Londoner Charlotte Elizabeth Cornwell was born on April 26 1949, the younger half-sister of novelist John le Carré -- whose real name was David Cornwell -- and his novel, 'The Little Drummer Girl', had a leading character based on her. Le Carré was disappointed that in the film version the star was not Charlotte but the more bankable Diane Keaton.

Charlotte studied drama at London's Webber Douglas School and made her professional debut at the Bristol Old Vic and has since performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre both in Britain and overseas. To many of a certain age, however, she will be affectionately associated with the television series of 'Rock Follies' in the late 1970s where she was an original member of singing group "The Little Ladies", performing on the accompanying soundtrack albums. She taught acting at the University of Southern California (USC) but later returned to England, where she died at age 71 in 2021, from cancer.