Googie Withers (1917-2011), Actress. [49] As a child, Withers's "stocky and sturdy" build and straight black hair also contrasted with Temple's "pudgy but delicate" figure and blonde ringlets. She was born on 12 April 1926,. Googie Withers (1917 - 2011) Film Deaths Pink String And Sealing Wax (1949) [ Pearl ]: Commits suicide by flipping over the safety rail on the cliff top promenade when she realizes she is about to be arrested for murdering her husband, Garry Marsh. She did voiceovers for Disney animated films during the 1990s and early 2000s. Georgette Lizette ('Googie') Withers. Her last role was in the Oscar-nominated 1996 Australian movie Shine. From 1963 to 1974, she portrayed the character Josephine the Plumber in a series of television commercials for Comet cleanser. English Wikipedia. [10] She was cast on Aunt Sally's Kiddie Revue, a Saturday-morning children's program broadcast on WGST radio in Atlanta, in which she sang, danced, and did impersonations of film stars such as W. C. Fields, ZaSu Pitts, Maurice Chevalier, Fanny Brice, Eddie Cantor, and Greta Garbo. She was a well-known actress during the war and post-war years. Age (2022) Update Soon. Kendall Errair said in a statement, Our thoughts are with the family and friends of former child actress Jane Withers.A dear friend of ours at TCM, we are grateful to have spent time with her over the years and will never forget her wit and stories. [54], For example, as Withers began to receive gifts of dolls from fans to add to her collection, her parents insisted that for every two dolls she received, she give away one to a needy child. You've got a special quality and someday you are going to be a famous little star". In her film work of the 1940s she showed an individuality, strength, and sensuality that was very unusual for the time. She was born Georgette Lizette Withers in what was then British India. ; and No, No, Nanette, Withers was financially comfortable and chose to spend most of her time raising her children.[10][93]. [3] However, Ruth was not a typical stage mother. The couple co-starred in 10 popular films. She was also seen frequently onstage and on television. Shine (1996) was based on the career of the Australian pianist David Helfgott, beset by struggles against family pressures and mental instability. The cause of death was not. [64] Her twenty-first birthday party was planned for a nightclub with 200 guests, but after she came down with the flu, Withers instead served cake and ice cream and watched movies in her personal suite at home with 12 close friends. Red carpet photos. She was a dancer and actress, with a lengthy career spanning some nine decades in theatre, film, and television. Find Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and TikTok profiles, images and more on IDCrawl. [96][105], Withers was a devout Christian. Joanna McCallum. [19][33] Twentieth Century Fox studio head Darryl Zanuck reportedly forbade her from doing her Shirley Temple impersonation in public. [107][108], In the 1980s, Withers announced plans to build a $1million museum in Burbank, California, to display her collection, then stored in a 27,000sqft (2,500m2) warehouse. I came with our friends", she replied. The actress made an impression in the 1942 Powell and Pressburger WWII film One of Our Aircraft Is Missing, in which she played a member of the Resistance who helps RAF pilots escape from behind enemy lines. [7] The Withers' home, a 4-acre (1.6ha)[56] model home at 10731 Sunset Boulevard they bought in 1936,[57] was equipped with a swimming pool, badminton court, and a 78ft (24m)-long playroom that saw frequent use by Withers and her fellow Hollywood child actors. 5 August 2021 . The captain, who tried to run a Birmingham foundry after leaving the Royal Navy through poor health, was a high-handed man who clashed with fellow directors whom he openly despised, and lost his job. Googie Withers' and John McCallum's long, long love affair with the Australian public started more than half a century ago, in 1955. . [95] The one-minute spot, which ran from 1963 to 1974,[95] involved Withers in up to 30 storylines per year. . In The Lady Vanishes she played Blanche alongside Margaret Lockwood and Michael Redgrave. What Withers, who has died aged 94, brought to that performance was to define her strength in some of her most powerful roles. In 1958 Ms. Withers and her husband, the Australian actor John McCallum, moved to Australia. [96], Withers retired as Josephine after her mother Ruth was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Pink String and Sealing Wax. Googie Withers Net Worth. In the mid-1960s, Withers gained new popularity