Carolyn Seymour in Steptoe and Son

In 1972, it looked as if Carolyn Seymour was going to be a big film star. The previous year she had co-starred with Albert Finney in the movie Gumshoe and with David Hemmings in Unman, Wittering and Zigo and the following year saw her acting alongside Peter O'Toole in The Ruling Class. 1972 also saw the lovely actress starring in a big screen adaptation of the popular television series Steptoe and Son. However, after appearing in these four popular features, Carolyn Seymour's film roles became more sporadic and she began concentrating on TV work.

In the 1972 Steptoe and Son movie Carolyn Seymour plays a stripper named Zita who unexpectedly falls in love with Harold, the 'son' of the film's title. Though Carolyn Seymour is well known for her trademark short hairstyle, this role called for her to wear a large, reddish wig for much of the film (she wears a curly wig for her stripping scenes). 

Carolyn Seymour did a great job with her part in Steptoe and Son. Besides doing some very classy stripping scenes at the beginning and end of the film, she also has many fine scenes with her co-stars, Harry H. Corbett and Wilfrid Brambell. Seymour's tremendous skills as an actress helped to make Steptoe and Son a cinematic triumph, with the perfect balance of humor and tragedy.

Carolyn Seymour in the first episode of Survivors

In 1975, Carolyn Seymour starred in the British post-apocalyptic TV series Survivors. Previously, the actress had a lead role the 1971 second series of the UK show Take Three Girls and had featured prominently in several major motion pictures.

For the first episode of Survivors, Carolyn Seymour wears a wig which gives her very different look than her usual iconic close-cropped haircut. She is quite visually striking in the pilot episode and this, combined with her strong performance, no doubt aided in the appeal of this wonderful series.

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Here are some images of Carolyn Seymour in the original episode of Survivors:

Carolyn Seymour in Unman, Wittering and Zigo

Unman, Wittering and Zigo is a deeply disturbing film about a nasty group of kids at a boarding school. After their former teacher dies mysteriously, David Hemmings comes in as their new teacher and is almost immediately drawn in to the mind games being played by some of the most obnoxious British teenagers you're likely to see. The upside is that a young and very beautiful Carolyn Seymour plays Hemmings' wife.

In Unman, Wittering and Zigo, Carolyn Seymour has her trademark short black hairdo, though here it is not as closely cropped as she would later have it. All in all, she is wonderful in her role of the doubtful, oblivious wife.

Carolyn Seymour on Hazell

In the 1980s, British actress Carolyn Seymour was a fixture on American television. In the previous decade, however, she was mostly involved in UK based projects and one of her final UK television appearances was on the private detective series Hazell in 1979.

Carolyn Seymour was fantastic to watch in her guest appearance on Hazell. She is not only strikingly beautiful here with her trademark short hair, but the actress also easily handles her role. In the episode, titled "Hazell Gets the Bird," Carolyn Seymour plays a character named Caroline Bancroft. She meets P.I. Hazell and involves him in a case of rare birds and marriage license scams.

Carolyn Seymour in The Assignment

The Assignment is somewhat of an oddity. It's an excellent movie, highly watchable and well made, but has never really gotten the attention it deserves. Despite the film having star power in the form of Christopher Plummer, the Swedish-made The Assignment has languished for too long.

Besides a campy Christopher Plummer, The Assignment boasts a great performance from Swedish actor Thomas Hellberg and also the presence of the gorgeous Carolyn Seymour. The 1977 film is set in Latin America and Plummer and Seymour both are meant to have accents, both both actors drop their accents shortly after the movie begins. 

One gets the feeling that if The Assignment had been bigger, it would have been great exposure for an actress like Carolyn Seymour. Nevertheless, Carolyn Seymour is fantastic in the film, smoking lots of cigarettes and projecting a confident, sexy cool.

Carolyn Seymour in Gumshoe

In 1971, British actress Carolyn Seymour appeared in one of her first feature films: Gumshoe. Though she only had three scenes in the movie, Carolyn Seymour did (and still does) make a very nice impression. I won't go into detail, but Gumshoe was at once a vehicle for Albert Finney and a homage to 1940s detective films (based on the works of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler). It is a fantastic film that should be seen by anyone who desires pure entertainment.

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Here are some images of Carolyn Seymour in Gumshoe: