London-born Shirley Anne Field was an attractive ex-model and repertory
actress before an uncredited debut in Simon and Laura (1955). Thereafter
for a short time, Field became one of most active young British actresses,
performing in several important films. After appearing in such notable
films as Michael Powell’s
Peeping Tom
(1960), Beat Girl (1960) and Tony
Richardson’s The Entertainer (1960), she rose to greater prominence in Karel
Reisz’s highly acclaimed Saturday
Night And Sunday Morning (1960). After appearing in The
Damned (1962), and the iconic Alfie
(1966), her career began to wane before petering out in the 1970s.
After several years in theatre and TV, Field returned to films as
a character actress in the late 1980’s, most notably in My
Beautiful Launderette (1985), The
Rachel Papers (1989) and Hear My Song (1991). She has continued
to appear on the small-screen in television series including Dalziel
& Pascoe and The Bill.
