[105] She began experiencing vertigo in 2007. Georgette Lizette Googie Withers CBE, AO (12 March 1917 15 July 2011) was a British entertainer who had a lengthy career in theatre, film, and television. At 85 she was still commanding attention on the West End stage, in Lady Windermere's Fan. [1][21] The commercials, featuring Withers dressed in white work overalls and in the proximity of a sink, had her touting Comet's stain-removing ability compared to other cleansers. She was dubbed by the English press as the best bad girl in British films.. Save up to 30% when you upgrade to an image pack. She also appeared in a number of other early Powell films. Kendall Errair said in a statement, Our thoughts are with the family and friends of former child actress Jane Withers.A dear friend of ours at TCM, we are grateful to have spent time with her over the years and will never forget her wit and stories. In 1958, Withers moved to Australia with her husband, Australian actor John McCallum - he helped create the classic television series, Skippy the Bush Kangaroo. The cause of death was not disclosed. The woman who was once called "the best bad girl in British films" was always prepared to help make up any deficiency in that respect. [97] She cared for her mother for eight years until Ruth's death in 1983. [28] In 1936, she starred in Paddy O'Day, Gentle Julia, Little Miss Nobody, and Pepper. [58] Withers's thirteenth birthday party saw 60 young guests come in costume and participate in a balloon dance and jitterbug contest; this party earned a two-page pictorial spread in Life magazine. She was a well-known actress during the war and post-war years. Also read: Who is Connie Zastoupil? From 1963 to 1974, she portrayed the character Josephine the Plumber in a series of television commercials for Comet cleanser. 'I didn't want, and never played, the genteel parts, the English-rose type. Huge collection, amazing choice, 100+ million high quality, affordable RF and RM images. Withers was a loss to the British stage and screen when she followed her husband to his native Australia in the late 1950s. [106] But the plans fell through and the dolls, along with crates of Hollywood film memorabilia that Withers had also collected during her film career or purchased at auction, continued to be warehoused. She began her career as a child, and retired at the age of 21 to spend more time with her family. Googie Withers was born on the 12th of March, 1917. She was married to John McCallum from 1948 until his death in 2010 and they had three children, Joanna, Nicholas and Amanda. [5][90], Her performance in Giant led to more work as a character actor in both film and television. Googie Withers was an English entertainer who was born in Karachi, British India. [1] Though she received "dozens of offers" to do television series as well as stage musicals such as Mame; Hello, Dolly! Actress Googie Withers, best known for appearing in Alfred Hitchcock's The Lady Vanishes and TV's Within These Walls, has died in Australia aged 94. 1 reference. [117] They married on September 20, 1947. It held (Googie means pigeon in Hindi. [54], For example, as Withers began to receive gifts of dolls from fans to add to her collection, her parents insisted that for every two dolls she received, she give away one to a needy child. [9] In Los Angeles, Jane performed on children's shows on KFWB radio,[12] did cartoon voice-overs, and also modeled. Jane made her comeback in 1950s as a character actor. Her last two film roles were in 1994s Country Life, an adaptation of Chekhovs Uncle Vanya set in Australia, and the 1996 Australian movie Shine, for which Geoffrey Rush won an Oscar. [115], In 2003, she was the recipient of a Living Legacy Award from the Women's International Center, a non-profit education and service organization. She was 94. Withers made her screen debut in the 1951 comedy "The Lavender Hill Mob". The Bright Eyes actress began her career at the age of three as a host of her own childrens radio program in Atlanta, Georgia. [54] Her earnings from film roles were invested in trust funds and annuities; Withers had to use her allowance money to buy things she wanted for herself, which often meant saving up for weeks. [8], When Jane was two, Ruth enrolled her in a tap dance school,[6] and also taught her to sing. Her crew, dubbed the "Withers Family", worked on all her subsequent films. At the same age she made her first professional appearance, in the chorus of a children's show at the Victoria Palace, London. She was the first non-Australian to be awarded an Officer of the Order of Australia and was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire. She was a performer in stage, film, and television. The Lady Vanishes . . She was 94, and the cause of death was not disclosed. Withers and Shirley Temple were the two most popular child stars signed to 20th Century Fox in the 1930s. Born Georgette Lizette Withers on March 12, 1917 in Karachi, India, she was known as "Googie" from an early age. She also had a notable role in the Jules Dassins London-shot film noir Night and the City (1950), starring Richard Widmark, in which she played the greedy, ambitious wife of a casino owner. [1][7] By the early 1940s, the collection was estimated at 3,500 dolls. (Thanks to Brian) TV Deaths None known Others like you also viewed Lorraine Toussaint Claudia Gerini [1] She appeared in television episodes of Pete and Gladys;[91] General Electric Theater;[92] The Alfred Hitchcock Hour; The Love Boat; and Murder, She Wrote. Find Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and TikTok profiles, images and more on IDCrawl. [108] In 2004, the Los Angeles Times reported Withers had distributed more than 42,000 items for safekeeping among friends. [4] On her interview, Butler asked her if she could imitate a machine gun, and she gave it a try. [1], A month after Jane's twenty-first birthday, her mother Ruth appeared in a California Superior Court and listed her daughter's assets as $40,401.85 (equivalent to $490,000 in 2021). 