Shelagh Fraser facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Shelagh Fraser
Fraser in Star Wars (1977)
Born	Sheila Mary Fraser (1920-11-25)25 November 1920 Purley, Surrey, England, UK
Died	29 August 2000(2000-08-29) (aged 79) London, England, UK
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1944–2000
Spouse(s)	Anthony Squire (m. 1961; div. ?)
Relatives	Moyra Fraser (sister)

Shelagh Fraser (born November 25, 1920 – died August 29, 2000) was a talented actress from England. Many people remember her best for playing Jean Ashton in the TV show A Family at War and for her role as Aunt Beru, Luke Skywalker's aunt, in the famous movie Star Wars from 1977.

Early Life and Education

Shelagh Fraser was born in a place called Purley, Surrey, England, on November 25, 1920. Her dad, John Newton Mappin Fraser, worked for a jewelry company called Mappin & Webb. For a while, her family lived in Australia to help start a part of the family business there. They moved back to the United Kingdom in 1924.

When Shelagh was a child, she had a serious illness called spinal tuberculosis. But she was very strong and got better. She went to St Christopher's School in Kingswood. Later, she won a special scholarship to study acting at the Croydon Repertory Theatre Drama School. Shelagh first acted on stage in 1938 at this school.

Acting Career

Shelagh Fraser had many different roles in plays on stage. She first performed in London's West End theatre in 1944. This was at the Comedy Theatre, where she played a character named Effie in a play called This Was a Woman. She also acted in other well-known plays. These included A Slight Ache by Harold Pinter and Bedroom Farce by Alan Ayckbourn. Shelagh also appeared in Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? and The Glass Menagerie.

In 1978, Shelagh Fraser appeared in a British police TV show called The Professionals. She played Mrs. Wilson, a lady who gets involved in a plan to free a crime boss.

Movies and TV Shows

In movies, Fraser often played kind and proper characters. You might have seen her in films like Master of Bankdam (1947) and Raising a Riot (1955).

One of her most famous roles was in the 1970s TV show A Family at War. She played Jean Ashton, a mother trying to keep her family safe during wartime in Liverpool.

In 1977, Shelagh took on a very special role as Aunt Beru Lars in the huge science fiction movie Star Wars. She played the aunt of the main character, Luke Skywalker. The director, George Lucas, thought she was a good fit for the role. Shelagh filmed her scenes in Tunisia.

Fraser acted in more than 50 movies and TV shows during her career. Some of her TV appearances include Z-Cars, Softly, Softly, and Heartbeat. She also appeared in films such as The Witches and Hope and Glory.

She was also a member of the BBC Repertory Company. This means she acted in over 500 radio plays for the BBC.

Writing Career

In the 1950s, Shelagh Fraser started writing plays for the theatre. Later, in the 1970s, she wrote two books for children. These books were called Captain Johnny and Princess Tai Lue.

Because of her experience in radio, she also became a radio writer. She wrote her own radio play called The Maid's Room. This play was about the relationship between a servant and her employer. Shelagh also adapted other stories for BBC Radio 4.

Personal Life

Shelagh Fraser was married to Anthony Squire, but they later divorced. She was also the sister of another talented performer, the ballerina and actress Moyra Fraser.

Selected Filmography

Film

Television

• Shelagh Fraser on Wookieepedia, a Star Wars wiki