Sara Leighton facts for kids

Sara Leighton, born in 1937, is a talented English artist. She is famous for painting portraits of important people. She is also an author, an actress, and a well-known public figure.

Life and Work

Sara Leighton was born Shirley Lorimer in London in 1937. Her sister, Carole Lorimer, was also an actress. From a young age, Sara dreamed of becoming a painter. She learned from a famous artist named Pietro Annigoni. She said he taught her to be strong and work hard for her career. When she was younger, she acted in many TV shows and movies. She used both her birth name, Shirley Lorimer, and her artist name, Sara Leighton.

Sara quickly became a very successful portrait painter. Rich and important people wanted her to paint their pictures. One of her most famous paintings was of the Queen Mother. Sara said the Queen Mother was her favorite person to paint. She felt the Queen Mother was very kind and made everyone feel important. A writer named Helen Cathcart noted that Sara would sketch the Queen Mother as she went about her day. One of these sketches became a popular print.

In 1963, Sara started a company called London Portraits LTD. This helped her manage all the requests for her paintings. The next year, Sara was badly hurt in a car accident. This happened near Tunbridge Wells. Her husband, Keith Waters, and a famous American bullfighter, Sandra Landry, were also in the car. Sandra Landry had come to England to have her portrait painted by Sara.

In 1971, news reports said that Muhammad Ali wanted Sara Leighton to paint him. However, in 1981, it was reported that Sara turned down his request. She also turned down a request from Elizabeth Taylor. Sara explained that she needed to focus completely when she painted. She felt there was too much activity around these famous people at the time.

In 1972, Sara traveled to South America to find the Jaguar. She painted a picture of it and gave it to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. She also painted "Storm over the Veldt." This painting was given to the Worldlife Fund for its 10th anniversary. Money from copies of the painting went to the fund. In the mid-1970s, she lived in Bahrain. She had an apartment overlooking the harbor.

Sara Leighton also had strong opinions about women's roles. In 1962, she started "The Society for the Protection of Utter Femininity." This society aimed to encourage women to focus on home life. She humorously told the press that "A woman should stay in the home."

Sara Leighton was also known for her beauty. Pietro Annigoni once called her "the most beautiful woman in the world." The British newsreader Jan Leeming remembered seeing Sara at an audition. She thought Sara was so beautiful that she wouldn't get the job. But Jan Leeming got the job instead, likely because she had more experience.

In 1973, it was reported that Sara Leighton bought a large monastery in Tuscany, Italy. She planned to turn it into a place for writers, musicians, and artists to stay.

Sara became a media personality. She often appeared on TV shows like Parkinson. This brought her a lot of attention from the press.

In 1980, Sara published her autobiography called Of Savages and Kings. This book shares her adventures around the world. It tells about the many interesting people she met. These included clients and friends like Lord Olivier, The Prince of Wales, Muhammad Ali, Sheikh Yamani, Gloria Swanson, Pietro Annigoni, Sir Roger Moore, Jean Rook, David Niven, Shirley Bassey, Joan Collins, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, The Princess Royal, and the Beaverbrook family.

Sara Leighton's artwork is hard to find. Most of her paintings were portraits that are still owned by the people who asked for them. In 2005, a drawing called "Female clown on trapeze" was sold. It was one of the few works to be sold publicly.

Exhibitions

• 1979 - Dreamscapes and Paintings - The Medici Gallery, London
• 1981 - Sara Leighton: Dreamscapes - Patricia Judith Art Gallery, Boca Raton USA
• 1987 - Sara Leighton: Eternal Beauty - Patricia Judith Art Gallery, Boca Raton USA
• 1988 - Sara Leighton: Dreamscapes - The Mensing Gallery, Germany
• 1996 - Sara Leighton: Exhibition of Paintings, Heals, London
• 2015 - Sara Leighton: Dreams and Reflections, the A@D Gallery, London

Books

(illustrated by Sara Leighton)

• Hayes, Walter. Angelica: The Bewitching Witch (1968)

(written by Sara Leighton)

• Leighton, Sara. Of Savages and Kings (Bachman and Turner, 1980)

(Written and illustrated by Sara Leighton)

• The Naughty Greedy Pandamoth ( The Book Guild 2015 )

Film and Television

(credited as Shirley Lorimer)

• You Know What Sailors Are (1954) - Jasmin
• Up to His Neck (1954) (uncredited) - Fanny
• No Place for Jennifer (1950) -Georgie Bishop
• Brighton Rock (1947) (uncredited) - Shirley
• Anne of Green Gables (1952) - Anne Shirley

(credited as Sara Leighton)

• The Woman Eater (1958)
• Dial 999 - (2 episodes, 1959)
• The Dickie Henderson Half-Hour (1 episode, 1958)