Alice Krige

A psychology student in her native South Africa, slim, fragile-looking leading lady Alice Krige decided upon an acting career upon moving to London. Krige studied at the Central School of Speech and Drama (at 22, she was nearly the oldest student there), then established her reputation on stage. Her first film appearance was as Sybil, the casual lady friend of Olympic athlete Ben Cross, in the Oscar-winning Chariots of Fire (1981). Next she co-starred in Ghost Story as the "avenging angel" who brings well-deserved grief to elderly Fred Astaire, Melvyn Douglas, Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and John Houseman. Her later film roles included Bathsheba in King David (1985) and Mary Godwin (aka Mary Shelley) in Haunted Summer (1988). Alice Krige has also been in more than her share of British and American made-for-TV movies, among them Baja, California (1984), Iran: Days of Crisis (1986) and Max and Helen (1990). - Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide