English dramatic actress noted for her moving portrayals of Shakespearean heroines. She also played on stage, in television, and in motion pictures.

She studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. At age 14 she tried out for the part of Juliet with the company of the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre (later the Royal Shakespeare Theatre) in Stratford-upon-Avon; in 1948 at Stratford she was cast as Ophelia in Hamlet, Blanche in King John, and Perdita in A Winter's Tale. She won praise for her early motion-picture role as a ballet dancer, playing opposite Charles Chaplin in the film Limelight (1952). She performed with the Old Vic company (1952–53) and subsequently successfully combined a stage career with films. Some of her more notable movies include Richard III (1955), The Spy Who Came In from the Cold (1965), Charly (1968), and Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989). She continued to star in films and on television into the 21st century. An autobiography, Limelight and After, appeared in 1982.