Catherine Schell (born Katherina Freiin Schell von Bauschlott, 17 July 1944) is a Hungarian-born British actress who came to prominence in British film and television productions from the 1960s. Her notable roles include the Bond girl Nancy in On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), Lady Claudine Litton in The Return of the Pink Panther (1975), Countess Scarlioni in the Doctor Who serial City of Death (1979), and a regular role as Maya in Year Two of the television series Space: 1999 (1976-1977).
Catherine Schell | |
|---|---|
 Schell in 1967 | |
| Born | Katherina Freiin Schell von Bauschlott 17 July 1944 |
| Nationality | British |
| Other names | Catherine von Schell Katherina von Schell Katherine von Schell |
| Alma mater | Otto Falckenberg School of the Performing Arts |
| Occupation(s) | Television and film actress |
| Years active | 1964–2004; 2020-Present |
| Known for | On Her Majesty's Secret Service The Return of the Pink Panther Doctor Who |
| Television | Space: 1999 |
| Spouses | |
| Parent(s) | Baron Paul Schell von Bauschlott Countess Katharina Maria Etelka Georgina Elisabeth Teleki de Szék |
Early life
editSchell's father, Baron Pál Schell von Bauschlott (Nagyida, 5 September 1898 - Munich, 20 October 1979), was a Hungarian diplomat of three-quarter[1] Hungarian ancestry; her mother (m. Budapest, 28 January 1940) was Countess Katalin Mária Etelka Georgina Erzsébet Teleki de Szék (Budapest, 11 November 1917 - ?).[2] "Schell" is the family name, while "von Bauschlott" indicates the place in Germany where the Schell family owned its main estate.
Fleeing Hungary in advance of the Soviets and communism, the family lived in poverty until 1948, finding asylum in Austria: first in Vienna, then in Salzburg. In 1950, the family emigrated to the United States,[3] where Schell's father acquired American citizenship.
Schell entered a convent school in the New York City borough of Staten Island. In 1957, her father joined Radio Free Europe and the family moved to Munich where Schell developed an interest in acting and attended the Otto Falckenberg School of the Performing Arts.[4]
Career
editFilm
editShe acted under the alternate name "Catherina von Schell" early in her career. Under this name she made her film debut as the title character in the little-known German-language film Lana, Queen of the Amazons (1964). She appeared as Bond girl Nancy in the James Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), with George Lazenby in the lead.[3] Around the same time, she appeared in Hammer Films science-fiction thriller Moon Zero Two (also 1969) cast in the role of Clementine Taplin. She appeared with Bette Davis, now credited as Catherine Schell, in Madame Sin (1972), a television film made by ITC which was released theatrically in some markets.
Schell appeared opposite Peter Sellers in the comedy The Return of the Pink Panther (1975) as Lady Claudine Lytton. Schell appeared with Sellers again in The Prisoner of Zenda (1979), one of his last films.
Television
editSchell's first TV credit was Till Eulenspiegel (1967), a West German comedy in which she played Nele and was billed as Katherina von Schell.
Schell spent much of her career in British television, appearing in more than 47 series spanning a period of nearly 30 years. She played regular roles in series such as The Adventurer, Looking For Clancy, One by One, Mog and Wish Me Luck, in addition to many guest appearances, including The Persuaders! (starring alongside future James Bond actor Roger Moore), The Troubleshooters, Arthur of the Britons, Return of the Saint, The Sweeney, The Onedin Line, The Gentle Touch, Lovejoy, Bergerac, The Bill, Howards' Way and The Search for the Nile.
Schell appeared in the science-fiction series Space: 1999 as a robotic servant ("Guardian of Piri", 1975), and returned to the series in its second season as the regular character Maya, a shape-shifting "metamorph" from the planet Psychon. Schell appeared in another British science-fiction series, as Countess Scarlioni in the Doctor Who serial City of Death (1979).[3]
Personal life
editFamily
editSchell's brother, Paul Rudolf (born 1940), now known as Paul von Schell, has acted in German-language productions. A younger brother, Peter (1941–68), died young. Through a German great-grandfather, Schell is related to Louis XIV of France (1638–1715), Philip II, Duke of Orléans (1674–1723), Regent of France and Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor (1708–65).[citation needed] She is not believed to be related to the Austrian-Swiss actors Maximilian and Maria Schell.[citation needed]
Marriages
editWhile filming Amsterdam Affair in 1968, Schell met and married her first husband, British actor William Marlowe (1930–2003), and moved to London. The marriage ended in divorce in 1977. Schell married director Bill Hays (1938–2006) in 1982. In 1984, they worked together for the first time as husband and wife on a TV production of Ivan Turgenev's play A Month in the Country.
Retirement
editSchell's career continued into the mid-1990s, after which she retired from acting and opened Chambre d'Hôtes Valentin, a small guesthouse in Bonneval, Haute-Loire, France, which would become a popular destination for fans of Space: 1999. She reportedly sold the inn after the death of her second husband in 2006.
Schell made her first convention appearance at MainMission:2000, a celebration of the 25th anniversary of Space: 1999 held in New York City. To date, she has appeared at only one other convention, mainly due to her second husband's declining health.
Schell contributed a foreword to the Space: 1999 novel Born for Adversity, written by David McIntee and published by Powys Media in 2010.
Schell's autobiography A Constant Alien was published in 2016.[3][5]
She subsequently came out of acting retirement to portray the Grand Duchess Valeria in the BBC One/Netflix series Dracula, which aired in 2020.
