Trivia

Mother of Jason Connery

Ex-mother-in-law of Mia Sara.

Managed and owned an open-air theater named 'Karnak Playhouse', located in the Daintree Rainforest, Mossman, Queensland. Hence why she did very little screen work after the 1980s.

She was the daughter of noted medical practitioners Sir Raphael and Lady Cilento. Schooled in Queensland and New York, she trained for acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and at RADA in 1950.

She was awarded the Australian Centenary Medal in the 2001 Queen's New Years Honours List for her distinguished service to the arts especially theatre.

She is interred at Highgate Cemetery (East) in Highgate, Greater London, England in a plot next to her husband of 16 years Anthony Shaffer.

Although her separation from Connery was announced on February 16, 1971, they didn't actually divorce for another three years.

Her film career got started after critical acclaim for her performances with the Mercury Theatre in London and with the Library Theatre in Manchester.

She lived in Queensland, Australia.

Her comeback on returning to Australia in the mid-1970s was meant to be the title character in Tim Burstall's Eliza Fraser (1976). However, Burstall and Cilento didn't agree over some content, and Susannah York took the role.

Appeared in two movies nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: Moulin Rouge (1952) and Tom Jones (1963), with the latter being a winner in this category.

Has a daughter, Giovanna Margaret Volpe (born December 10, 1957) with her ex-husband, Andrea Volpe.

Sister-in-law of Peter Shaffer.

Her parents' records reveal that she was actually born on April 2, 1932 in Brisbane. Almost all other sources list October 5, 1933 as her date of birth.

During the early 1980s was working on a AUD $3.1million film to be titled 'The Great Lover' about Rudolph Valentino, which would have been her debut as a feature film director. Producer was to be Hilary Linstead, based on a script co-written by Cilento and co-producer Patrick Hockey (which in turn was based on earlier script by George Mikkell). Filming was scheduled to be shot in Brisbane, Australia with financial backing from the New South Wales Film Corporation, along with distribution through Greater Union Film Distributors. The cast was to have included: James Heathmore as Valentino, as well as both Jeanne Moreau (following earlier negotiations with Katharine Hepburn, Anne Bancroft, and Gloria Swanson) and Greta Scacchi playing the older and younger version of "The Woman in Black". The project was abandoned when funding fell through a few years later.

Had a son Jason by Sean Connery.

Was nominated for Broadway's 1956 Tony Award as Best Supporting or Featured Actress (Dramatic) for portraying Helen of Troy in Jean Giraudoux' "Tiger at the Gates."

Grandmother of Dashiell Connery.

Mossman, Queensland, Australia (January 2009)

She was educated in Australia and America and trained as an actress at the Royal Academyof Dramatic Art.

She and Anthony Shafter lived together in Queensland from 1975 and married in 1985.

Had plastic surgery on her nose.

After Shafter saw her on stage he lured her out of retirement to play the school mistress.

Educated at a boarding school.