Welcome to my official website! I'm so happy to be able to keep in touch with all of you via the Internet.

Let me express my gratitude to those of you who have supported my work over the years - it's been a few! Take a look around the site - there will be more content added in the coming weeks and months, so "stay tuned."

My blessings to you all!

FEBRUARY 2013 UPDATE

California Artists Radio Theatre (CART) Starring Samantha Eggar February 16

CART celebrates the 200th birthday of Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice on Saturday, February 16, 2013 at 1:30 PM in North Hollywood at the Beverly Garland. Starring Samantha Eggar as Elizabeth Bennet, John Rafter Lee as Mr. Darcy, James Lancaster as Mr. Bingley, Annie Gagen as Jane Bennet, JoAnne Worley as Lady de Bourgh, Phil Proctro as Mr. Bennet, Diane Mercer as Mrs. Bennet, Paul Keith as Mr. Collins, Melinda Peterson as Caroline Bingley, Johnny O'Callaghan as Captain Wickham, Elizabeth Dennehy as Charlotte Lucas, Tom Williams as Sir Lucas, Linda Henning as Lydia Bennet, Bob Legionaire as Hill, and Announcer John Harlan. Adapted, directed and produced by Peggy Webber.

If you plan to be in the Los Angeles area, be sure to attend this live performance! For more information and to order tickets, call 213-683-3422 or visit www.CARTradio.com.

SEPTEMBER 2012 UPDATE

New Photos
Samantha Greets Fans at Cinecon 48

Samantha Receives Career Achievement Award at Cinecon 48

"Never having been one to dwell upon awards, I was taken aback a couple months ago on receiving an invitation to the 48th Cinecon Classic Film Festival at Graumans Egyptian Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard, to be given a 'Life Achievement Award.'

"For what?" said I in my mind. I then presumed they would show "The Collector" - but no, they were going to show "Walk Don't Run" with Cary Grant and Jim Hutton, made in 1965. The 2012 Olympics in glorious London had recently ended and I thought it perfect to show "Walk Don't Run" with the hysterical Olympic Walking Race scene in the film. This was the final film Cary Grant made and also produced. We shot half in Tokyo, Japan and filmed the interiors at Columbia Studios in Los Angeles.

To work with Mr. Grant so early in my career, was in retrospect, an irreplaceable gift. With generosity galore he aided me through the comedy. Another English actor in the cast, John Standing, kept my spirits up, as I had given birth to my first child (Nicolas) 17 days previously in Los Angeles and missed him terribly. Yet here I was, running full pelt down a Tokyo street in high heels and a hat!

The loving duty Cinecon does in Film Preservation is something all film enthusiasts and fans should suppport and applaud. Saving precious moments of all artistry in our business is another irreplaceable gift and I salute this organization.

They made a brand new print of "Walk Don't Run" to show and it was more than splendid. Seeing the film on a 'real screen', not a television screen, allowed all the editing and timing of the humour to be experienced and the audience seemed to thoroughly enjoy it. Film comedies should be experienced with an audience to do service to the actors, writers and director. Like Rex Harrison in musicals and Cary Grant in comedy, no one can or will ever approach their genius.

So sitting there last Saturday with many friends and family, I felt a tinge of pride and oh so much gratitude for a wonderful life I have been blessed to have in this business of film."

~Samantha Eggar, September 6, 2012



Sam at Cinecon's Q&A

Samantha To Be Honored at Cinecon 48

Cinecon, an annual five-day event of film screenings, celebrity guests and movie memorabilia, will present Samantha with their Career Achievement Award on Sunday, September 2, 2012 at the Loews Hollywood Hotel on North Highland Avenue. This follows a special screening of "Walk Don't Run" and a Q&A with Samantha on Saturday, September 1st at the historic Egyptian Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard.

For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit www.cinecon.org. (Day passes are available as well as full event passes.)

AUGUST 2012 UPDATE

New Releases Coming From CART, Plus Ray Bradbury Tribute on SiriusXM

California Artists Radio Theatre will be releasing a number of their most requested programs over the coming weeks, including these featuring Samantha:

-The Seagull
Anton Chekov's classic
-Oscar in Limbo
Wilde's own account of the Oscar Wilde Trial
-Felix and Fanny
The life story of sibling classic composers
Felix and Fanny Mendlesohn
-Norman Corwin's 100th Birthday Tribute

More information is available at www.cartradio.com.

And listen up all you travellers:
CART's "75th Birthday Tribute to Ray Bradbury" featuring Samantha will replay on Monday, August 20th, 9 PM ET, and Friday, August 24th at 9PM ET on SiriusXM Satellite Radio, Channel 80. It is not yet available for purchase, but keep watching!

JUNE 2012 UPDATE

Congratulations, Your Majesty

Samantha Celebrates Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee

"Queen Elizabeth has been my Sovereign all my life.

