Janet Suzman
Biography
Janet Suzman is a British actress born in South Africa who started out at the Royal Shakespeare Company. Born in Johannesburg, she trained at the Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in London and made her stage debut in 1962 as Liz in Billy Liar. She joined the RSC in 1963 and played many Shakespearean heroines, including Cleopatra in 1973. Her first film, Nicholas and Alexandra (1971), cast her as Empress Alexandra and earned her a Best Actress nomination at the Academy Awards. Later films include The Black Windmill (1974), Nijinsky (1980), The Draughtsman's Contract (1982), A Dry White Season (1989) and Nuns on the Run (1990). She has also appeared on television in The Singing Detective (1986) and The Crown (2020), directed productions in Britain and South Africa, and written Acting With Shakespeare: Three Comedies.
87years old
Turns 88 on February 9in 90 days
- Born Johannesburg
- Star sign: AquariusThe sign runs January 20 to February 18
- Also credited as Dame Janet Suzman
Movie Career
- Films
- 10
- Career span
- 52 years1971 to 2023
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First role
Janet Suzman made her stage debut as Liz in Billy Liar at the Tower Theatre, Ipswich, in 1962, after training at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.
Behind the camera
Suzman wrote, starred in and directed The Free State, her modern South African adaptation of Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard, with the Birmingham Repertory Theatre.
Behind the camera
Suzman staged Othello, which was televised, and Brecht's The Good Woman of Setzuan, retitled The Good Woman of Sharpeville, at Johannesburg's Market Theatre in her native South Africa.
Beyond film
Janet Suzman played Rosalind in As You Like It, and that performance was captured in a Marlowe Society recording of the entire play.
Behind the camera
Janet Suzman is the author of Acting With Shakespeare: Three Comedies, a book that grew out of a set of acting master classes.
Janet Suzman movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
- The Draughtsman's Contract1982 Comedy, Drama, Mysteryas Virginia Herbert / Mrs Herbert
IMDb rating 7.212K votes
Worked with
Janet Suzman shares two films with Tom Baker, and one with each of the others. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Tom Baker's page
Michael Caine's page
Donald Sutherland's page
Susan Sarandon's page
John Cusack's page
Donald Pleasence's page
All films by Peter Greenaway
All films by Jonathan Lynn
Menno MeyjesDirector, 1 film, 2002
All films by Menno Meyjes
Awards
Four awards and honors from 1984 to 2011.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other honors | |||
| 2011 | Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire | Won | |
| 2010 | Honorary doctorate of the University of Cape Town | Honorary | |
| 1984 | Honorary master's degree | Honorary | |
| Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actress | Won | ||
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.