Born Nora Rosamund Jones in London, redheaded leading lady Rosamund
John entered films as a Scottish girl in The
Secret of the Loch (1934) before starting out on the stage the following
year. During the war years she became one of Britain's most popular
actresses and blossomed in self-assured roles in films like the three
consecutive Leslie Howard productions; The
First of the Few (1942), The
Gentle Sex (1943) and The
Lamp Still Burns (1943).
John was especially effective as the landlady widow of RAF pilot Michael
Redgrave in the popular Anthony Asquith film The
Way to the Stars (1944). Post-war films included Green
for Danger (1946) and Fame
Is the Spur (1946) but the substance of roles on offer swiftly deteriorated.
She retired from filmmaking in 1956 to concentrate on politics and her
second marriage to high-ranking Labour MP John Silkin.
