Diane Cilento

The daughter of prominent tropical-medicine authority Sir Ralph West Cilento and equally famous gynecologist Lady Cilento, Diane Cilento studied acting in London and New York. She made her first film, Wings of Danger, in 1952, and made his stage debut the following year. Among her more memorable films were The Angel Who Pawned Her Harp (1955), The Admirable Crichton (1957, retitled Paradise Lagoon in the U.S.), The Agony and the Ecstasy (1965), and Tom Jones (1963), in which she was Oscar-nominated for her portrayal of Tom's sluttish, mud-stained lady friend Molly Seagrim. In recent years, Diane has taken occasional breaks from her film and stage work to pen a brace of successful novels. Married to Sean Connery from 1962 to 1973, Diane Cilento is the mother of actor Jason Connery. ~ Hal Erickson Full Biography »