Best Known As: Star of An American Werewolf in London
In Britain, Jenny Agutter is a respected stage actress; in America, she is remembered as the star of the fantasy films Logan's Run (1976) and An American Werewolf in London (1981). Agutter was still a teen when she appeared in the films The Railway Children (1970, as Roberta) and Walkabout (1971, directed by Nicholas Roeg). Her theater career grew apace; in 1974 she played Miranda in Shakespeare's The Tempest at the National Theater, opposite Sir John Gielgud as Prospero. In the mid-1970s she jumped to Hollywood, appearing as Michael York's love interest in the futuristic sci-fi movie Logan's Run (a film made famous by the brief appearance of Farrah Fawcett). Agutter also appeared in The Man in the Iron Mask (1976, TV, with Richard Chamberlain) and Equus (1977, with Richard Burton); finally she played the nurse in the black comedy An American Werewolf in London. She returned to the theater in the 1980s and 1990s, appearing with the Royal Shakespearian Company and elsewhere. In 2000 she starred in a new version of The Railway Children, this time in the grown-up role of Mother. She also appeared in the 2007 West End production of Equus in which Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe made his major stage debut.
Agutter's 1984 book Snap features her photographs of London and Los Angeles... Agutter won an Emmy Award for the 1971 TV movie The Snow Goose... She married hotelier Johan Tham on 4 August 1990.
Born: Dec 20, 1952 in Taunton, Devonshire, England
Occupation: Actor
Active: '60s-2000s
Major Genres: Drama, Comedy
Career Highlights: Walkabout, Logan's Run, An American Werewolf in London
First Major Screen Credit: East of Sudan (1964)
Biography
Possessing an almost hypnotic earthy beauty that perfectly compliments her effectively understated acting style, Jenny Agutter made a lasting impression on cinema lovers worldwide with appearances in such films as The Railway Children (1970), Walkabout (1971), and Logan's Run (1976). Although she continued to appear in features in the ensuing decades, the actress also made a notable name for herself as both a high-profile philanthropist and photographer. Born in Taunton, Somerset, England, in the winter of 1952 of military parents, Agutter had seen most of the world by the age of 11, when she was enrolled in the Elmhurst Ballet School in Cambury, Surrey. She made her film debut in East of Sudan (1964) when only 12, and, after utilizing her dance skills in Ballerina the following year, she made her biggest impression to date in the feature version of The Railway Children (1970). (She had previously appeared in a television series based on the story.) Entering drama school at the age of 17 while living in London, the demands of her studies frequently conflicted with an increasingly busy film schedule. Around the time of her appearance in Nicolas Roeg's surreal outback drama Walkabout, Agutter decided to move to Hollywood. There, she quickly gained a reputation as a formidable talent, and her 1971 performance in a made-for-TV production of The Snow Goose (opposite Richard Harris) earned the actress her first Emmy award. Frequently alternating between television and film during the following few years, Agutter once again turned heads as the heroine of Logan's Run (1976). A fugitive of a system that terminates all citizens over the age of 30, the futuristic movie proved to be a hit and the actress became well known to stateside science fiction aficionados.
Agutter was appeared on-stage frequently during this period, and her love for the theater was clearly on display in such efforts as The Man in the Iron Mask (1976) and Othello (1981). Following her high-profile role as a nurse who falls for a lycanthrope in John Landis' An American Werewolf in London, Agutter kept things low-key through the remainder of the '80s, although eagle-eyed fans could catch a quick glimpse of her in such features as Amazon Women on the Moon (1987) and King of the Wind (1988). In the late '80s, she met Swedish hotelier Johan Tham while attending an arts festival in Bath, and the two were married the following year; a son following shortly thereafter. Moving back to England following their marriage, the couple made a home in Cornwall. Although her film roles would become increasingly sporadic over the next decade, Agutter did appear in small capacities in such features as Darkman (1990), Child's Play 2 (1990), and Blue Juice (1995). More frequent during this period were television roles, which included The Buccaneers (1995), Bramwell (1998), and a small-screen remake of The Railway Children in 2000 (this time playing the mother). Drawn back into films at the dawn of the new millennium, Agutter appeared in The Parole Officer (2001) and Number One Longing, Number Two Regret (2002). In addition to her acting career, Agutter published a book of photography in 1984, Snap: Observations of London and Los Angeles, and, over the years, became increasingly involved with such charitable causes as The Cystic Fibrosis Trust and Action for Children, an organization which provides shelter and resources for homeless children. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Jennifer Ann Agutter (born 20 December 1952) is a BAFTA- and Emmy award-winning Englishactress best known in recent years for her role as Tessa Phillips in the British TV drama series Spooks (broadcast on American PBS television and released on DVD in the US under the title MI-5). She is also known for playing Alex Price in An American Werewolf in London, Jessica 6 in Logan's Run, and Jill Mason in Equus.
