- Martine Beswick
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Martine Beswick Born September 26, 1941
Port Antonio, JamaicaOccupation Actress, model Years active 1962-1995 Martine Beswick (born 26 September 1941) is an English actress and model, best known for her roles in two James Bond films.
Contents
Biography
Beswick was born on 26 September 1941 in Port Antonio, Jamaica to English parents.
Beswick is best known for her two appearances in the James Bond film series. Although she auditioned for the first Bond film Dr. No, she was cast in the second film From Russia with Love as the fiery gypsy girl, Zara. She engaged in the famous "catfight" scene with her rival Vida (played by former Miss Israel Aliza Gur). She was incorrectly billed as "Martin Beswick" in the title sequence. Beswick then appeared as the ill-fated Paula Caplan in Thunderball. She had been away from the Caribbean so long that she was required to sunbathe constantly for two weeks before filming, in order to look like a local.
Martine went on to appear in One Million Years B.C. opposite Raquel Welch, with whom she also engaged in a catfight. She then appeared in various Hammer Studio low budget films, most notably Prehistoric Women and the gender-bending Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde. She played Adelita in the well-regarded Spaghetti Western A Bullet for the General in 1967 opposite Klaus Kinski and Gian Maria Volonté. She starred as the Queen of Evil in Oliver Stone's 1974 directorial debut Seizure, aka "Queen of Evil". In the 1970s, Beswick moved to Hollywood and regularly appeared on both the big screen and small screen. She made numerous guest appearances in television series including Sledge Hammer!, Fantasy Island, The Fall Guy, Mannix, The Six Million Dollar Man and Falcon Crest. In 1980, she played the lead role in the comedy film The Happy Hooker Goes Hollywood.
Beswick's career was active well into the 1990s. In recent years, she has mainly participated in film documentaries, providing commentary and relating her experiences on the many films she has appeared in. She owned a removals business in London, but is now semi-retired except for her guest appearances at international Bond conventions.
Beginning with Melvin and Howard in 1980, she changed the spelling of her last name to "Beswicke," but reverted to her original name in the mid-90s; her last credit with the longer spelling is Wide Sargasso Sea in 1993.
Contrary to speculation recorded elsewhere, Beswick never married.
Filmography
Film
Year Title 1963 Saturday Night Out 1963 From Russia with Love 1965 Thunderball 1966 One Million Years B.C. 1967 John il Bastardo 1967 Prehistoric Women (aka Slave Girls) 1967 The Penthouse 1967 A Bullet for the General 1971 Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde 1973 Ultimo tango a Zagarol 1974 Seizure, aka Queen of Evil 1980 The Happy Hooker Goes Hollywood 1980 Melvin and Howard 1987 Cyclone 1987 The Offspring 1990 Evil Spirits 1990 Miami Blues 1991 Critters 4 1991 Trancers II 1992 Life on the Edge 1993 Wide Sargasso Sea 1995 Night of the Scarecrow Television
Year Title 1965 Danger Man 1969 It Takes a Thief 1970 Mannix 1971 Longstreet 1975 Strange New World 1975 Switch 1976 City of Angels 1976 The Six Million Dollar Man 1977 Baretta 1980 Hart to Hart 1981 Quincy, M.E. 1982 The Fall Guy 1983 The Powers of Matthew Star 1984 Fantasy Island 1984 Days of our Lives 1985 Cover Up 1985 Falcon Crest 1987 Sledge Hammer! References
External links
- Martine Beswick at the Internet Movie Database
- Martine Beswick at AllRovi
- Martine Beswick at HorrorStars
- Martine Beswick interviewed by M J Simpson
Categories:- 1941 births
- English female models
- English film actors
- English television actors
- Jamaican people of English descent
- Living people
- Spaghetti Western actors
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