Biography

In 1995, while appearing in "What The Butler Saw" at the National Theatre, she began behaving erratically and was ultimately diagnosed as having acute manic depression. She reached her lowest point when she was escorted from her home by four men to be confined in a closed psychiatric unit, but was afterward able to control her illness with medication and self-awareness.

Chronicled her experiences with manic depression in a 1998 book titled "Diamonds Behind My Eyes."

She had one daughter, Eve, who was born in 1980.

Born in Egypt, Pagett spent most of her childhood in Japan and Hong Kong because of her father's job. As a teenager, she was sent back to the UK to attend a Catholic boarding school. Afterwards, her parents planned for her to attend a finishing school in Switzerland, but she chose to go to RADA.

At 17, she was accepted into the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, and she gained early attention for her work in a stage tour of La Contessa opposite Vivien Leigh.