Agutter was born in Taunton, Somerset, the daughter of Catherine "Kit" (née Lynam) and Derek Brodie Agutter, a former British Army officer and live entertainment organizer.[1] As a child, she lived in Dhekelia, Cyprus and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She was discovered while at Elmhurst Ballet School when a casting agent was looking for a young English-speaking girl for a film. She did not get the part, but he recommended her to the producers of East of Sudan (1964).
Career
Agutter first came to the attention of television audiences as Roberta in a BBC drama of The Railway Children, and went on to play the same part in Lionel Jeffries's 1970 film of the book. Her quality of ingenuousness had led to an earlier more serious role in the thriller I Start Counting (1969). She also won an Emmy for her television role as Fritha in the Hallmark Hall of Fame production of The Snow Goose (1971). Agutter continued a transition to adult roles in Walkabout (1971), playing a teenage schoolgirl who was lost in the Australianoutback with her younger brother. She first auditioned for the role in 1967 but funding problems delayed filming until 1969. The delay in production meant Agutter was 16 at the time of filming, and the director took advantage of her new legal status by including nude scenes in the film.[2] Among them was a five-minute skinny-dipping scene,[3] which was cut from the original US release.[4] She commented during an interview at the 2005 Bradford Film Festival at the National Media Museum that she was shocked by the film's explicitness when she first viewed it, but is still on good terms with director Nicolas Roeg.[5]
Agutter moved to Hollywood at 21 and appeared in a number of films over the next decade, including The Eagle Has Landed (1976), Logan's Run (1976), Equus (1977), Sweet William (1980), and An American Werewolf in London (1981). Since 1990, Agutter has deliberately focused on the upbringing of her son and much of her work focused away from film and television work and rather involved audio recordings and supporting various charities, notably the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, of which she is a patron (she is also a carrier of the disease).[6] Nonetheless, she had a guest role in Series 6 of Red Dwarf, and appeared in the TV series TECX, The All New Alexei Sayle Show, and And The Beat Goes On. In 2000, she made her third appearance in a production of The Railway Children, produced by Carlton TV and this time playing the role of the mother. In 2002, Agutter featured in the BBCtelevision series Spooks and in 2007, she starred in the first episode of the new series of David Jason's ITV television series Diamond Geezer. In 2007, she also guest-starred in the Doctor Whoaudio dramaThe Bride of Peladon.
Agutter enjoys an unusual and enduring popularity among the generation of men who grew up watching her films, first as a child actress and then as an adult. She puts this down to the fact that having grown up with the films, audiences have come to relate to her characters through their own personal experiences. She believes that the innocence of the characters she played in her earlier films combined with the costumes and nudity in some of her later adult roles such as Logan's Run (1976), Equus (1977) and An American Werewolf in London (1981) are "perfect fantasy fodder".[7][8]
Personal life
Agutter remained single during her many years of residence in Los Angeles, and it has been reported she never lived with a man until she was married.[9] In 1989 while attending an arts festival in Bath she met Johan Tham, a Swedish hotelier who at the time was a director of Cliveden Hotel in Buckinghamshire. In 1990, she became pregnant by Tham and they subsequently married on 4 August of that year. Their son Jonathan was born on 25 December 1990. They live in Camberwell, London. For many years Agutter, a great admirer of Cornwall, has owned a second home on The Lizard, the most southerly point on the English mainland.