as Josephine the Plumber, a character in a series of television commercials for Comet cleanser. [4] On her interview, Butler asked her if she could imitate a machine gun, and she gave it a try. Georgette Lizette Withers, CBE, AO (12 March 1917 - 15 July 2011), known professionally as Googie Withers, was an English entertainer who had a lengthy career in theatre, film, and television. [1], A month after Jane's twenty-first birthday, her mother Ruth appeared in a California Superior Court and listed her daughter's assets as $40,401.85 (equivalent to $490,000 in 2021). . She was a dancer in a West End production in London when she was offered work as an extra in the 1935 Michael Powell film The Girl in the Crowd. After Mr. Powell fired one of the female leads, she stepped into the role. She was dancing in the chorus in a West End revue when she was spotted by a Warner Brothers casting director. 2010. [1][21] The commercials, featuring Withers dressed in white work overalls and in the proximity of a sink, had her touting Comet's stain-removing ability compared to other cleansers. Giving her formidability a greyer hue, Withers played a prison governor striving to be, as well as a disciplinarian, as sensitive as possible to the problems of the prisoners. She was popular for being a Movie Actress. Independentie Skip to navigation [n] Googie Withers, 94, a British actress best known for her appearance in Alfred Hitchcock's 1938 film "The Lady Vanishes," died July 15 at her home in Sydney. [26] She received two baskets of flowers on the set that dayone from Fields, to whom she had written about her casting in Bright Eyes, and one from President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who had seen her impersonate him on a newsreel. [43] In 1940 she filmed Shooting High with co-star Gene Autry, and starred in the teen films High School, The Girl from Avenue A, and Youth Will Be Served. The role of Faye Boswell in Within These Walls three years later proved to be a sounder vehicle. [1] Under the pseudonym Jerrie Walters, Withers wrote the screenplay for Small Town Deb (1941), in which she also starred. Georgette Lizette "Googie" Withers CBE, AO was a British entertainer who had a lengthy career in theatre, film, and television. Withers is survived by three children, including actress Joanna McCallum and production designer Nicholas McCallum. Birthplace India. Mr. McCallum died last year at 91. Googie Withers AKA Georgette Lizette Withers Born: 12-Mar - 1917 Birthplace: Karachi, Pakistan Died: 15-Jul - 2011 Location of death: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Cause of death: unspecified Remains: Cremated (ashes scattered at sea) Gender: Female Race or Ethnicity: White Sexual orientation: Straight Occupation: Actor Nationality: England 1 reference. Description: A veteran of numerous British films, since starting her screen career in the mid-1930s. 2023 Variety Media, LLC. Read about our approach to external linking. Date of birth: 12 March 1917 Karachi Georgette Lizette Withers: Date of death: 15 July 2011 Sydney: Work period (start) 1935; Country of citizenship: United Kingdom; Educated at: Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts; Occupation: actress; From 1955 onwards, she alternated between productions in the southern and northern hemispheres, including Broadway. Please logout and login again. imported from Wikimedia project. Georgette Lizette "Googie" Withers CBE, AO (12 March 1917 - 15 July 2011) was a British entertainer who had a lengthy career in theatre, film, and television. It was not well received, one comment being that it was an appalling bit of Australiana that made Barry Humphries's film The Adventures of Barry McKenzie (1972) look like a refreshing can of Foster's. Her stage credits include appearances in the West End productions of "The Boy Friend" (1954) and "No, No, Nanette" (1957). DEATH DATE Jul 15, 2011 (age 94) Birth Sign Pisces. [88][89], In 1955, a year after her divorce, Withers returned to Los Angeles and enrolled in the University of Southern California film school with the intention of becoming a director. [102], Withers narrated audiobooks, including a reading of Why Not Try God? In 1932, she and her mother moved to Hollywood, where she appeared as an extra in many films until landing her breakthrough role as the spoiled, obnoxious Joy Smythe opposite Shirley Temple's angelic orphan Shirley Blake in the 1934 film Bright Eyes. The top global causes of death, in order of total number of lives lost, are associated with three broad topics: cardiovascular (ischaemic heart disease, stroke), respiratory (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lower