LONDON - Pamela Salem, who is best known for appearing in James Bond film Never Say Never Again, has died aged 80. She played the secretary Miss Moneypenny in the unofficial 007 film, starring alongside Sean Connery. Salem also appeared opposite Connery in the 1978 crime film The First Great Train Robbery.
Her other roles include playing Professor Rachel Jensen in BBC sci-fi series Doctor Who in the 1980s. Never Say Never Again was one of two James Bond films not to be produced by Eon Productions, the usual producer, and therefore not considered part of the official franchise.
It was produced by Warner Bros and made possible because screenwriter Kevin McClory had retained the filming rights of the novel following a long legal battle.
Salem, who was born in India in 1944, came to London to study at the Central School of Speech and Drama and first started at repertory theatre in Chesterfield in York. Salem went on to appear in medical drama ER and science fiction shows Blake’s 7, The Tripods and Into The Labyrinth. She also appeared in US drama series The West Wing, where she played the fictional UK prime minister Maureen Graty, and in Eastenders as mafia member Joanne Francis. Salem was part of the Doctor Who franchise alongside Sylvester McCoy, the seventh actor to play the doctor, and was also part of the radio spin-off series Counter Measures. In 2020, Salem returned to a reboot of Doctor Who show The Robots of Death called The Robots, which was an audio drama series.
Salem moved to Los Angeles in the 1990s, then Miami. Salem died on Wednesday, according to Big Finish Productions. David Richardson, a Doctor Who audio drama producer, said: “Pamela Salem was lovely, and we all loved her.”
Whenever there was a Big Finish recording for her, 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. “She was a very gentle person, always interested in everyone from her co-stars to the production team to the guest actors and visitors.” Actor Karen Gledhill, who worked alongside Salem in Counter-Measures, said: “Pamela was the kindest, most generous actor I have ever worked with.”