Sunday, December 21, 2014

Billie Whitelaw

Actress; the supreme interpreter of Samuel Beckett -- via the BBC. I can't tell you how much this grieves me. I consider her one of the best performers of the 20th century. She had plenty of success before meeting playwright Samel Beckett; she went on to become his best performer. They collaborated on work such as "Happy Days," "Eh Joe," and "Rockaby."

She combined a harrowing intelligence with physical fluidity, precision of gesture, and a controlled intensity of emotion that made her mesmerizing. Even her small roles enlivened such films as "Flesh and the Fiends," "Charlie Bubbles," "Twisted Nerve," "Frenzy," "The Omen," "The Krays," and "Hot Fuzz." Her work for Beckett was extensively recorded and will remain endlessly inspiring.