Carol White

Early life and education White, the daughter of a scrap merchant, was born in Hammersmith, London on 1 April 1943. She attended the Corona Stage Academy.

Career White played minor parts in films from 1949 until the late 1950s, when she began to play more substantial supporting roles in films such as Carry On Teacher (1959) and Never Let Go (1960), in which she played the girlfriend of Peter Sellers. She also acted the part of Evelyn May, a 'girl in the bar' and court witness in Sidney J. Furie's The Boys (1962).

After marrying, she became disenchanted with acting due to the quality of her roles. She moved back to her home borough of Hammersmith to settle down to married life. She also appeared in I'll Never Forget What's'isname with Oliver Reed in 1967, by which time her career was approaching its apogee. Her career started to cool off by the time she appeared in Andrew V. McLaglen's western comedy, Something Big (1971), which starred Dean Martin. Back in the UK, she had major roles in Dulcima, alongside John Mills (1971), Despite receiving excellent reviews for Steaming, she was often late, or else missed performances altogether, and was finally sacked. Although White received plenty of publicity for both the play and the biography, she was unable to revive her career. She returned to the United States, where she lived the rest of her life.

Personal life White dated Terence Stamp, who also had been involved with Julie Christie, the actress she was most compared to. Stamp introduced her to Lionel Bart, who introduced her to her future husband Michael King, of The King Brothers pop group. They settled down in Hammersmith, where she had been born, and raised their two children, Sean and Stephen.

Death White died in 1991 in Florida, at the age of 48. The cause of her death is disputed, with some sources claiming she had a drug overdose, and others (The Sunday Times in 1991 and Julian Upton, writing in 2004) suggesting she succumbed to liver disease, brought on by chronic alcoholism.

Legacy A television film of her life, The Battersea Bardot, was shown in 1994, with White portrayed by Wendy Morgan.

Filmography

Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949) – Young Sibella (uncredited) Doctor in the House (1954) – Bit Role (uncredited) The Belles of St Trinian's (1954) – Schoolgirl (uncredited) A Prize of Gold (1955) – German Refugee (uncredited) Doctor at Sea (1955) – Bit Role (uncredited) An Alligator Named Daisy (1955) – Girl (uncredited) Now and Forever (1956) – Bit Part (uncredited) My Teenage Daughter (1956) – Minor Role (uncredited) Moby Dick (1956) – Young Girl (uncredited) Circus Friends (1956) – Nan Around the World in 80 Days (1956) – Minor Role (uncredited) Blue Murder at St. Trinian's (1957) – Schoolgirl (uncredited) The Golden Disc (1958) – Bit Part (uncredited) The 39 Steps (1959) – Schoolgirl in Assembly Hall (uncredited) Web of Suspicion (1959) – (uncredited) Carry On Teacher (1959) – Sheila Dale – Saboteur Never Let Go (1960) – Jackie Beat Girl (1960) – Girl at The Off-Beat Café (uncredited) Surprise Package (1960) – Sexy Teenager (uncredited) Linda (1960) – Linda The Man in the Back Seat (1961) – Jean A Matter of WHO (1961) – Beryl All Night Long (1962) – Lucille (uncredited) Village of Daughters (1962) – Natasha Passoti (A Daughter) Gaolbreak (1962) – Carol Marshall Bon Voyage! (1962) – Penelope Walthorne (uncredited) The Boys (1962) – Evelyn May Ladies Who Do (1963) – Sandra Gideon's Way (1964, TV episode "The Rhyme and the Reason") – Winifred Norton A Hard Day's Night (1964) – Minor Role (uncredited) The Playground (1965) – Virginia Williams Up the Junction (1965, TV) – Sylvie Cathy Come Home (1966, TV) – Cathy Prehistoric Women (1967) – Gido Poor Cow (1967) – Joy I'll Never Forget What's'isname (1967) – Georgina Elben The Fixer (1968) – Raisl Daddy's Gone A-Hunting (1969) – Cathy Palmer The Man Who Had Power Over Women (1970) – Jody Pringle Dulcima (1971) – Dulcima Gaskain Something Big (1971) – Dover McBride Made (1972) – Valerie Marshall Some Call It Loving (1973) – Scarlett Hawaii Five-O (1974, TV) – Marni Howard The Squeeze (1977) – Jill Nutcracker (1982) – Margaux Lasselle (final film role)