Actress. Born in Purley, Surrey, England the daughter of a jeweler. As a child she contracted spinal tuberculosis, and after her recovery, she and her sister attended St Christopher’s School, Kingswood, before winning a scholarship to Croydon Repertory where she studied drama. She made her film debut in 1944’s ‘Welcome Mr. Washington’ and appeared in more than fifty films and television programs in her subsequent career including ‘Raising A Riot’ in 1955, ‘The Witches’ in 1966, perhaps most memorably as Aunt Beru in 1977’s ‘Star Wars,’ and ‘Hope and Glory’ in 1987. She was a popular figure at Star Wars conventions throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Her credits also include authorship of the cookbooks ‘Clare Goes Cooking,’ and ‘The Cheeses of Old England’ as well as the children’s book ‘Captain Johnnie’ which was published in 1965. Her last screen appearance was in the ‘Judgement Day’ episode of Midsomer Murders in 2000. She died later that year after a long illness. (bio by: Iola)