White achieved a public profile with her performances in the television play Cathy Come Home (1966) and the films Poor Cow (1967) and I'll Never Forget What's 'isname (1967), and by the end of the 1960s, was hailed as "The Next Julie Christie.

[2] Growing bored with married life, White began to audition for roles again, and was cast in the television version of Nell Dunn's Up the Junction (1965) by director Ken Loach.

[1][2] She followed this success with the lead in Ken Loach's film Poor Cow (1967), based on another Nell Dunn book, which brought her international renown.

During the late 1960s, White was considered one of the most promising actresses in British cinema, but her alcoholism and substance abuse,[1] as well as unhappy relationships with male stars such as Richard Burton, Frank Sinatra, Oliver Reed and Paul Burke, hindered her career.

After living in Hollywood for several years, White returned to London to star in Nell Dunn's play Steaming[1] at the Comedy Theatre in the West End, and filmed Nutcracker at the same time.

The cause of her death is disputed, with some sources claiming she took a drug overdose, and others (The Sunday Times in 1991 and Upton writing in 2004)[5][6][7] suggesting she succumbed to liver disease[8] from chronic alcoholism.