When I was born, King George VI was alive and as children at school, we learnt of the devastating suddenness of his death and Princess Elizabeth's accession to the throne at the age of 25. Of course, the pomp and circumstance, crowns and tiaras, music and costumes fed our imaginative little minds.

My family have served the Crown in many ways by Civil Service and Active Duty - and though some in England wonder why we have a Royal Family, I see it as a pattern of certitude, discipline and selflessness. Not many in their right mind would endure that job, yet here is the Queen, radiant in her 80's, celebrating a life of "Service."

I am now an American citizen, but my heritage is indomitable.

Long Live the Queen."

~Samantha Eggar

APRIL 2012 UPDATE

Next CART Live Show

Don't miss Samantha in this live presentation on Saturday, April 21, 1:30 pm at the Beverly Garland Little Theatre. JoAnn Worley and many regular CART cast members, along with special guest star Jane Withers, will all lend their talents to this one-of-a-kind performance. For reservations or more information, call 213-683-3422.

NOVEMBER 2011 UPDATES

New Audio Interview with Samantha

Samantha just completed an audio interview about her experiences making The Collector to coincide with its release this month on Blu-Ray. Film historian Dick Dinman conducted the interview. "When I have a guest as gracious and charming as Ms. Eggar, my job becomes the easiest one in the world," he said.

Listen to the entire interview at www.wmpg.org.

"The Collector" Now Available on Blu-Ray

You can add The Collector to your movie collection this holiday season with a Blu-Ray version hitting the shelves early this month. Directed by William Wyler, The Collector garnered numerous awards and nominations, including Best Director, Best Actress (Samantha) and Best Adapted Screenplay nominations at the Academy Awards, and winning Samantha the Best Actress Award at Cannes (1965).

OCTOBER 2011 UPDATES

CART Returns to XM Sirius on Halloween Night

Books and Drama Channel 80 on XM Satellite Radio is set to air previous performances of the California Artists Radio Theatre every Monday night at 9:00 pm Eastern, 6 pm Pacific. Tune in to their debut broadcast on Halloween of Ray Bradbury's The October Country, Monday, October 31st, 9 pm. This performance features William Windom, Beverly Garland, HM Wynant, Marty Maguire, Linda Henning, Leslie Easterbrook, John Bliss, John O'Callaghan, Paul Keith, and Peggy Webber. For more information about CART's programs, performers, and live shows in Los Angeles, please visit www.cartradio.com.

 New Blu Ray Releases of "The Exterminator"

Could there possibly be a better time of year for horror fans to enjoy the Blu-Ray DVD release of The Exterminator? This 1980 action-packed fright fest was written and directed by James Glickenhaus, and featured Robert Ginty, Christopher George and Samantha Eggar. As a newly released Unrated Director's Cut from Synapse Films, it includes the film's theatrical trailer, television spots, and audio commentary by Glickenhaus.

A second Blu-Ray version is scheduled to be released on November 7th by independent British distributors Arrow Video, and will contain even more special features, including a collector's booklet; audio commentary by Exterminator producer Mark Buntzman; an introduction to the film by James Glickenhaus, as well as "Fire and Slice: Making The Exterminator - An Interview with James Glickenhaus."

Sam's role in The Exterminator came only months after shooting The Brood, directed by David Cronenberg. "Cronenberg's fourth feature, The Brood benefited from a great cast," wrote reviewer Ryan Lambie, "including Oliver Reed as a glowering psychologist and Art Hindle as a young father struggling through the divorce from hell. It's Samantha Eggar who completely dominates the film, though....Eggar's performance burns through the screen, as she simmers and seethes her way through to the film's fabulously gory conclusion. If Breck Eisner is going to direct a remake of The Brood, as was suggested a couple of years ago, he'll struggle to find another actress who can top Eggar's volcanic turn here."

An uncut version of The Brood is available on DVD.

(NOTE: Both films were originally rated R for violent/graphic content and are not appropriate for all ages.)

 

MARCH 2011 UPDATES

Samantha To Co-Star in CART's 2011 Season Debut on March 20th

California Artists Radio Theatre presents the Booth Tarkington comedy Clarence, starring Marvin Kaplan, Samantha Eggar, JoAnn Worley, and Richard Herd on Sunday, March 20th. For more information or to make reservations, call (213) 683-3422 or visit www.cartradio.com.

 New Audio Bible by Zondervan Publications

Zondervan Publications has just released "The Bible Experience:  The Complete Bible", a dramatic audio Bible performed by 400 of today's biggest stars, including Samantha, in TNIV (Today's New International Version). Visit the Zondervan website at www.zondervan.com for more details!

 

 

DECEMBER 2010 UPDATES

New Photos, From California Artists Radio Theatre

Ed Asner and Sam


Samantha at Norman Corwin birthday bash
Left to right. Phil Procter, Marvin Kaplan, Tom Williams,
Shelly Long, Shelly Berman, Samantha, Ian Abercrombie,
Paul Keith and our guest Norman Corwin.


