Actress Pamela Salem is probably best known for her roles in films including “The Great Train Robbery” and the James Bond film “Never Say Never Again.” She stared opposite Sean Connery in both films. According to IMDB, other notable credits include “Doctor Who,” “EastEnders,” “French Fields,” and “Party of Five.”
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The Daily Mail reports that production firm Big Finish has announced Salem’s death. The company said, “We are utterly heartbroken to confirm the passing of our dear friend and colleague, Pamela Salem.” A cause of death has not been disclosed. She was 80 years old.
Salem was born in Bombay, India in 1944. She married actor Michael O’Hagan in 1983, and they remained married until his death in 2017.
Salem attended Heidelberg University in Germany before studying acting at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London, England. She moved to Los Angeles in the 1990s and later relocated to Miami, Florida. Salem was in Surfside, Florida at the time of her death on February 21, 2024.
Back in 1984, Salem spoke to Double-O-Seven Magazine about how she landed the role of Miss Moneypenny in the film “Never Say Never Again.” She explained, “I had worked with Sean Connery before in The Great Train Robbery, and when he saw that I was one of the many people up for the part he personally suggested me to the right people, which was very nice.”
Connery isn’t the only actor she has to thank for the role. She also claims that she wouldn’t have had the role if it hadn’t been for actress Lois Maxwell who played the character in prior Bond films. She explained, “I owe the part to Lois in fact because she established the role so beautifully in everyone’s minds. As soon as you mention the name ‘Moneypenny’ people automatically think of Lois.”
Salem didn’t find it difficult to make the role of Moneypenny her own. She explained, “it is just a case of interpreting it your own way and playing it as truthfully as you can, which was not difficult you know, to sort of admire Bond from afar, because I think he (Sean) is a wonderful man.”
Enjoy a glimpse of Salem’s acting talent in her show reel below.