Even though Sarah Douglas was born and raised in Stratford Upon Avon, and knew that she wanted to act, she did try and expand options available to her. She worked in a factory, and for a time also in a sterilising department of a hospital. She briefly moved to France and also undertook a teacher training course in English and Drama. However, these were all abandoned in favour of acting. Soon after leaving Drama School, she won her first film role in The Final Programme as well as starring in the TV series The Inheritors. Other work began to follow, including the controversial and gripping film The Brute. Soon after, The People That Time Forgot came along, her first "American" movie. During the filming, the casting began for Superman. And the rest is history.



Often played villainesses. Best known to American audiences as Ursa in Superman (1978) and Superman II (1980). At age 14, she toured throughout Europe with Britian's prestigious National Youth Theatre. Has an uncredited role in the original Rollerball (1975). She was hired to play one of the Party Guests, but in her own words, found "a way to being in the dressing room" when the camera was on. The details of this can be heard on the Conan the Destroyer (1984) commentary she recorded in 2004. Originally cast to play the lady in the commercial in "Tommy". However, when she arrived to film her part, Ken Russell didn't like the hat she was given to wear, so he replaced her with another actress, rather than changing the hat. Bizarre, but true! The details of this can be heard on the Conan the Destroyer (1984) commentary she recorded in 2004. Repeatedly turned down the role of Queen Taramis in Conan the Destroyer (1984) more than once as Sarah had no interest in playing any more comic-strip villainesses, having cornered the market in that role with her character, Ursa, from Superman (1978) and Superman II (1980). However, she had a change of heart when learning that Grace Jones had joined the cast, being somewhat of an admirer of Grace and her work, and so changed her mind and signed up.