Leonard Maltin (Top film critic and author)


Samantha and Norman Corwin, May 2010


Singing Happy Birthday to our producer Peggy Webber and
the audience. Front Row, left to right. Jo Anne Worley,
Peggy, Paul Keith, Samantha, John O'Callaghan,
Tom Williams, Richard Herd.

Samantha enjoyed the many performances and celebrations with CART this year and looks forward to 2011.

"What I love about our group is the Repertory aspect. We have been a group together, in my time, for 25 years. The joy of each time one may play the lead and the next show have two lines, stiletto heels and a boa is such participatory fun!"
-Samantha Eggar

Samantha Interviewed by Turner Classic Movies

Taken after Samantha finished her recent TCM interview

Samantha sat down for a TCM archival interview a few days ago, excerpts of which will be seen during broadcasts of the films and co-stars she recalled. There's no way of knowing when and where these will turn up, but they are almost certain to air during broadcasts of her films, so watch for those!

Samantha shares her TCM experience:

"It was a gas, as they used to say! And the most amazing thing happened. As I came out of the makeup room (had a glorious makeup girl named Brenda Rippee, whose heroine is Boadicea -- loved that!), sitting on the sofa was a man I had been trying to contact for over 35 years. His name is Frawley Becker and when I made "Lady in the Car with Glasses and a Gun" he was the director's 'man Friday.' As we shot the whole flic in France, Frawley, who was bi-lingual, coped with almost everything. He and I befriended each other and enjoyed a great location experience.

Through one's film life, you meet so many amazingly wonderful people who are on the same path as yourself in temperament and ideologies, but some stand out as permanent. Frawley was one of those, but due to living a gypsy life between so many countries, we lost touch. They could hardly pry us apart for yakking but soon I was on camera and yakking more! The interview was full of ease and flowed from one story and star to another. Camera crew kind. After an hour or so, all over.

Celluloid confirmed on my thoughts and memories of some giants... Cary Grant, Rex Harrison, Sean Connery, Richard Harris, Richard Attenborough, Yul Brynner, Anthony Hopkins, Patricia Neal, Omar Sharif (we won our Golden Globes together eons ago!) and all the great Directors, Lighting and Cameramen I had been blessed to have worked alongside."
-Samantha Eggar

OCTOBER 2010 UPDATES

October 9th: Samantha will be participating in the California Artists Radio Theatre 25th Anniversary Show, to be held in the Beverly Garland Hotel in North Hollywood. Visit www.calartistsradiotheatre.org for more information.

AUGUST 2010 UPDATES

Samantha Hosts CIMA Awards

Samantha was honored to host the CIMA awards this year, and had especially looked forward to presenting the CIMA 2010 Film Award to "The Hurt Locker" Director Kathryn Bigelow.

"I have been involved (in the CIMA) for some years now as only participating in the Mass, which the Cardinal usually celebrates, but this year I was asked to MC," Samantha says. "Not a job I am used to, but a challenge I was eager to take on, especially in light of the fact that one of the honorees was Kathryn Bigelow, Director of 'The Hurt Locker', which went on to win the Oscar in so many categories. I knew Kathryn slightly, but I was so excited to be introducing this talented person.

"I worked hard on what I felt was a pretty good speech, the key part of which I thought embodied all she stood for. Well there I was all ready to do my bit, filled with pride and words exchanged among my friends, when it was announced she was ill and would not be there!"

C'est le vie! Samantha had a wonderful experience hosting the awards, in spite of the disappointment, and is anxious to see Kathryn's future projects.

"Kathryn brought an air of 'civilised accomplishment' to making movies and as such it has allowed other filmmakers to experience their own creative endeavours with pride rather than competitively. Her concentration on every breath taken was...seen on the screen."

SAMANTHA REMEMBERS FRIEND AND CO-STAR PATRICIA NEALSamantha and Patricia in NY, 2007. (Photo taken by Sam's daughter Jenna.)

I met the extraordinary Patricia Neal when we did a film together called "Psyche 59" in England. There are some people, women especially, that when you meet them, an intended serendipitious connection of total truth and laughter happens. It is rare and forever. The minute I heard her port wine voice - with that wry smile creasing the corners of her lips - I was completely hooked.

Patricia 'mothered' people. She cared for and continued all her life to 'check up' on me and my children. Her well-documented journey is the saga of the Greeks, but her indomitable soul and spirit lives on to guide others who either face such tragedies or need a swift kick in the you-know-what to get on with life. We only have one and she showed with heart and humour how to truly face up to and live it.

She died peacefully, surrounded by family. "I've had a lovely time," she said. And so have we, dearest Patsy Lou, so blessed by knowing you.