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Pamela Salem, well remembered for her appearance in the James Bond film Never Say Never Again, has died at the age of 80.
In the unofficial 007 film, she played Miss Moneypenny, the secretary, with Sean Connery.
Salem also played opposite Connery in the 1978 crime picture The First Great Train Robbery.
She also appeared as Professor Rachel Jensen in the 1980s BBC sci-fi series Doctor Who.
Never Say Never Again was one of two James Bond films that were not produced by the customary producer, Eon Productions, and hence are not regarded part of the official series.
It was created by Warner Bros. and made feasible because screenwriter Kevin McClory maintained cinematic rights to the novel after a lengthy legal struggle.
Pamela Salem, who was born in India in 1944, moved to London to study at the Central School of Speech and Drama before beginning at the repertory theater in Chesterfield, York.
Pamela Salem has also starred in the medical drama ER and science fictional programs Blake’s 7, The Tripods, and Into the Labyrinth.
She has also starred in the US drama series The West Wing, where she portrayed the fake UK prime minister Maureen Graty, and in Eastenders as mafia member Joanne Francis.
Salem appears in the Doctor Who franchise, with Sylvester McCoy, the seventh Doctor, and in the radio subsequent series Countermeasures.
In 2020, Salem returned to The Robots, an audio drama series based on the Doctor Who episode The Robots of Death.
In the 1990s, Salem relocated to Los Angeles before settling in Miami.
Salem died Wednesday, according to Big Finish Productions.
David Richardson, a Doctor Who audio drama producer, stated, “Pamela Salem was lovely, and we all loved her.”
She was a really lovely lady who was constantly interested in everyone, including her co-stars, the production staff, guest actors, and guests.
Karen Gledhill, who appeared with Salem in Counter-Measures, stated, “Pamela was the sweetest, most kind performer I have ever worked with.
“Back in the 1980s, on Remembrance Of The Daleks (my first major TV job), she took me under her wing and guided me through a beautiful but rather intimidating experience. We became friends, and whenever we met, we were always delighted to see one another.”
“She was so loved, so respected, and will be so missed,” Gledhill said.
About Pamela Salem
Pamela Salem, well known for her role as James Bond’s sidekick Miss Moneypenny in Sean Connery’s Never Say Never Again, died at an age of eighty. The British actor, who co-starred with Connery in the 1978 crime picture The Great Train Robbery, died on Wednesday, according to Big Finish Productions.
She was born in India in 1944 and studied at Heidelberg University in Germany and the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London before beginning her career in repertory theater in Chesterfield and York. She also participated in the US drama series The West Wing, where she portrayed the British prime minister, and the hospital drama ER.
Salem was also recognized for her science fiction parts in Blake’s 7, The Tripods, and Into the Labyrinth. She returned as the Doctor Who character Prof Rachel Jensen, who appeared in episodes of 1988’s Remembrance of the Daleks alongside Sylvester McCoy’s seventh Doctor, as well as the spin-off audio drama series Counter-Measures.
In the 1990s, Salem relocated to Los Angeles before settling in Miami. In 2020, she returned to a revival of the Doctor Who serial The Robots of Death, where she first portrayed Toos alongside Tom Baker’s fourth Doctor, in an audio drama series called The Robots. Karen Gledhill, who portrayed Allison Williams in Counter-Measures, said, “Pamela was the warmest, generous actor I have ever worked with.”
