Diane Cilento

Australian actress (1932–2011)

Diane Cilento

Cilento in 1954

Born|

Elizabeth Diane Cilento[1][2]

(1932-04-02)2 April 1932

Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Died| 6 October 2011(2011-10-06) (aged 79)

Cairns, Queensland, Australia

Occupation| Actress
Years active| 1950–2011
Spouses|

* Andrea Volpe

(m. 1955; div. 1962)​

* Sean Connery

(m. 1962; div. 1974)​

* Anthony Shaffer

(m. 1985; died 2001)​

Children| 2, including Jason Connery
Parents|

* Sir Raphael Cilento (father)
* Phyllis Cilento (mother)

Relatives| Margaret Cilento (sister)
Charles Thomas McGlew (maternal grandfather)

Elizabeth Diane Cilento (2 April 1932 – 6 October 2011) was an Australian actress. She is best known for her film roles in Tom Jones (1963), which earned her an Academy Award nomination, Hombre (1967) and The Wicker Man (1973). She also received a Tony Award nomination for her performance as Helen of Troy in the play Tiger at the Gates.

## Early life

[edit]

Cilento was born on 2 April 1932[3][4][5][6][7][8] in Brisbane,[4][5][7][8] Queensland, the daughter of Phyllis (née McGlew) and Raphael Cilento, both medical practitioners in Queensland.[9][10][11] She was the fifth of six children; four of her siblings became medical practitioners, while her sister Margaret was an artist.[9][12] Cilento's paternal great-grandfather, Salvatore Cilento, arrived from Naples, Italy, in 1855.[13]

It was from a young age that Cilento decided to follow a career as an actress. After being expelled from school in Australia, she was schooled in New York while living with her father. Cilento later won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and moved to Britain in the early 1950s.[9]

## Career

[edit]

After graduation, Cilento found work on stage almost immediately and was signed to a five-year contract by Alexander Korda. Her first leading film role was in the British film Passage Home (1955), opposite fellow Australian Peter Finch.[14] She was in The Woman for Joe (1955) playing a Hungarian.[15]

With Peter Finch in Passage Home (1955)

She soon secured roles in British films and worked steadily until the end of the decade. In 1956, she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Supporting or Featured Actress (Dramatic) for Helen of Troy in Jean Giraudoux's Tiger at the Gates. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Tom Jones in 1963[16] and appeared in The Third Secret the following year.

She starred with Charlton Heston in the 1965 film The Agony and the Ecstasy, and with Paul Newman in the 1967 western film Hombre, and had a supporting role in The Wicker Man (1973).

Cilento continued working as an actress, in films and television. In the 1980s, she settled in Mossman, north of Cairns, where she built her own outdoor theatre, named "Karnak", in the tropical rainforest. The venture allowed her to participate in experimental drama.[17]

In 2001, she was awarded the Centenary Medal for "distinguished service to the arts, especially theatre".[18]

## Personal life

[edit]

In 1955, Cilento married Andrea Volpe, an Italian.[19] She gave birth to their daughter Giovanna in 1957.[20] Cilento and Volpe divorced in 1962.[21] Later that year, Cilento married actor Sean Connery, with whom she had a son, Jason (born 1963).[22] Cilento and Connery separated in 1971 and divorced in 1974.[23][24] In her autobiography My Nine Lives, Cilento said that Connery was emotionally and physically abusive during their marriage.[25][26][27] In 1985, Cilento married playwright Anthony Shaffer, whom she met in 1972 while working on The Wicker Man. They remained married until his death in 2001.[28][29]

## Death

[edit]

Cilento died of cancer at Cairns Base Hospital on 6 October 2011.[30][31][21][32]

## Filmography

[edit]