1948. end time. [16] Withers said that director Butler confided to her, "You stole the picture". After initially appearing as a supporting character in a seedy subplot about a married woman's infatuation with another man, it soon emerges that Bond is the film's tragic villain. Login to add information, pictures and relationships, join in discussions . [14], Withers subsequently appeared in many films as an uncredited extra, though occasionally she had a line of dialogue. Googie Withers (1917-2011), Actress. Murder in Soho. At 16 she was the youngest member of the chorus of Nice Goings On and was soon appearing in other popular musicals. Murder in the Night. Georgette Lizette ('Googie') Withers. Birthday March Mar 12, 1917. [3] However, Ruth was not a typical stage mother. [1] As early as 1936, her name was affixed to a line of "Jane Withers Dresses" for girls,[71][72] and girls' handbags and jewelry were also branded with her name. Also Known As. Georgette Lizette Withers; Login to edit . It means "dove." You read the script, think about it, make notes if you're not sure, try it different ways until it feels natural. Stock photos, 360 images, vectors and videos. Read about our approach to external linking. From 1955 onwards, she alternated between productions in the southern and northern hemispheres, including Broadway. Her birth date is March 12, 1917. She was a dancer and actress, with a lengthy career spanning some nine decades in theatre, film, and television. [106] She involved President Roosevelt in this initiative, requesting from him the loan of a train on which she had the dolls arranged in museum-like displays to be seen by children across the country. [88][97] The character of Josephine was described by the Los Angeles Times as being "one of the longest-running continuing characters in TV. However, the cause of death is still unknown as her family has yet to reveal any details. [4] The family recited blessings at mealtime and devoted themselves to charitable works, which stood with Jane her entire life. [39] Studio contracts generally included a series of six-month option periods when the studio could terminate the agreement should the actor's films stop making money. Please logout and login again. The couple co-starred in 10 popular films together. [3] She determined before Jane was born that she would have one daughter who would go into show business, and chose the name Jane so that "even with a long last name like Withers, it would fit on a marquee". [5] Like her parents, she belonged to the Presbyterian Church. [20][21] Withers was concerned that filmgoers would hate her for being so mean to Temple, but the film was a box-office hit. She was set to earn $2,750 a week in the first year of the contract and $3,000 per week in the second year. [25] This included "ice skating lessons, voice training, horsemanship, dancing, French, Spanish, and swimming lessons".[25]. Red carpet photos. "Respectable" but emotionally unsatisfied, she throws herself at a weak and irresponsible ex-RAF wonderboy. [77][78] She was also featured in several Big Little Books published by Whitman Publishing. spouse. Road accidents, HIV/AIDS and suicide are all significant within this group. Large gallery of Googie Withers pics. [53] Her parents closely supervised her upbringing to make sure she did not grow up spoiled or entitled. No need to register, buy now! [94] She also selected the type of work clothes a woman plumber would wear based on what she herself wore at home. [30] In 1938, she filmed three comedies for Fox: Rascals, Keep Smiling, and Always in Trouble. The judge turned the property over to Jane's control. [104], In 1990, Withers began experiencing symptoms of lupus. By the late 1940s she had gone from supporting to lead player. In her film work of the 1940s she showed an individuality, strength, and sensuality that was very unusual for the time. Help Sportskeeda improve its coverage of pop-culture news. In the mid-1960s, Withers gained new popularity as Josephine the Plumber, a character in a series of television commercials for Comet cleanser. Googie Withers was born on March 12, 1917 in India (103 years old). VALE GOOGIE WITHERS. [1][110] She also sent her personal doll collectionthen numbering some 3,500 dollson a two-year tour which raised $2.5million in funds for the U.S. war effort through 10-cent war savings stamp admissions. But while her touring work focused more on Australia and New Zealand, she still made the first three seasons of a British TV series, Within These Walls (1974-75), as the governor of a women's prison, which provided her biggest national and international audience. [28], Withers did not memorize her lines verbatim, but tried to think about them and draw out the "sense" from them; she often ad-libbed when she lost her way in a scene. [21] Hollywood gossip columnist Louella Parsons described Withers as "a natural clown". Googie Withers AKA Georgette Lizette Withers Born: 12-Mar - 1917 Birthplace: Karachi, Pakistan Died: 15-Jul - 2011 Location of death: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Cause of death: unspecified Remains: Cremated (ashes scattered at sea) Gender: Female Race or Ethnicity: White Sexual orientation: Straight Occupation: Actor Nationality: England John McCallum. July 18, 2011, 3:11 PM. [37] Though neither studio was willing to loan their star player to the other, Withers suggested that Fox send three other contract players to Republic Pictures in exchange for Autry, who was paid $25,000 to co-star with Withers in Shooting High (1940). Her stage name, Googie, was a nickname given to her as a child from her Indian nurse. Once upon a Dream. Stills. [113][114], In 1979, Withers was the first recipient of the Young Artist Former Child Star Lifetime Achievement Award at the 1st Youth in Film Awards ceremony. Googie Withers, British stage and screen actress, waits by the dartboard while Chips Rafferty gulps his drink and Jean Kent looks at her boots. [108] A small part of the doll collection was sold at auction, and Withers participated in tours of her collection held in conjunction with these auctions. Magazine pics. Googie Withers: her birthday, what she did before fame, her family life, fun trivia facts, popularity rankings, and more. Be the first one to comment on this story. PASSINGS: Leo Kirch, Googie Withers Leo Kirch, German media mogul, was 84; Googie Withers, British actress, was 94 July 17, 2011. They had married in 1948, and had two daughters, Joanna and Amanda, and. Her death was confirmed by the theater producer John Frost, with whom she worked frequently. [50][51], Withers's bratty screen persona continued into her teens. [107][108], In the 1980s, Withers announced plans to build a $1million museum in Burbank, California, to display her collection, then stored in a 27,000sqft (2,500m2) warehouse. She became one of the most popular child stars in Hollywood in the 1930s and early 1940s, with her films ranking in the top ten list for box-office gross in 1937 and 1938. [83] The books were reprinted by Literary Licensing in the 21st century. She persuaded her parents to send her to the Italia Conti school after she had worked her normal school day at the Convent of the Holy Family in Kensington. 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