Alexandra Bastedo

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Alexandra Bastedo, Stuart Damon, and William Gaunt in The Champions (1968).

Alexandra Bastedo as featured on the sleeve of The Smiths' 1988 live album Rank.

Alexandra Bastedo (born March 9, 1946) is a British actress.

Best known for her role as super-powered secret agent Sharon Macready in the 1968 British espionage/science fiction adventure series The Champions, Bastedo was regarded as one of the most beautiful actresses of the 1960s.

She was born in Hove, East Sussex, England. Her husband is the director Patrick Garland, noted for his direction of the Chichester festival.

Bastedo gained fame in the continent earning her the nickname "La Bastedo". Although most familiar to viewers of 1960s TV, she was also famed for her multilingual skills, speaking Italian, Spanish, French and German. This skill brought her to the door of 10 Downing Street to assist with translations and landed her the role of co-presenter of Miss World competitions with Peter Marshall in the 1980s. In the early 1990s she appeared in an episode of Absolutely Fabulous playing a 1960s model associate of Edina and Patsy.

During a recent interview on the BBC television series Where Are They Now? Bastedo provided a glimpse into her private life. She is the president of her local RSPCA Branch, and her home is practically an animal sanctuary of its own. She spoke of the 1960s with fondness but mentioned a near nervous breakdown owing to the pressures of international stardom.

Bastedo has also written her autobiography, Beware Dobermanns, Donkeys and Ducks and several books on caring for cats & dogs.

She is still an active actress, recently appearing in Batman Begins, and touring theatres in 2006 with a production of Beyond Reasonable Doubt alongside Leslie Grantham and Simon Ward.

In 2006 Bastedo was reunited for the first time with her co-stars from The Champions to provide commentaries and an interview for a DVD release of the show.

[edit] Bibliography

Alexandra Bastedo, Beware dobermanns, donkeys and ducks (Parkwest: Robson Books, 1998).
Alexandra Bastedo and Jeannie Kemnitzer, Canine Care and Cuisine: The Healthy Dog Book (Parkwest: Robson Books, 2000).
Alexandra Bastedo and Jeannie Kemnitzer, The Healthy Cat Book: Feline Care and Cuisine (Parkwest: Robson Books, 2000).
Alexandra Bastedo and Jeannie Kemnitzer, The Healthy Dog Book (Parkwest: Robson, 2002).