respiratory infections) and neonatal conditions - which include birth asphyxia and birth trauma, neonatal sepsis and infections, and preterm birth complications. place of death. [1] In 1937, she created 400 dolls using scraps she had recovered from the 20th Century Fox wardrobe department and gave them to needy children at Christmas. She played major roles in 38 films before her retirement in 1947. From 1935 onwards, she appeared in more than 60 films and television productions, including some of the finest movies of their time: One of Our Aircraft is Missing (1942), They Came to a City (1944, from the JB Priestley novel); Miranda (1948), in which Glynis Johns played the mermaid and Withers the all-too-normal woman; and Jules Dassin's Night and the City (1950), with Richard Widmark. [108] A small part of the doll collection was sold at auction, and Withers participated in tours of her collection held in conjunction with these auctions. She was born in Karachi on 1917-03-12. 15th July , 2011 . [36] At age 13, she took the initiative to make a film with Gene Autry by acting as a go-between between 20th Century Fox studio head Joseph M. Schenck and Republic Pictures head Herbert J. Jane Withers was born on April 12, 1926, in Atlanta, Georgia, the only child of Walter Edward Withers and Lavinia Ruth (ne Elble) Withers. Kenneth died in a plane crash in 1968 and one of Janes sons later succumbed to cancer. [99], In the 1990s, Withers did voice acting for Disney animated films. In the 1940s, Withers was featured as the heroine of three mystery novels published by Whitman Publishing, which produced 16 authorized editions featuring notable film actresses of that era. [25] This included "ice skating lessons, voice training, horsemanship, dancing, French, Spanish, and swimming lessons".[25]. [9], Withers died in Burbank, California, on August 7, 2021, at the age of 95.[122][123]. [106] But the plans fell through and the dolls, along with crates of Hollywood film memorabilia that Withers had also collected during her film career or purchased at auction, continued to be warehoused. A production of Somerset Maugham's The Circle at the Chichester Festival theatre in 1976 was so successful that it went to the West End, Canada and on tour in Britain. It was an affectionate nickname given to her by her Indian ayah (nurse); "googie" means "pigeon" or "dove" in Hindi. In the 1970s, when traditional leading ladies were less in demand, Withers's career became more variable. Birthday March 12, 1917. She was a dancer in a West End production in London when she was offered work in 1935 as a film extra in The Girl in the Crowd.. The woman who was once called "the best bad girl in British films" was always prepared to help make up any deficiency in that respect. Thus equipped, she acquired great skill at playing wives in various states of dissatisfaction because of the implied sexual shortcomings of their husbands. She was 94. Shine. We print the highest quality googie withers t-shirts on the internet Hi there! The family of British Actress, Googie Withers has announced that she died peacefully in her sleep Friday afternoon, aged 94. SYDNEY, Australia (AP) Googie Withers, a British actress best known for her performance in the Alfred Hitchcock film "The Lady Vanishes," died on Friday at her home here. Georgette Googie Lizette McCallum (Withers) (12 Mar 1917 - certain 15 Jul 2011) retrieved. [63] The short was transferred to 16 mm film for viewing by U.S. troops overseas during World War II. A notable British film and stage actress in England where she grew up and Australia which would become her adopted home, Googie Withers became best known for a series of melodramas at Ealing. Pearls Bring Tears. She was 94. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. Georgette Lizette "Googie" Withers CBE, AO (12. mart 1917 - 15. jul 2011) bila je britanska glumica i zabavljaica. In the event, Jean Kent provided one of the most harrowing moments to that date in British cinema when she tried to destroy her husband's remaining hopes with such vicious hatred that the scene was often booed and hissed in 1950s cinemas. She appeared in many other films, including It Always Rains On Sunday (1947), in which she sheltered a killer on the run, played by John McCallum, an Australian actor she married in 1948. All you have to do is read and think and do. Her. [52], While Withers typically played a brat onscreen, off-screen she was said to be "one of Hollywood's most charming and well-behaved juveniles". [1][120] In June 1968, Errair died in a plane crash near Bass Lake, California. In a 1942 newspaper article, Ruth described how she and her husband encouraged Jane to develop a generous personality and avoid the egoism and self-centeredness that a child star might accrue as the object of adoring fans and studio "sycophants". Cart. Trivia. