Nanette Newman facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nanette Newman
Newman in 2008
Born	(1934-05-29) 29 May 1934 (age 91) Northampton, Northamptonshire, England
Alma mater	Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts
Years active	1953–present
Spouse(s)	Bryan Forbes ​ ​ (m. 1955; died 2013)​
Children	2

Nanette Newman (born 29 May 1934) is an English actress and author. She is well-known for her roles in many films, especially those directed by her husband, Bryan Forbes. Some of her famous movies include Séance on a Wet Afternoon (1964) and The Stepford Wives (1975). She even won an award for Best Actress for her role in International Velvet (1978).

Early Life and Education

Nanette Newman was born in Northampton, England. Her parents worked in show business, which means they were involved in entertainment. Her father was even a strongman in a circus!

When she was a child in the 1940s, she lived in a place called Pullman Court in Streatham Hill. Nanette went to special schools to learn acting, including the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.

Acting Career and Achievements

Nanette Newman started acting when she was just 11 years old. Her first appearance was in a short film in 1945. Later, she appeared in a TV series called Sir Francis Drake in 1962. In this show, she played a character named Yana, who was a tribal native from South America.

Her first full-length movie role was as a teenager in Personal Affair (1953). She often played characters from different historical periods. Some of these roles were in movies like The Wrong Box (1966) and The Madwoman of Chaillot (1969). She also played a young woman in a wheelchair in The Raging Moon (1971).

Working with Bryan Forbes

Nanette Newman married actor, writer, and director Bryan Forbes in 1955. She acted alongside him in the movie The League of Gentlemen (1960). After that, she appeared in most of the movies that Bryan Forbes directed. This included films like The L-Shaped Room (1962), Seance on a Wet Afternoon (1964), and International Velvet (1978).

Television and Other Work

Besides movies, Nanette Newman also worked in television. She appeared in many TV advertisements, including commercials for Fairy Liquid. She was also a regular guest on a popular BBC game show called What's My Line? in the 1970s. Later, she starred in an ITV comedy show called Let There Be Love for two seasons.

In 1990, she was a contestant on the game show Cluedo.

Author and Cook

Nanette Newman is also a successful author. She has written thirty books for children, which is a lot! She has also written six cookery books. One of her cookery books, The Summer Cookbook, even won an award. She also hosted a children's TV show about cooking called Fun Food Factory in 1976. In the 1980s, she appeared on the TV show TV-am, where she would cook during the program.

Personal Life and Family

Nanette Newman first met Bryan Forbes in February 1953. They met while he was filming Wheel of Fate. Nanette was still studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art at the time.

Nanette and Bryan got married on 27 August 1955. They had two daughters, Emma Forbes and Sarah Standing. They were married for 57 years, until Bryan Forbes passed away in 2013. Nanette shared that one reason their marriage lasted so long was Bryan's rule: if he worked overseas for more than two weeks, he always took his family with him.

Filmography