Billie Whitelaw

**Billie Honor Whitelaw** CBE (6 June 1932 – 21 December 2014) was a renowned English actress who had a close professional relationship with Irish playwright Samuel Beckett for 25 years. She was considered one of the foremost interpreters of his works, and Beckett even wrote many of his more experimental plays specifically for her. Born and raised in Coventry, Warwickshire, Whitelaw began performing as a child actress on radio and later transitioned into theatre and film. Her first film role was in *The Sleeping Tiger* (1954), which paved the way for her to become a regular in British films of the 1950s and early 1960s. Whitelaw received international acclaim for her role as Mrs Baylock, the evil guardian of the demon child Damien in *The Omen* (1976), a performance that earned her the Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Actress. Whitelaw was also a member of Britain's National Theatre Company from 1964 to 1966. After a diverse and illustrious career in the film and theatre industries, Whitelaw died at the age of 82 in Northwood, London from pneumonia.