Australian actress who worked primarily in Britain and specialized in
superior, upper-crust sorts. Browne began her stage career in Melbourne
but moved to England at the age of 21 and quickly brightened the West
End with her sharp delivery and stylish sense of comedy. Her film
appearances were sporadic, though she made several pictures memorable
with her presence, particularly The Ruling Class (1972) as the libidinous Lady Claire.
While touring the Soviet Union in a Royal Shakespeare Company
production of "Hamlet, " Browne encountered the expatriate British spy
Guy Burgess, and this bizarre meeting became the basis of the
television film Ein Gentleman in Moskau (1983), for which Browne won the BAFTA Best Actress
award for playing herself. She met Vincent Price when they co-starred in
Theater des Grauens (1973), and married him in 1974. He was at her side when she died at
77 following a long struggle with breast cancer.