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Lana, Queen of the Amazons | Queen Lana | |
| 1964 | Traitor's Gate | Hope Joyner | |
| 1967 | Hell Is Empty | Catherine Grant | |
| 1968 | Assignment K | Maggi | Uncredited |
| 1968 | Amsterdam Affair | Sophie Ray | |
| 1969 | Moon Zero Two | Clementine Taplin | Credited as Catherina von Schell |
| 1969 | On Her Majesty's Secret Service | Nancy | |
| 1972 | Madame Sin | Barbara | |
| 1974 | The Black Windmill | Lady Melissa Julyan | |
| 1974 | Callan | Jenny | |
| 1975 | The Return of the Pink Panther | Lady Claudine Litton | |
| 1977 | Gulliver's Travels | Mary | |
| 1978 | Exposure | Caroline | |
| 1978 | Destination Moonbase-Alpha | Maya | Originally Space: 1999 2-part episode “The Bringers of Wonder” |
| 1979 | The Prisoner of Zenda | Antoinette | |
| 1982 | The Island of Adventure | Alison Mannering | |
| 1982 | Cosmic Princess | Maya | Originally Space: 1999 episodes “The Metamorph” and “Space Warp” |
| 1983 | On the Third Day | Clarissa Hammond | |
| 1988 | On the Black Hill | Lotte Zons | |
| 1990 | The March | Noelle Epps | |
| 1993 | Pretty Princess | Countess Von Dix | |
| 2022 | The Munsters | Zoya Krupp | [6] |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Till Eulenspiegel | Nele | Unknown episodes |
| 1970 | Omnibus | Lunia | Episode: "A Requiem for Modigliani" |
| 1971 | Paul Temple | Uschi Baumann | Episode: "Death of Fasching" |
| 1971 | The Troubleshooters | Kirsten Hansen | 2 episodes |
| 1971 | The Search for the Nile | Florence Baker | 2 episodes |
| 1971 | The Persuaders! | Kristin Hansen | Episode: "The Morning After" |
| 1972 | A Family at War | Erika | Episode: "Two Fathers" |
| 1972–1973 | The Adventurer | Diane Marsh | 11 episodes |
| 1973 | The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes | Maria Wolkinski | Episode: "The Sensible Action of Lieutenant Holst" |
| 1973 | Arthur of the Britons | Benedicta | Episode: "The Girl from Rome" |
| 1974 | Napoleon and Love | Marie Walewska | 4 episodes |
| 1974 | Dial M for Murder | Helen | Episode: "Contract" |
| 1974 | The Double Dealers | The Double Dealers | Episode: "An Ad in The Times" |
| 1975 | The Sweeney | Stella Goodman | Episode: "Big Spender" |
| 1975 | Thriller | Julie | Episode: "The Next Voice You See" |
| 1975 | Looking for Clancy | Penny Clancy | 4 episodes |
| 1975 | Space: 1999 | Servant of the Guardian | Episode: "Guardian of Piri" |
| 1976 | Play of the Month | Mabel Dancy | Episode: "Loyalties" |
| 1976–1977 | Space: 1999 | Maya | 23 episodes |
| 1977 | Supernatural | Theresa | Episode: "Viktoria" |
| 1978 | The Onedin Line | Hannah Webster | Episode: "The Reverend's Daughter" |
| 1978 | Return of the Saint | Samantha | Episode: "The Imprudent Professor" |
| 1979 | Doctor Who | Countess Scarlioni | Episode: "City of Death" |
| 1980 | The Gentle Touch | Margot | Episode: "Melody" |
| 1980–1981 | The Spoils of War | Paula Brandt | 11 episodes |
| 1980 | Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson | Lady Sylvia Tarleton | Episode: "The Case of the Deadly Tower" |
| 1982 | Strangers | Sophy Paget-Lombardi | Episode: "A Swift and Evil Rozzer" |
| 1983 | Bergerac | Veronique | Episode: "Prime Target" |
| 1983 | Agatha Christie's Partners in Crime | Virma La Strange | Episode: "The Ambassador's Boots" |
| 1985 | One by One | Lady Ann Pendle | 6 episodes |
| 1985–1986 | Mog | Mrs. Mortenson | All 13 episodes |
| 1985 | A Month in the Country | Lizaveta | TV film |
| 1985 | My Brother Jonathan | Mrs. Martyn | Episode: #1.1 |
| 1988 | Screen Two | Melena Lotskova | Episode: "Border" |
| 1989 | The Bill | Mrs. Stern | Episode: Silver Lining" |
| 1989 | Howards' Way | Yvette Studer | Episode: #5.10 |
| 1990 | Wish Me Luck | Virginia Mitchell | 8 episodes |
| 1991 | Lovejoy | Francis Beauchamp | Episode: "Raise the Hispanic" |
| 1992 | Moon and Son | Mrs. Milestone | Episode: "Nearly Dearly Departed" |
| 1993 | Screen Two | Marie-Claire | Episode: "The Clothes in the Wardrobe" |
| 1994 | The Wimbledon Poisoner | Mrs. Gunther | Both 2 episodes |
| 1995 | Tales of Mystery and Imagination | Lady Montresor | Episode: "The Cask of Amontillado" |
| 1996 | The Knock | Inspector Helene Masson | 2 episodes |
| 2020 | Dracula | Grand Duchess Valeria | Episode: "Blood Vessel" |
References
edit- ^ "Peter Schell von Bauschlott's Family Tree". geni.com. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
- ^ https://genealogy.euweb.cz/hung/teleki2.html
- ^ a b c d "Catherine Schell | SPACE: 1999". starburstmagazine.com. Starburst magazine. 2 June 2016. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
- ^ Heald, Tim (1976). The Making of Space: 1999. New York: Ballantine Books. p. 60. ISBN 978-0345252654.
- ^ Schell, Catherine (21 March 2016). A Constant Alien. Fantom Films Limited. ISBN 978-1781961612. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
- ^ "The Munsters Image: Rob Zombie Reveals First Look at Catherine Schell's Character". Screen Rant. 14 January 2022.