### Film

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Role  | Notes

|
|
|

1951  | Captain Horatio Hornblower | Maria Hornblower (voice) | Uncredited
1952  | Wings of Danger | Jeannette  |
1952  | Moulin Rouge | Midinette  | Uncredited
1953  | All Hallowe'en | Harriet  | Short film
1953  | Meet Mr. Lucifer | Woman on the street  | Uncredited
1954  | The Angel Who Pawned Her Harp | The Angel  |
1954  | The Passing Stranger | Jill  |
1955  | Passage Home | Ruth Elton  |
1955  | The Woman for Joe | Mary  |
1957  | The Admirable Crichton | Tweeny  |
1957  | The Truth About Women | Ambrosine Viney  |
1959  | Jet Storm | Angelica Como  |
1960  | The Full Treatment | Denise Colby  |
1961  | The Naked Edge | Mrs. Heath  |
1962  | I Thank a Fool | Liane Dane  |
1963  | Tom Jones | Molly Seagrim  | Nominated — Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Nominated — Laurel Award for Top Female Supporting Performance (4th place)
1964  | The Third Secret | Anne Tanner  |
1964  | Rattle of a Simple Man | Cyrenne  |
1965  | Once Upon a Tractor | Geraldine  | Short film
1965  | The Agony and the Ecstasy | Contessina de'Medici  |
1967  | Hombre | Jessie  |
1968  | Negatives | Reingard  |
1972  | Z.P.G. | Edna  |
1973  | Hitler: The Last Ten Days | Hanna Reitsch |
1973  | The Wicker Man | Miss Rose  |
1975  | The Tiger Lily | Charlotte Brain  |
1982  | Duet for Four | Margot Mason  | Feature film
1985  | The Boy Who Had Everything | Mother  | Feature film

### Television

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Role  | Notes

|
|
|

1951  | A Tomb with a View | Amy Heron  | TV film
1955  | The Alcoa Hour | Small Servant  | TV series, Episode: "The Small Servant"
1956  | The Taming of the Shrew | Bianca  | TV film
1956  | Film Fanfare | Herself  | TV series, 1 episode
1957  | Rich and Rich | Guest  | TV series, 1 episode
1957–1961  | ITV Television Playhouse | Various roles  | TV series, 2 episodes
1958  | Television World Theatre | Nina Leeds Evans  | TV series, Episodes: "Strange Interlude: Part 1 & 2"
1959–1964  | ITV Play of the Week | Various roles  | TV series, 2 episodes
1959  | Sunday Night Theatre | Anne  | TV series, Episode: "The Concert"
1960  | Armchair Theatre | Sadie Thompson  | TV series, Episode: "Rain"
1961  | Vanity Fair | Becky Sharp  | TV series, Episode: "Part 1"
1963  | Espionage | Lina  | TV series, 1 Episode: "Festival of Pawns"
1964  | The 36th Annual Academy Awards | Nominee  | TV special
1964  | Festival | Lysistrata  | TV series, 1 Episode: "Lysistrata"
1964  | Juke Box Jury | Panellist  | TV series, 1 episode
1965  | Blackmail | Euphrasia Jones  | TV series, 1 Episode: "Cut Yourself a Slice of Throat"
1966  | Court Martial |  | TV series, Episode: "La Belle France"
1966  | The Eamonn Andrews Show | Guest  | TV series, 1 episode
1967  | Thirty-Minute Theatre | Penelope  | TV series, 1 Episode: "Another Moon Called Earth"
1967  | Dial M for Murder | Margo Wendice  | TV film
1967  | Whicker's World | Guest  | TV series, 1 episode
1967  | Good Company | Herself  | TV series, 1 episode
1967  | The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson | Guest  | TV series, 1 episode
1968  | Late Night Horror | Lady Sannox  | TV series, Episode: "The Kiss of Blood"
1968  | The Frankie Howerd Show | Guest  | TV special
1968  | Sydney Tonight | Guest  | TV series, 1 episode
1969  | ITV Sunday Night Theatre: Rogues' Gallery | Lady Sarah Bellasize  | TV series, Regular role, 6 episodes
1970  | Morecambe & Wise | Guest  | TV series, 1 episode
1971  | The Mike Douglas Show | Guest  | TV series, 1 episode
1971  | The David Frost Show | Guest  | TV series, 2 episodes
1972  | The Persuaders! | Kate Sinclair  | TV series, Episode: "A Death in the Family"
1973  | Thriller | Clara  | TV series, Episode: "Spell of Evil"
1974  | The Book Programme | Guest  | TV series, 1 episode
1975  | Affairs of the Heart | Elizabeth Damerel  | TV series, Episode: "Elizabeth"
1975  | The 17th Annual TV Week Logie Awards | Presenter  | TV special
1975  | Celebrity Squares | Contestant  | TV series, 2 episodes
1978  | Cappriccio! | Herself  | TV series, 1 episode
1978  | Everyman | Narrator  | TV series, 1 episode
1978  | Tycoon | Diana Clark  | TV series, Regular role, 13 episodes
1979  | Call My Bluff | Herself  | TV series, 2 episodes
1979–1984  | The Mike Walsh Show | Guest - Herself  | TV series, 4 episodes
1980  | The British Greats | Guest  | TV series, 1 episode
1980  | Big Toys | Mag

