Faithfull, Marianne (1946–)

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Faithfull, Marianne (1946–)

English musician, singer and actress. Born Marianne Evelyn Gabriel Faithfull, Dec 29, 1946, in Hampstead, London, England; dau. of Eva, Baroness Erisso of Austria, and Major Glynn Faithfull (professor); m. John Dunbar, 1964 (div. 1970); m. Ben Brierly, 1979 (div. 1986); m. Giorgio Della Terza, 1988 (div. 1991); children: (1st m.) 1 son.

Raspy-voiced singer-songwriter known for caustic lyrics, released hits "As Tears Go By" (1964), "Come and Stay With Me," "This Little Bird," and "Summer Nights" (all 1965) as a teen; began longterm and bumpy relationship with Mick Jagger (1965); costarred with Alain Delon in The Girl on the Motorcycle (1968); played Ophelia in Nicol Williamson's film Hamlet (1969); was hospitalized 8 months for heroin addiction (1970); abandoned spotlight (1970–77); signed with Island Records (1979); released acclaimed comeback album Broken English (1979); received praise for such albums as Strange Weather (1987), Blazing Away (1990) and Vagabond Ways (2000); became known as interpreter of composer Kurt Weill's work, appearing onstage in his Seven Deadly Sins (1989) and Threepenny Opera (1991); acted in films Turn of the Screw and Shopping (both 1994) and Intimacy (2001); played God in an episode of "Absolutely Fabulous" (2001).

See also autobiography, Faithfull (Little, Brown, 1994).