of her career and sometimes amusingly dismissive". (BBC News)

And, of course, she also was Grace Poole in Franco Zeffirelli's Jane Eyre 1996.

But that was not her only connection with the Brontës. In 1947 (when she was fifteen years old) she played the role of Young Hindley in a three-part BBC radio adaptation of Wuthering Heights.