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Susan Hampshire, Lady Kulukundis, OBE (born on 12 May 1942 in London, England) is an English actress best known for her many film and television roles.^[1] Her appeal has always been that of an "English rose".

Hampshire first became famous after playing the lead in a 1962 BBC adaptation of What Katy Did. Soon afterwards, she was taken up by Walt Disney, and starred in The Three Lives of Thomasina opposite Patrick McGoohan and The Fighting Prince of Donegal. She would later appear opposite McGoohan in two linked episodes of Danger Man.

Hampshire is best known for her work on television. Hampshire appeared in several popular television serials, notably in the BBC's blockbuster, The Forsyte Saga (1967), in which she played Fleur. The popularity of this series was a factor in the creation of the PBS programme Masterpiece Theatre.

In 1969, she starred as Sarah Churchill in The First Churchills (which was the first series aired on Masterpiece Theater).

In 1974, Hampshire gave birth to a baby girl, around the same time that Hayley Mills gave birth to her son. Mills was originally cast as Glencora, but she felt that taking care of her baby and playing the role would be too strenuous. However, at the same time, Susan Hampshire's baby had died and her doctor had advised that work would be the best thing for her. Subsequently, she played Glencora Palliser in The Pallisers.

Hampshire received Emmy Awards from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for her roles in The Forsyte Saga (1970), The First Churchills (1971), and Vanity Fair (1973).

Hampshire played Esme Harkness in the 1997 TV series, The Grand.

Hampshire's most recent TV series was Monarch of the Glen.

Hampshire has also been active on the stage over the years, even venturing into the British pantomime tradition, playing the Fairy Godmother at the New Wimbledon Theatre in 2005-2006 and at the New Victoria Theatre in Woking in 2006-2007.

Until her autobiography, Susan's Story, few people were aware of her struggle with dyslexia. Hampshire is a prominent campaigner in the UK on dyslexia issues. In 1995, she was appointed an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in connection with that work.

Hampshire was married to the French film producer Pierre Granier-Deferre from 1967 to 1974. They had a son and a daughter, but the daughter died in infancy. She has been the wife of theater impresario Sir Eddie Kulukundis since 1981.

1. ^ HAMPSHIRE, Susan International Who's Who. accessed 2006-09-03.

• Susan Hampshire at the Internet Movie Database