Susan Shaw, a beloved British actress who rose to fame in the 1940s and 1950s, died penniless and isolated in 1978, following years of struggle with alcohol addiction and depression, which reportedly began after her husband's death in a car crash.
Early Life and Rise to Fame
Born Patricia Gwendoline Sloots in West Norwood, London, Shaw came from a modest background, living above a hairdresser's shop at No 6 Hamilton Road. She aspired to act from a young age, but initially found it hard to break into the industry. In a 1950 article in Picture Parade, Film Annual, she recalled: "As I travelled up to London (to work) every day from my home in West Norwood, I used to read every film magazine I could lay my hands on. I was mad about cinema, but not about my work."
Her career took off after World War II with roles in musicals like Walking on Air and London Town, and supporting parts in Holiday Camp and The Upturned Glass. Signing with The Rank Organisation propelled her to stardom, with a notable lead in It Always Rains on Sunday, one of the biggest British box-office hits of 1948. She also starred in To the Public Danger, It's Not Cricket, Marry Me, Train of Events, and Carry On Nurse. By 1951, a survey of 2,000 Daily Mail readers ranked her among Britain's most popular actresses.
Personal Tragedy and Downfall
Shaw's personal life unraveled after she married actor Bonar Colleano in 1954, with whom she had a son, Mark. Colleano, who admitted in May 1958 to living an 'extravagant' lifestyle with debts of nearly £10,000, died in a high-speed car crash on August 17, 1958. Devastated, Shaw turned to alcohol and depression, eventually giving up care of her son to his paternal grandmother.
She married television producer Ronald Rowson in November 1959, but the marriage ended within 12 months. By the 1970s, she was destitute and living alone in Soho, London.
Death and Legacy
Shaw died on November 27, 1978, aged 49, from cirrhosis of the liver, in Middlesex. She was cremated at Golders Green Crematorium. The Rank Organisation, which had launched her career, paid for her funeral. A spokesperson said: "When we heard of the circumstances of her death, we felt it was the least we could do." Charlie Stevenson, landlord of the Swiss Tavern in Old Compton Street, where Shaw was a daily visitor, said: "She came in here every day. They say she died of cirrhosis of the liver and she lived next door to prostitutes in Soho. But this is Soho. We all live next door to prostitutes. We loved her and we weren't going to see her buried in a pauper's grave. Now we shall give the money to medical charities."
Despite her tragic end, Shaw is remembered for her significant contributions to British cinema.