TV film

1981  | Parkinson in Australia | Guest  | TV series, 1 episode
1981  | Diane Cilento: I Love Music | Host  | TV special
1981  | 1981 Australian Film Institute Awards | Presenter  | TV special
1982  | Diane Cilento Festa Italiana | Presenter  | TV special
1983  | For The Term of His Natural Life | Lady Elinor Devine  | TV miniseries, Recurring role, 2 episodes
1983  | Willesee: Survival | Herself  | TV special
1984  | The Mike Walsh Show | Guest - Herself  | TV series, 1 episode
1985  | Fountain of Youth | Herself  | Film documentary
1985  | Out of Shot | Narrator  | Film documentary
1986  | The 1986 Australian Film Institute Awards | Presenter  | TV special
1987; 1992  | Sunday Afternoon | Herself  | TV series, 2 episodes
1988  | Queensland Day Royal Expo Concert | Host  | TV special
1989  | Burke's Backyard | Celebrity gardener  | TV series, 1 episode
1993–1994  | Halfway Across the Galaxy and Turn Left | Authoritax / Principa  | TV series, Recurring role, 6 episodes
1994; 1995: 1998  | Good Morning Australia | Guest  | TV series, 3 episodes
1994  | Ten Eyewitness News | Herself  | TV series, 1 episode
1999  | Laws | Guest  | TV series, 1 episode
2003  | The Brits Go To Hollywood | Guest  | TV series, 1 episode
2004  | Australian Story | Herself  | TV series, 1 episode
2006  | Enough Rope with Andrew Denton | Herself  | TV series, 1 episode
2006  | Mornings with Kerri-Anne | Herself  | TV series, 1 episode
2006  | 9am with David & Kim | Herself  | TV series, 1 episode
2007  | Ken Adam's Production Films: You Only Live Twice | Herself  | Video

### Theatre

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Role  | Location  | Notes

|
|
|
|

1955  | Tiger at the Gates | Helen | Helen Hayes Theatre | Theatre World Award
Nominated — Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play
1959  | Heartbreak House | Ellie Dunn  | Billy Rose Theatre |
1960  | The Good Soup | Marie-Paule II  | Plymouth Theatre |

## Writings

[edit]

* 1967 novel: The Manipulator. Charles Scribner's Sons.
* 1970 novel: Hybrid. Dell Publishing.
* 2007 autobiography: My Nine Lives. Penguin Books. ISBN 9780143006077

## References

[edit]

