Martine Beswick

A beautiful, exotic former model who tried hard to carve out a career as a serious actress, Martine Beswick never quite achieved the fame and renown she desired. She was born in Jamaica to British parents, and moved to her ancestral homeland when still quite young. In England, she auditioned for several of the early James Bond films, winning roles in a pair of them, 1963's classic "From Russia With Love" and '65's "Thunderball." In the former, she had a memorable scene as a gypsy girl who engaged in a violent catfight with a fellow gypsy, played by Israeli beauty Aliza Gur. Apparently, she gained a reputation as a fine combatant, as she did another memorable fight scene--this time against Raquel Welch--in the ridiculous prehistoric drama "One Million Years B.C." ('66). Beswick continued to appear in low-grade genre pictures, such as '71's gender-twisting " Dr Jekyll & Sister Hyde" and as the title character in "The Happy Hooker Goes to Hollywood" ('80). She relocated to Hollywood later in her career, and started to appear in American TV series in addition to films. Among her roles on the small screen were guest parts in the nighttime soap opera "Falcon Crest" ('85) and the police procedural satire "Sledge Hammer!" ('87).