Lynne Frederick

Frederick was born in Hillingdon, Middlesex, to Andrew Frederick (1914–1983) and Iris C. Frederick (née Sullivan, 1928–2006).

While she was very young, her father abandoned the family, and she was brought up by her mother and maternal grandmother, Cecilia.

Lynne never knew or met her father, and had no personal relationships or connections with his side of the family.

Although her mother was employed as a casting director for Thames Television, they often lived a frugal lifestyle.

In her work, Iris gained a reputation for being a stern and imposing individual.

Frederick was brought up in Market Harborough in Leicestershire.

She occasionally faced social stigma due to her parents' divorce.

She attended Notting Hill and Ealing High School in London.

Her original career choice was to become a schoolteacher of physics and mathematics.

Frederick was discovered at the age of 15 by Hungarian-American actor and film director Cornel Wilde, who was a friend and colleague of her mother.

Wilde had been looking for a young, unknown actress to star in his film adaptation of the best selling post-apocalyptic science fiction novel The Death of Grass.

Wilde first saw her when she came to work with her mother to pose for some test shots, and he immediately was smitten by her beauty, charisma, and bubbly personality.

Despite her having no previous experience in theatre, films, or commercials, Wilde offered her the role without an audition.

Lynne Frederick (25 July 1954 – 27 April 1994) was an English actress.

In a career spanning ten years, she made over thirty appearances in film and television productions.

Known for her classic English rose beauty, she often played the girl next door and was famous for her performances in a range of genres, from contemporary science fiction to slasher horror, romantic dramas, classic westerns, and occasional comedies, although her greater successes were in period films and costume dramas.

When No Blade of Grass (1970) was released, the film received mixed reviews from critics.

Notwithstanding the lukewarm reception of the film, Frederick became an overnight sensation, and her career quickly took off.

Represented by the talent agency Hazel Malone Management, Frederick became a teen idol among the British public in the early 1970s, and was seen as the next Hayley Mills and Olivia Hussey.

She was regularly featured in newspaper articles and fashion magazines as a model and cover girl.

Some of her better known performances include her roles in films such as Nicholas and Alexandra (1971), The Amazing Mr. Blunden (1972), Henry VIII and His Six Wives (1972), and Voyage of the Damned (1976).

Other films of hers such as Vampire Circus (1971), Phase IV (1974), Four of the Apocalypse (1975), A Long Return (Largo retorno) (1975), and Schizo (1976) have all become underground hits or established a status as a cult film in their respective genres, contributing to the renewed interest in her life and career.

For a spread in the September 1971 edition of British Vogue, she was photographed by Patrick Lichfield.

In addition, she appeared in several television commercials for products that included Camay soap.

Frederick then signed a cosmetics contract with Mennen, and became a spokesmodel for Protein 21 shampoo, starring in nationwide print and television advertising campaigns.

The Daily Express declared her "The Face of 1971”, hailing her as one of Britain's more promising newcomers. In it, the copy read: “She has that indefinable something. Whatever it is it all adds up to a delightful image of rare and innocent beauty...that face of Lynne Frederick will be seen in many more films…”.

In 1971, she appeared in the biographical film Nicholas and Alexandra (1971), in which she played the Grand Duchess Tatiana Nikolaevna of Russia, second eldest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II.

For the film's press tour, she toured Europe with her three co-stars Ania Marson, Candace Glendenning, and Fiona Fullerton.

That same year, she auditioned for the role of Alice in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1972), but lost the role to her friend Fiona Fullerton.

Frederick was also first runner-up for the role of Saint Clare of Assisi in the Franco Zeffirelli production of Brother Sun, Sister Moon (1972), which ultimately went to Judi Bowker.

Her best-known appearance was in 1972 when she played Catherine Howard, in Henry VIII and His Six Wives.

Her next role was in the 1972 family film The Amazing Mr. Blunden; in 1973, she won the Evening Standard British Film Award for Best New Actress.

She was the first recipient of the award for Best New Coming Actress from the Evening Standard British Film Awards in 1973, for her performances in Henry VIII and His Six Wives (1972) and The Amazing Mr. Blunden (1972).

She is one of only eight actresses, and the youngest, to hold this title.

She continued to work in film and television projects throughout 1973 and 1974.

In 1980, after the death of her husband, Peter Sellers, she came to national attention over the nature of his controversial will, in which she was listed as the primary beneficiary.

She was publicly criticised, ridiculed and perceived as a gold digger by the press and public.

Her career and reputation never recovered from the backlash and she was subsequently blacklisted by Hollywood.

She lived out the remainder of her years in California, and kept a low profile until her death in 1994.

In the decades since her death, Frederick has steadily established a posthumous cult following for her collection of work in motion pictures and television.