1. ^ The Concise Encyclopedia of Australia and New Zealand. Horwitz Publications. 1982. p. 286.
2. ^ "Elizabeth D Cilento". England and Wales Marriage Registration Index, 1837-2005.
3. ^ "Diane Cilento". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 24 January 2022.
4. ^ a b "Cilento, Diane (1932–2011)". snaccooperative.org. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
5. ^ a b Australian Biography Series 8: Diane Cilento, Kanopy Streaming, 2015
6. ^ "Diane Cilento". Queensland University of Technology (QUT) Library. Archived from the original on 4 December 2013.
7. ^ a b Moran, Albert; Keating, Chris (2009). The A to Z of Australian Radio and Television. Scarecrow Press. p. 87\. ISBN 9780810870222.
8. ^ a b Famous People Born in April 1932 - On This Day
9. ^ a b c "Australian Biography: Diane Cilento". National Film and Sound Archive. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
10. ^ Finnane, Mark (2007). "Cilento, Sir Raphael West (Ray) (1893–1985)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 17\. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. pp. 216–17\. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Archived from the original on 4 March 2011.
11. ^ Mahoney, Mary D. (2007). "Cilento, Phyllis Dorothy (1894–1987)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 17\. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. pp. 214–15\. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Archived from the original on 4 March 2011.
12. ^ "Margaret Cilento". 19 January 2007. Archived from the original on 13 February 2018. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
13. ^ Desmond O'Connor, Italians in South Australia: The first hundred years Archived 20 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine, In D. O’Connor and A. Comin (eds) 1993. "Proceedings: the First Conference on the Impact of Italians in South Australia, 16–17 July 1993", Italian Congress: Italian Discipline, The Flinders University of South Australia: Adelaide, pp.15–32.
14. ^ "MARIAN MARCH PAGE". The Advertiser. Adelaide. 23 November 1954. p. 16. Retrieved 11 February 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
15. ^ Vagg, Stephen (22 March 2025). "Forgotten British films: The Woman for Joe". Filmink. Retrieved 22 March 2025.
16. ^ The Official Academy Awards® Database, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, 1963
17. ^ Vallance, Tom (24 October 2011). "Diane Cilento: Actress who won Oscar and Tony nominations and was married to Sean Connery and Anthony Shaffer". The Independent. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
18. ^ "Cilento, Diane". It's An Honour – Australia Celebrating Australians. 1 January 2001. Archived from the original on 23 February 2019. Retrieved 7 October 2011.
19. ^ "Mother Did Not Know Diane Cilento Wed". Leicester Mercury. 15 February 1955.
20. ^ "How they live: Comfort for the Cilentos". The Australian Women's Weekly. 2 July 1958. p. 21.
21. ^ a b Keepnews, Peter (8 October 2011). "Diane Cilento, Oscar-Nominated Actress, Dies at 78 [sic]". The New York Times.
22. ^ Surprise gift for Diane The Australian Women's Weekly 25 December 1968 p. 2 – Contains photo of Sean, Gigi, Jason and Diane
23. ^ "Sean Connery, Wife Reveal Separation". The La Crosse Tribune. Associated Press. 17 February 1971.
24. ^ Gardner, Hy (3 August 1974). "Personal Postscripts". Lansing State Journal. "Sean Connery finally got his divorce from lovely Diane Cilento"
25. ^ McFarlane, Brian (29 April 2006). "My Nine Lives". The Age. Archived from the original on 14 November 2010.
26. ^ "Jealous Connery beat me, says ex-wife". The Scotsman. 26 September 2005. Retrieved 21 August 2021.
27. ^ Neal, Aly (12 February 2012). "No more free passes to famous men who abuse women". The Washington Post. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
28. ^ "Obituary: Anthony Shaffer". The Guardian. 8 November 2001. Archived from the original on 5 March 2017.
29. ^ "Playwright's family fight off mistress's claim to share legacy". The Guardian. 10 February 2004. Archived from the original on 24 September 2016.
30. ^ "Actress Diane Cilento dies". ABC News Australia. 7 October 2011. Archived from the original on 7 October 2011.
31. ^ Bergan, Ronald (7 October 2011). "Diane Cilento obituary". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 1 December 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
32. ^ "Australian actress Diane Cilento dies aged 78 [sic]". BBC News. 7 October 2011. Archived from the original on 2 November 2018. Retrieved 20 June 2018.

## External links

[edit]

* Diane Cilento at IMDb
* Diane Cilento at the British Film Institute
* Diane Cilento's Karnak Playhouse Archived 17 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine
* "From Stardom to Sufism" – interview with Cilento by Rachael Kohn on ABC Radio National May 2006 (MP3/Podcast available)
* The Cilento Gift – a collection of books, memorabilia, posters, furniture and original scripts from Diane Cilento's estate

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
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National|

* Germany
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Artists|

* MusicBrainz
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People|

* Deutsche Synchronkartei

Other|

* IdRef
* SNAC
* 2
* Yale LUX

*[m.]: married
*[div.]: divorced