Actress Barbara Shelley (1932-2021)

[jakeem]

The actress Barbara Shelley, who became a longtime queen of British horror movies, died last week at the age of 88. Although she had been a recent COVID-19 victim, her agent, Thomas Bowington, said she had "underlying issues." She died on January 4 -- one month before her birthday on February 13.

Although she would become a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company in the 1970s, Shelley became a ubiquitous leading lady in Hammer Films during the 1950s and 1960s. Among her pictures for the company: "The Camp on Blood Island" (1958), "The Shadow of the Cat" (1961), "The Gorgon" (1964), "The Secret of Blood Island" (1964), "Dracula: Prince of Darkness" (pictured below) and" Rasputin, the Mad Monk" (1966). "There is a great thrill for me in having done Hammer and being known," she said. "All the other things I did, nobody remembers those. But the horror films, I'm very grateful to them.” 

In the 1960 British-American sci-fi classic "Village of the Damned," Shelley and George Sanders played the parents of an unearthly son (Martin Stephens). The boy was one of several children born on the same day to residents of the British village of Midwich . 

Shelley guest starred in "From Venus with Love," the Season 5 episode of the 1960s British TV series "The Avengers." It was the first show filmed in color and a part of the second season available to American television. In the episode, John Steed (Patrick Macnee) and Emma Peel (Dame Diana Rigg) investigated the mysterious deaths of several amateur astronomers. Their search led to an astronomical society devoted to the planet Venus. The group was headed by Venus Brown (played by Shelley, pictured below with Rigg). 

Shelley co-starred with James Donald and Andrew Keir in "Quatermass and the Pit" (titled "Five Million Years from Earth" in the U.S.). The British-made sci-fi film was the third screen installment in the adventures of Professor Bernard Quatermass (Keir). The fictional scientist was played by Brian Donlevy in the films "The Quatermass Xperiment" (1955) and "Quatermass 2" (1957). This installment was based on TV's "The Quatermass Pit," and focused on an important discovery in London's subway system, known as the Underground.

 

James Swanton

@jamescswanton

 

Barbara Shelley has died. She matched Christopher Lee's Dracula and Rasputin for blazing bravura. She became the cat girl and the Gorgon; fought the mad medicos of Wolfit and Cushing; inhabited a village of the damned and channelled the Martians. Our greatest horror actress.

 

4:47 AM · Jan 4, 2021·Twitter Web App

 

Nicola Bryant

@thenicolabryant

 

So very sad to hear of the passing of #BarbaraShelley. A darling person and a talented actress. When we worked together on Planet of Fire she was so kind to me. She gave me a little owl, still in my possession and some good advice. #RIPBarbaraShelley Wise and wonderful lady.

 

 

6:39 AM · Jan 4, 2021·Twitter for iPhone

[sagebrush]

Anyone who can have their name mentioned in the same sentence as Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee can say they had a good career.

~RIP, Ms Shelley.

[NipkowDisc]

a great great loss. she was one hell of a sexy female vampire and she was just all around hot.

she and Hazel Court were absolute beauties.

she absolutely deserves a tcm tribute.

some publicity shots of her as 'miss Judd' from five million years to earth.

 

[NipkowDisc]

the lovely Barbara Shelley,

[NipkowDisc]

get a load of Boris Johnson's great aunt.

[jakeem]

44 minutes ago, NipkowDisc said:

get a load of Boris Johnson's great aunt.

That was the ubiquitous character actress Bee Duffell (1914–1974), who appeared in numerous films and television productions during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Among her film credits: "A Night to Remember" (1958), "Fahrenheit 451" (1966, with Julie Christie, pictured below) and "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" (1975, her final film).

[NipkowDisc]

how often do do see a reflex camera with a flash unit?

[NipkowDisc]

class and beauty

[LornaHansonForbes]

I actually splurged recently and bought the standard DVD of DRACULA PRINCE OF DARKNESS, which is only available otherwise on BLU-RAY.

I've posted and referenced this many times before, but this is audio commentary by CHRISTOPHER LEE and BARBARA SHELLEY in re: some HOME MOVIE FOOTAGE TAKEN SURING THE FILMING OF THE FINALE.

They know and remember almost EVERYONE'S NAME and you get a sense of how "homey" a studio BRAY FILMS was.

 

[Aritosthenes]

On 1/10/2021 at 12:16 AM, jakeem said:

The actress Barbara Shelley, who became a longtime queen of British horror movies, died last week at the age of 88. Although she had been a recent COVID-19 victim, her agent, Thomas Bowington, said she had "underlying issues." She died on January 4 -- one month before her birthday on February 13.

Although she would become a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company in the 1970s, Shelley became a ubiquitous leading lady in Hammer Films during the 1950s and 1960s. Among her pictures for the company: "The Camp on Blood Island" (1958), "The Shadow of the Cat" (1961), "The Gorgon" (1964), "The Secret of Blood Island" (1964), "Dracula: Prince of Darkness" (pictured below) and" Rasputin, the Mad Monk" (1966). "There is a great thrill for me in having done Hammer and being known," she said. "All the other things I did, nobody remembers those. But the horror films, I'm very grateful to them.” 

In the 1960 British-American sci-fi classic "Village of the Damned," Shelley and George Sanders played the parents of an unearthly son (Martin Stephens). The boy was one of several children born on the same day to residents of the British village of Midwich . 

Shelley guest starred in "From Venus with Love," the Season 5 episode of the 1960s British TV series "The Avengers." It was the first show filmed in color and a part of the second season available to American television. In the episode, John Steed (Patrick Macnee) and Emma Peel (Dame Diana Rigg) investigated the mysterious deaths of several amateur astronomers. Their search led to an astronomical society devoted to the planet Venus. The group was headed by Venus Brown (played by Shelley, pictured below with Rigg). 

Shelley co-starred with James Donald and Andrew Keir in "Quatermass and the Pit" (titled "Five Million Years from Earth" in the U.S.). The British-made sci-fi film was the third screen installment in the adventures of Professor Bernard Quatermass (Keir). The fictional scientist was played by Brian Donlevy in the films "The Quatermass Xperiment" (1955) and "Quatermass 2" (1957). This installment was based on TV's "The Quatermass Pit," and focused on an important discovery in London's subway system, known as the Underground.

 

James Swanton

@jamescswanton

 

Barbara Shelley has died. She matched Christopher Lee's Dracula and Rasputin for blazing bravura. She became the cat girl and the Gorgon; fought the mad medicos of Wolfit and Cushing; inhabited a village of the damned and channelled the Martians. Our greatest horror actress.

 

4:47 AM · Jan 4, 2021·Twitter Web App

 

Nicola Bryant

@thenicolabryant

 

So very sad to hear of the passing of #BarbaraShelley. A darling person and a talented actress. When we worked together on Planet of Fire she was so kind to me. She gave me a little owl, still in my possession and some good advice. #RIPBarbaraShelley Wise and wonderful lady.

 

 

6:39 AM · Jan 4, 2021·Twitter for iPhone

What A Lovely Bombshell,.

💝💝💝💝💝💖💖👙🌈

[NipkowDisc]

"I will have to stake you now, Helen"

[Aritosthenes]

9 minutes ago, NipkowDisc said:

"I will have to stake you now, Helen"

But the ? Is..

 

 

 

What would Captain Kronos Say to That ?? ..