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. [117] They married on September 20, 1947. In the early 70s she was a series regular on U.K. prison drama Within These Walls as Princess Governess Faye Boswell, and she appeared in Hotel du Lac and Northanger Abbey for the BBC in the 80s. Angry protests erupt over Greek rail disaster, Explosive found in check-in luggage at US airport, 1894 shipwreck confirms tale of treacherous lifeboat. July 18, 2011, 3:11 PM. [115], In 2003, she was the recipient of a Living Legacy Award from the Women's International Center, a non-profit education and service organization. Yates. Sitter in 3 portraits Born Georgette Lizette Withers in Karachi, India, she made her film debut in The Girl in the Crowd in 1934. Georgette Lizette Googie Withers CBE, AO (12 March 1917 15 July 2011) was a British entertainer who had a lengthy career in theatre, film, and television. 'I loved those meaty parts', she said. It means "dove." (Thanks to Brian) TV Deaths None known Others like you also viewed Lorraine Toussaint Claudia Gerini [112] On February 8, 1960, she was recognized for her contribution to film with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, located at 6119 Hollywood Boulevard. Variety is a part of Penske Media Corporation. British actress Googie Withers has died at her home in Australia aged 94. [7] Both in Atlanta and in Hollywood, the family would invite "six busloads of orphan children" to come to their home after church and Sunday school for lunch and afternoon entertainment. I don't know any other way". Georgette Lizette Withers, CBE, AO (12 March 1917 - 15 July 2011), known professionally as Googie Withers, was an English entertainer who was a dancer and actress with a lengthy career spanning some nine decades in theatre, film, and television. [56][32], Withers's birthday parties, described as "the social event of the season for movietown's small fry", were annually covered by the media. [68], Withers's parents licensed her name and image to numerous product lines. [93][96], Withers invested much of her own personality into the character of Josephine, making her friendly, caring, and helpful. [32], In 19381939, Withers shed her childhood pudginess through healthy eating and stretching exercises, slimming down to 100lb (45kg) and a size-12 dress. 18 February 2023. [50][51], Withers's bratty screen persona continued into her teens. [94] She also selected the type of work clothes a woman plumber would wear based on what she herself wore at home. null. [98], In 1971, Withers co-starred in the Broadway musical comedy Sure, Sure, Shirley which also brought Shirley Temple Black out of retirement. Her family returned to England when she was aged seven and she began acting at the age of 12 . She was dancing in the chorus in a West End revue when she was spotted by a Warner Brothers casting director. View the most popular Googie Withers pix. Googie Withers, photos of Googie Withers, age, zodiac sign, news, gossip, Googie Withers relationship list, Googie Withers dating history . [7] The collection, enlarged by contributions from her fans, grew into one of the largest in the world. I'm not changing my name. She also appeared in a number of other early Powell films. Googie Withers's income source is mostly from being a successful Actress. [20][21] Withers was concerned that filmgoers would hate her for being so mean to Temple, but the film was a box-office hit. News. The actress played the wife jealous of a mermaid her husband has discovered in the 1948 British fantasy Miranda., According to the Sydney Morning Herald, She was dubbed the best bad girl in British films thanks to her ability to portray women of a haughty sexuality., Born Georgette Lizette Withers in what was then British India, she received her lifetime nickname by her Indian nanny. [94] She took a course in plumbing to play her part realistically. [21] Both Withers and Temple usually played orphans and had a transformative effect on those around them. [119] She recovered with no lasting effects. [86], Withers's father died the following year. Help us build our profile of Googie Withers! Withers sang the Jule Styne-Sammy Cahn torch song "Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry" written for the play; this was soon after covered by Frank Sinatra and Kate Smith and became a jazz and pop standard. Looking for Googie Withers online? 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