Doctor Who and James Bond actress Pamela Salem died at 80 years old. She died on Wednesday (February 21), but the news broke today. She starred in her notable roles during the Sylvester McCoy era of the BBC sci-fi series and the Sean Connery era of the spy film franchise.
She was born in India on January 2, 1944. She attended Heidelberg University in Germany and the Central School of Speech and Drama in London. Her career spanned audiobooks, movies, TV, and stage productions. She performed Shakespeare during her play days. During her 007 days, she starred as Miss Moneypenny in Never Say Never Again and Emily Trent in The Great Train Robbery. She then transitioned to some American productions when she moved to the States in the ’90s with shows like ER and The West Wing.
Doctor Who and James Bond Actress Pamela Salem Went Beyond Traditional Media
The announcement about her death came from Big Finish Productions, a British audiobook company that she collaborated with in the latter part of her career. She became a go-to voice that built a new bridge in her career in the last few years. Starting in 2020, she reprised her 1988 Doctor Who character, Professor Rachel Jensen, for the audio spinoff Counter-Measures. She also did The Fourth Doctor Adventures with Tom Baker and reprised her role as Toos from The Robots of Death in The Robots.
Big Finish producer David Richardson, who worked extensively with Pamela Salem on her audio work, including the Doctor Who spinoff, spoke highly about his time with her. He said when she was offered a gig at the production company, “she’d fly in from Miami on her own steam, without fuss or fanfare, and appear at the studio armed with the warmest smiles, the biggest hugs, and often presents.”
