Nanette Newman: Actress, Fairy Liquid Face & Author

If you grew up in Britain in the 1970s and 1980s, Nanette Newman’s face was almost as familiar as your own – particularly from those Fairy Liquid adverts that seemed to be on every break. But she was far more than an advertising face: Newman built a solid film career under her husband Bryan Forbes’s direction, starring in The Stepford Wives and International Velvet, and later wrote dozens of children’s books.

Born: 29 May 1934, Northampton, England · Known as: Actress and author · Spouse: Bryan Forbes (married 1955–2013)

Seven key facts about Nanette Newman, drawn from verified sources:

What was Nanette Newman famous for?

Actress in British films and The Stepford Wives

Newman appeared in nine films directed by her husband, Bryan Forbes, including Séance on a Wet Afternoon, The Whisperers, Deadfall, The Stepford Wives (1975), and International Velvet (1978) (Wikipedia user-contributed encyclopedia). Her performance in International Velvet earned her the Evening Standard Film Award for Best Actress (Wikipedia).

Fairy Liquid television adverts

Newman became a household name in the UK as the face of Fairy Liquid, appearing in television adverts from the 1960s onward. The BFI notes that the campaign used a “Stepford-like visual framing” that played on her screen persona (BFI Player British Film Institute archive).

Author of children’s books

Later in life, Newman wrote extensively. The Oldie reports that she authored 30 children’s books and six cookery books (The Oldie British magazine). Her first book, a novel titled The Macs, was published in 1976.

Bottom line: Nanette Newman’s fame rests on three distinct pillars: her film work under Bryan Forbes, her iconic Fairy Liquid adverts, and her later career as a prolific author. For casual observers, the adverts are the most durable legacy; for film buffs, the Forbes-Newman collaborations are a treasure of mid-century British cinema.

Who is Nanette Newman’s famous daughter?

Emma Forbes: TV presenter

Emma Forbes is a well-known British television presenter, best remembered for hosting the BBC children’s programme Live & Kicking in the 1990s (The Oldie British magazine). She followed in her mother’s footsteps into the entertainment industry.

Sarah Standing: journalist and author

Newman’s other daughter, Sarah Standing (also known as Sarah Forbes), is a journalist and author. She is married to actor John Standing (The Oldie).

The implication: Newman and Forbes raised two daughters who each carved successful careers in the public eye – one in television, the other in print – extending the family’s presence in British media.

Who was Nanette Newman’s husband?

Bryan Forbes: film director and screenwriter

Bryan Forbes (1926–2013) was a prominent English film director, screenwriter, and producer. He and Newman married on 27 August 1955 and remained together until his death (IMDb film and TV database). Forbes directed nine films starring Newman, a career-spanning collaboration that defined much of her screen work.

• Forbes also wrote screenplays for classics such as The Angry Silence (1960) and directed Whistle Down the Wind (1961).
• He served as head of production at EMI Films in the 1970s.

Their marriage and collaboration

Newman and Forbes were both committed to each other’s careers. She often said that being directed by her husband allowed her a level of trust and intimacy rarely possible on a film set.

The pattern: Newman’s public identity was inseparable from Forbes’s – but that partnership also gave her the platform to win major acting awards and to become the face of one of Britain’s most enduring advertising campaigns.

What happened to Bryan Forbes?

Bryan Forbes’ illness and death

Bryan Forbes died on 8 May 2013 at the age of 86. He had been ill for some time before his death. The news was widely reported in British media, noting his significant contributions to film.

His legacy in British cinema

Forbes left behind a body of work that includes acclaimed films like The Whisperers (1967) and The Stepford Wives (1975). He was also a published novelist and a memoirist.

Newman and Forbes were married for 58 years, a partnership that produced both a family and a filmography that stands as a unique creative collaboration in British cinema.

BFI Screenonline British Film Institute

Bottom line: Forbes’s death marked the end of an era for Newman and for British film. For those tracing the legacy of 1960s–1970s British cinema, his work with Newman remains a focal point.

What is Nanette Newman’s nationality?

English and British identity

Nanette Newman was born in Northampton, England, and holds British nationality. Her identity as an English actress and author is central to her public image.

In a 2024 profile, The Oldie described her as “the mother of journalist Sarah Standing and television presenter Emma Forbes” – a family that epitomises British entertainment royalty (The Oldie British magazine).

Quotes and perspectives

Newman became the face of Fairy Liquid, appearing in a series of adverts that made her a household name in Britain.

BFI Screenonline British Film Institute

Newman made her film debut as a teenager in Personal Affair, beginning a career that would span decades.

The Express UK newspaper

Newman is the author of 30 children’s books and six cookery books.

The Oldie British magazine

For anyone interested in the intersection of British film, advertising history, and family dynasties in entertainment, Nanette Newman offers a rare through-line. The catch: a woman who navigated two very different careers – serious actress and beloved commercial face – while raising two daughters who continued the family tradition. For the UK audience that grew up with her face on the screen and on the bottle, the legacy is clear: Newman was more than a Stepford wife; she was a step ahead.