Billie Whitelaw

[Central Rain]

...has died at the age of 82. Somebody who could work so closely with Samuel Beckett for so long was clearly a very special kind of actor.

[Evariste Euler Gauss]

Billie Whitelaw

Yes. Never saw her perform myself (I've never been much of a theatre goer) but just reading about what she did, I find it quite extraordinary.

[Amor de Cosmos]

Billie Whitelaw

Coincidentally I watched an old, and totally forgettable, early 50s flick, The Fake, the other night. There's a scene between the two leads in the restaurant of the Tate Gallery. Their waitress has one line, and is on screen in medium-long shot for less than thirty seconds. "That's Billie Whitelaw!" I said. And it was. She could do that.

RIP

[Haddock]

Billie Whitelaw

I know her great work was done on the the stage, and I remember being very impressed by a straight TV showing of Happy Days, but the performance I'll most remember her for is in Gumshoe, which was wonderful.

[Commodore]

Billie Whitelaw

Truly one of my favourite actresses, no doubt. Those piercing eyes of hers just hypnotised me and she brought an every-woman quality to everything I saw her in. She could lead and play a supporting role with no less gusto or finesse.

My favourite role of hers was quite a small one, being Hayley Mills's mother in Twisted Nerve but her impact was just mighty. In a film which needed strong supporting roles to carry it through hers was a particular stand-out.

[ian.64]

Billie Whitelaw

I very rarely saw her - I don't think she was a prolific screen performer, saving her body of work for the theatre - but on the occasions I did, her vividness in performance was striking. Never the usual actor tricks, but as if she was going by another more unusual and distinctive route.

On a more obvious note, she was one of the main reasons why The Omen still scares the crap out of me.

[Mumpo]

Billie Whitelaw

She was excellent in The Krays.

[Gangster Octopus]

Billie Whitelaw

And wonderful in Private Schultz.

[Geoffrey de Ste. Croix]

Billie Whitelaw

She gave a memorable performance in the woefully under appreciated Charlie Bubbles playing Albert Finney's estranged wife Lottie. Her role in the film was immortalized by The Smiths: