Charlotte Cornwell

Charlotte Cornwell
Born(1949-04-26)26 April 1949
Marylebone, London, England
Died16 January 2021(2021-01-16) (aged 71)
OccupationActress
Years active1971–2016
PartnerKenneth Cranham
ChildrenNancy Cranham[1]
RelativesRupert Cornwell (brother)
Anthony Cornwell (half-brother)
John le Carré (half-brother)

Charlotte Cornwell (26 April 1949 – 16 January 2021) was an English actress, singer, and a teacher of acting on the faculty at the University of Southern California (2003-2012).[2]

Cornwell began her career as an actress, making her debut for Richard Cottrell's Cambridge Theatre Company in November 1971 as Miss Brewster in Arthur Wing Pinero's Trelawny of the 'Wells'.[3] before joining Val May's Bristol Old Vic Theatre Company where she performed in a wide variety of productions from 1972 through 1975. In 1974 she made her screen debut as Sally Potter in the musical film Stardust. She rose to fame for her portrayal of the drug-addicted rock star Anna Wynd in the television drama Rock Follies (1976) in which she was part of a musical trio which also included Julie Covington as Dee and Rula Lenska as Q. The music the three women recorded for this television drama was released as a soundtrack album which reached number 1 on the UK Albums Chart.[2]

Afterwards, Cornwell remained active as an actress in both British and American film, television, and the theatre up until her retirement in 2016. She was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company from 1977-1980 and 2013.[2]

  1. ^ "Champion of the stage and young people". birminghampost. 19 July 2013.
  2. ^ a b c Anthony Hayward (22 January 2021). "Charlotte Cornwell obituary: Stage and screen actor who shot to fame as a fictional pop star in Rock Follies". The Guardian.
  3. ^ "Polished Pinero". The Stage and Television Today (4725): 15. 4 November 1971.