Judy Geeson

Early life

Geeson was born in Arundel, Sussex. She came from a middle-class family; her father edited the National Coal Board magazine. Her sister, Sally Geeson, also an actress, is known for her roles in British television sitcoms of the 1970s. Geeson attended Corona Stage Academy, making her stage debut in 1957.

Career

Geeson's first major film appearance was in To Sir, with Love (1967) alongside Sidney Poitier and pop singer Lulu, and Berserk! (also 1967), co-starring Joan Crawford. She followed these films with the comedy Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush (1968). Geeson became well known as a result of a regular role in the BBC early-evening soap opera, The Newcomers. She also had a major role in the mid-70s costume drama Poldark, as Caroline Penvenen (later Caroline Enys).

Geeson's other films include Prudence and the Pill (1968), Three Into Two Won't Go (1969), 10 Rillington Place (1970), Doomwatch (1972), Brannigan (1975; starring John Wayne, with whom she enjoyed working) and The Eagle Has Landed (1976). In the TV series Danger UXB (1979), she played the female lead, Susan Mount, opposite Anthony Andrews. She also had the lead role of Fulvia in the science-fiction series Star Maidens (1976).

In 1984, Geeson left London for Los Angeles, California, where she decided to stay. Among other roles, she appeared regularly in the American sitcom Mad About You as the hostile neighbour, Maggie Conway. She also played the role of Sandrine in the Star Trek: Voyager episodes "The Cloud" and "Twisted".

During the 1970s and 1980s, Geeson starred in several horror films, such as "Fear in the Night" (1972), "A Candle for the Devil" (1973), "Dominique" (1978), and "Inseminoid" (1981). She made a comeback to the horror genre with "The Lords of Salem" (2012), directed by Rob Zombie, after a nine-year hiatus from acting. In 2015, she continued her collaboration with Zombie by playing Sister Dragon in his slasher film "31."

Personal life

In the 1970s, Geeson lived with set designer Sean Kenny, until his death in 1973. Geeson was married to actor Kristoffer Tabori from 1985 until their divorce in 1989.