Pamela Salem, the actor best known for playing Miss Moneypenny in the James Bond film Never Say Never Again, has died. Her death was confirmed by Big Finish, the company with whom she had worked on several audio productions. She was 80 years old.
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“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,” said David Richardson, who produced all of Pamela Salem’s work at Big Finish. “She was a very gentle person—always interested in everyone, from her co-stars to the production team to the guest actors and visitors.”
Salem was born in India in 1944 and eventually moved to London to study speech and drama, according to the BBC. She went on to have a prolific television career, most notably appearing in Doctor Who as sandminer pilot Lish Toos in 1977’s “The Robots of Death” and Professor Rachel Jensen in 1988’s “Remembrance of the Daleks.” She also appeared on the U.K. soap opera EastEnders as the mafia member Joanne Francis. Later, she’d have guest roles on ER, Party Of Five, and The West Wing.
In 1983, she starred as Miss Moneypenny in the James Bond film Never Say Never Again alongside Sean Connery, who reportedly recommended her for the role after working with her on The Great Train Robbery. She also appeared alongside Ian McKellen in the 1998 film Gods And Monsters. In recent years, Salem reprised her Doctor Who roles in the Big Finish audio series The Robots and Counter-Measures.
Salem’s Counter-Measures co-star Karen Gledhill said in a statement, “Pamela was the kindest, most generous actor I have ever worked with. Back in the 80s on ‘Remembrance Of The Daleks,’ my first proper TV job, she took me under her wing and led me through a wonderful but slightly daunting experience. We became friends, and whenever we met were always so pleased to see each other.” Gledhill added, “She was so loved, so respected and will be so missed.”