In conversation at the Cinema Museum this evening is British actress Shirley Anne Field.

After a brief spell modelling, and some small parts in films and game shows alongside such well-loved performers as Tommy Cooper, Hughie Green and Bob Monkhouse, Shirley Anne’s first significant role was in Michael Powell’s classic Peeping Tom (1960), as a temperamental film star.

Later in the same year, she was cast in Beat Girl with Adam Faith, before winning the role of ‘Tina’, the young beauty queen, in Tony Richardson’s film adaptation of The Entertainer, playing opposite Sir Laurence Olivier. This role changed her life overnight and several major film roles soon followed, including Man in the Moon with Kenneth More; Saturday Night and Sunday Morning co-starring with Albert Finney; The War Lover (1962) with Steve McQueen and Robert Wagner; Joseph Losey’s The Damned (1963); Alfie with Michael Caine; and Doctor in Clover with Leslie Phillips.

In the 1970s Shirley Anne chose to combine motherhood with occasional stage work, but in the 1980s she returned to the big screen with starring roles in My Beautiful Laundrette (best film award), followed by Shag, Getting it Right and The Rachel Papers. In the 1990s she made Hear My Song (best film award), playing a beauty queen now grown up, in an echo of her earlier role in The Entertainer.

Her television work has been prolific, and includes Shoestring, Never the Twain, El CID, Dalziel and Pascoe, Where the Heart Is and Last of the Summer Wine. Favourite TV roles include ‘Mrs Bolton’ in Ken Russell’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover, ‘Peggy Hart’ in Bramwell and starring with Ian McShane in Madson.

The charming and eloquent Shirley Anne is still much in demand as an actress both on screen and on stage and has recently completed two feature films, including The Kid with James Fox and Rupert Friend. 

This event is expected to end around 22.00.

Tickets & Pricing

Spring Season 2011 ticketing applies.