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Janet Suzman

b. 1939

South African-British actress

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About Janet Suzman

Born 1939. Janet Suzman is a South African and British film director, film actor, television actor, stage actor and actor.

Dame Janet Suzman (born 9 February 1939 ) is a South African-born British actress who had a successful early career in the Royal Shakespeare Company, later replaying many Shakespearean roles on television. In her first film, Nicholas and Alexandra, her performance as Empress Alexandra Feodorovna earned her several honours, including a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress.

Suzman later starred in a wide range of classical and modern drama as well as directing many productions in the UK and South Africa. Suzman appeared in A Dry White Season (1989), a film that examined apartheid.

Early life Janet Suzman was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, to a Jewish family, the daughter of Betty (née Sonnenberg) and Saul Suzman, a wealthy tobacco importer.

Her grandfather, Max Sonnenberg, was a member of the South African parliament, and her aunt was the civil rights and anti-apartheid campaigner Helen Suzman. Suzman was educated at the independent school Kingsmead College, Johannesburg, and at the University of the Witwatersrand.

Stage career After training for the stage at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art,

Personal life and honours In 1969, she married director Trevor Nunn and together they had a son. They divorced in 1986.

Suzman holds honorary DLitt degrees from the universities of Warwick, Leicester, London (QMW), Southampton, Middlesex, Kingston, Cape Town, Edge Hill and Buckingham.

She is an Honorary Fellow of the Shakespeare Institute, and was awarded the Pragnell Award for lifetime services to Shakespeare in 2012. She is a patron of the London International Festival of Theatre.

Awards and nominations

Filmography Reference:

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Important facts

Birth century
Education
London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, University of the Witwatersrand, Kingsmead College
Awards
Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire; Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actress; Honorary master's degree; Honorary doctorate of the University of Cape Town
Also known as
Dame Janet Suzman

Family & relationships

Spouse
Trevor Nunn

People in Janet Suzman's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Janet Suzman's

Frequently asked questions

Who is Janet Suzman?

South African-British actress

When was Janet Suzman born?

Janet Suzman was born on 9 February 1939 in Johannesburg.

What is Janet Suzman's occupation?

Janet Suzman is a film director, film actor, television actor, stage actor and actor.

What nationality is Janet Suzman?

Janet Suzman is South African and British.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Janet Suzman

· Wikidata: Q271867

· DBpedia: Janet Suzman

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Janet Suzman. https://biography.guide/janet-suzman/

MLA: "Janet Suzman." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/janet-suzman/.

Chicago: "Janet Suzman." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/janet-suzman/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-22 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

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