Martine Beswick facts for kids

Martine Beswick, born Mary Rose Penso Beswick on September 26, 1941, is an actress and model. She was born in Jamaica and is also British. She is famous for her roles in two James Bond movies: From Russia with Love (1963) and Thunderball (1965). She also appeared in many other important films in the 1960s. In 2019, she was honored in the Monster Kid Hall of Fame.

Martine Beswick's Early Life

Martine Beswick was born on September 26, 1941. Her birthplace was Port Antonio, Jamaica. Her father, Ronald Stuart Davis Beswick, was British. Her mother, Myrtle May, was Portuguese-Jamaican.

In 1954, Martine, her sister Laurellie, and their mother moved to London. This happened after her parents separated. Martine left high school in 1955. She started working to help support her family.

Martine Beswick's Film Career

Martine Beswick is best known for her two roles in the James Bond film series. She first tried out for the very first Bond film, Dr. No (1962). However, she was chosen for the second movie, From Russia with Love (1963). In this film, she played a lively gypsy girl named Zora. She had an action scene with her rival, Vida.

In the movie's opening credits, her name was spelled incorrectly as "Martin Beswick." She then appeared in Thunderball (1965). Here, she played Paula Caplan. She had been away from the Caribbean for a long time. So, she had to sunbathe for two weeks to look like a local.

Beswick also appeared in One Million Years B.C. (1966). She acted alongside Raquel Welch. They also had an action scene together. She played Adelita in the movie A Bullet for the General (1966). This film is a type of Western movie made in Italy, called a "Spaghetti Western." She also played a bad guy in The Penthouse (1967).

Later, she acted in several low-budget films from Hammer Studio. These included Prehistoric Women (1967) and the horror film Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde (1971). In Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde, she played the main villain. She then starred as the Queen of Evil in Seizure (1974). This was Oliver Stone's first movie as a director.

In the 1970s, Beswick moved to Hollywood. She often appeared in movies and on TV shows. She was a guest star on many TV series. These included Fantasy Island, The Fall Guy, and Falcon Crest.

Martine Beswick continued acting into the 1990s. Since then, she has mostly appeared in film documentaries. She shares her experiences from the many movies she has been in. She used to own a moving company in London. Now, she is mostly retired. However, she still makes guest appearances at James Bond events around the world. In 2013, she was a guest on the BBC show Masterchef.

Her last name was spelled "Beswicke" starting with Melvin and Howard (1980). But she went back to her original spelling in the mid-1990s. Her last movie with the longer spelling was Wide Sargasso Sea (1993). After not acting for 24 years, Beswick returned to the screen in 2018. She appeared in House of the Gorgon. She acted with other Hammer film stars like Caroline Munro.

Selected Filmography

Film Roles

Television Roles

See also

In Spanish: Martine Beswick para niños