Withers began acting at the age of twelve, and was student at the
Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts, and at the dance school of
Buddy Bradley, where she learnt ballet and tap. She was a dancer in a
West End production when she was offered work as a film extra in
Michael Powell's
The Girl in the Crowd (1935). She arrived on the set to find one of the major players in the production had been dismissed, and she was immediately asked to step into the leading role, beginning a seven year contract with
Warner Brothers, after which she worked for Fox British,
Ealing Studios and
The Rank Organisation. During the 1930s, Withers was constantly in demand in lead roles in minor films, and supporting roles in more prestigious productions. She was in
Windfall (1935) and
The Love Test (1935), and she had the lead in
All at Sea (1935). Withers supported in
Dark World (1935),
King of Hearts (1936), and
Accused (1936).
Her Last Affaire (1935) was her third film with Powell. She followed it with
She Knew What She Wanted (1936),
Crown v. Stevens (1936) (directed by Powell),
Crime Over London (1936),
Pearls Bring Tears (1937),
Action for Slander (1937), and
Paradise for Two (1937). Withers had the lead in ''
You're the Doctor (1938) and was back to support for Kate Plus Ten'' (1938). Her best-known work of the period was as one of
Margaret Lockwood's friends in
Alfred Hitchcock's
The Lady Vanishes (1938). She continued in support roles in
Paid in Error (1938) and
Strange Boarders (1938). She was in a
Will Hay film
Convict 99 (1938) and supported
Jack Buchanan in ''
The Gang's All Here (1939). Then she appeared in crime films Murder in Soho (1939) and Dead Men are Dangerous'' (1939). She supported
George Formby in
Trouble Brewing (1939) and
Tommy Trinder in ''
She Couldn't Say No (1939). She was in a Robert Montgomery film Busman's Honeymoon (1939) and was reunited with Buchanan in Bulldog Sees It Through (1940). She was still supporting comics in Back-Room Boy'' (1942) with
Arthur Askey.
Rising fame Among her successes of the 1940s, and a departure from her previous roles, was the
Powell and Pressburger film
One of Our Aircraft Is Missing (1942), a topical
World War II drama, in which she played a
Dutch resistance fighter who helps British airmen return to safety from behind enemy lines. Powell and Pressburger then used her in a film they produced but did not direct,
The Silver Fleet (1943). She played Helen, a significant second lead in the Clive Book-directed 1944 comedy
On Approval. Withers was in
They Came to a City (1945), directed by
Basil Dearden, and was one of several stars in
Dead of Night (1945). She was given a star part in
Pink String and Sealing Wax (1945). It was well received, and Withers was given the title role in
The Loves of Joanna Godden (1947), which was a hit. In the cast was actor John McCallum, whom Withers later married. They remained married until McCallum died in 2010. Withers then starred in
It Always Rains on Sunday (1948), which was one of the biggest hits of the year. In 1948, British exhibitors voted her the 8th most popular British star in the country. Three comedies followed: the hugely popular
Miranda (1948), with McCallum, and
Once Upon a Dream (1949) and ''
Traveller's Joy (1949), both directed by Ralph Thomas. Next, she was third-billed after Hollywood stars Gene Tierney and Richard Widmark in the tense thriller Night and the City'' (1950). Withers took 13 months off following the birth of her first child, then returned to star as a doctor in
White Corridors (1951), one of the most popular films of the year in Britain. She was one of many cameos in
The Magic Box (1951) and was in a play
Winter Journey. Withers made three films with her husband,
Derby Day (1952),
Devil on Horseback (1954), and
Port of Escape (1956). In 1954, she starred with McCallum in the West End play
Waiting for Gillian, by
Ronald Millar.
Australia Withers first toured Australia in the stage play
Simon and Laura. After McCallum was offered the position of running
J. C. Williamson theatres, they moved to Australia in 1959. Withers starred in a number of stage plays, including
Rattigan's
The Deep Blue Sea,
Desire of the Moth,
The First 400 Years (with
Keith Michell),
The Circle,
A. R. Gurney's
The Cocktail Hour,
Time and the Conways,
The Importance of Being Earnest,
Beekman Place (1965), for which she also designed the set.
Desire of the Moth,
The Kingfisher,
Stardust,
Chekhov's
The Cherry Orchard and
Wilde's
An Ideal Husband for the
Melbourne Theatre Company; both productions toured Australia. They appeared together in the UK in
The School for Scandal at the
Duke of York's Theatre in London's West End and on the subsequent
British Council tour of Europe in 1983–84, and in
W. Somerset Maugham's
The Circle at the
Chichester Festival Theatre. Withers starred on Broadway with
Michael Redgrave in
The Complaisant Lover, and in London with
Alec Guinness in
Exit the King.
Later career Withers returned to films with the lead in
Nickel Queen (1971), directed by McCallum. She was in
The Cherry Orchard (1974) on Australian TV. In 1974, she appeared as Faye Boswell, the original governor of a women's prison, in the television series
Within These Walls. Because
Within These Walls had been a moderate success in Australia, she was approached by producers to play the role of the Governor in the Australian version titled
Prisoner, but she declined and the role was given to
Patsy King. Performances on the stage in productions of
The Cherry Orchard and
An Ideal Husband earned Withers a nomination in the
Actress of the Year in a Revival at the
1976 Laurence Olivier Awards. Withers starred in the BBC adaptation of
Hotel du Lac (1986), which was followed a year later by another BBC production,
Northanger Abbey. In 1989, she appeared at Brighton in England in
The Cocktail Hour alongside her husband John and her daughter,
Joanna. In the previous year, the play had been a success in New York, starring
Nancy Marchand. In 1990, she appeared in ITV's adaptation of
Ending Up. Her last screen performance was as the Australian novelist
Katharine Susannah Prichard in the film
Shine (1996), for which she and the other cast members were nominated for a
Screen Actors Guild award for "Outstanding performance by a cast". In 2002, aged 85, Withers, with
Vanessa Redgrave, appeared in London's West End, in
Oscar Wilde's ''
Lady Windermere's Fan''. In October 2007, aged 90 and 89 respectively, Withers and McCallum appeared in an extended interview with
Peter Thompson on
ABC TV's
Talking Heads programme. ==Death==