Slightly Foxed by My Theatrical Family

The author plunges into her story with her birth in 1912, ""eldest bastard'' of three born during her mother's affair with playwright Frederick Lonsdale. Later, growing up in Kent, England, the sisters enjoyed the same care from their mother's husband as did the couple's own daughter. After his death, the four siblings and mother settled in London, where the author married the future theatrical entrepreneur, Robin Fox. Both were 21, hedonistic and often unfaithful, but the marriage lasted until Robin's death in 1971. The couple moved in a glittering international society of stage and film folk, several of whom became friends: Robert Morley, Laurence Olivier, Dirk Bogarde et al. The author tells about the successes of her sons, actors Edward (Day of the Jackal and James (The Servant and producer Robert. The book stands out as heady entertainment but its serious aspects are deeply moving. Photos. (May 18)