Film and stage actress, born in Taunton, Somerset, SW England, UK. She became known following her role in The Railway Children (1970). Her other film credits include The Snow Goose (1971, Emmy, Best Supporting Actress), Equus (1977, BAFTA), Child's Play 2 (1991), and Blue Juice (1995). Television work includes A Respectable Trade (1998), a new adaptation of The Railway Children (2000), Spooks (2003), and The Alan Clark Diaries (2004).
Early life
Agutter was born in Taunton, Somerset.
Film career
She first came to the attention of television audiences as Roberta in a BBC dramatisation of The Railway Children, and went on to play the same part in Lionel Jeffries' 1970 film of the book. Her quality of ingeniuousness had led to an earlier more serious role in what is now regarded as something of a horror cult film I Start Counting (1969). She also won an Emmy for her television role as "Frith" in the "Hallmark Hall of Fame" production of "The Snow Goose"(1971)
Agutter continued a transition to adult roles in Walkabout (1971), playing a teenaged schoolgirl who was lost in the Australian outback with her younger brother. She first auditioned for the role in 1967 but funding problems delayed filming until 1969. The delay in production meant Agutter was 16 at the time of filming, and the director took advantage of her new legal status by including many nude scenes in the film.
Agutter moved to Hollywood at 21 and appeared in a number of films over the next decade, including: The Eagle Has Landed (1976), Logan's Run (1976), Equus (1977), Sweet William (1980), and An American Werewolf in London (1981).
Since 1990, Agutter has deliberately focused on the upbringing of her son and much of her work focused away from film and television work and rather involved audio recordings and supporting various charities particularly the Cystic Fibrosis Fund. In 2000, she made her third appearance in a production The Railway Children, produced by Carlton TV and this time playing the role of the mother.
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