- Born
- Died
- Birth nameGeorgette Lizette Withers
- Height5′ 5″ (1.65 m)
- Googie Withers began her acting career at the age of 12. She was dancing in the chorus in a West End revue when she was spotted by a Warner Brothers casting director. She went to do a screen test for them at the Riverside Studios and was invited to become an extra. On her first day at the filming of The Girl in the Crowd (1934) she arrived on the set just after Michael Powell had just sacked the second lead, and she was enlisted to play one of the lead roles.- IMDb mini biography by: Steve Crook <steve@brainstorm.co.uk>
- SpouseJohn McCallum(January 24, 1948 - February 3, 2010) (his death, 3 children)
- ChildrenAmanda McCallum
- Full Bottom Lip
- Her stage name dates from her childhood. It was an affectionate nickname given to her by her Indian ayah (nurse); "googie" means "pigeon" or "dove" in Hindi. Unfortunately an alternative translation is "crazy".
- [2004] Granada Television had to apologise to Googie after the Coronation Street (1960) character Norris Cole wrongly alluded to her death.
- She was awarded the honorary A.O. (Officer of the Order of Australia) in the 1980 Queen's New Years Honours List for her services to Australian theatre and performing arts.
- She was awarded the CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2001 Queen's Birthday Honours List for her services to British theatre, film and television. She collected the CBE at Buckingham Palace in March 2002, alongside Lynn Redgrave who was made an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire). They reminisced about their time making Shine (1996) and about Sir Michael Redgrave, with whom she had performed many times.
- Became an Associate Member of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA).
- I'm not changing my name. Remember that I have won a certain reputation with it, and I don't feel like beginning over again with a fresh name. Besides, my real name sounds even crazier. I was christened Georgette Lizette!
- I loved those meaty parts... I didn't want, and never played, the genteel parts, the English-rose type. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I'm not altogether English.
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