Zienia Merton
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| Zienia Merton | |
|---|---|
| Born | 11 December 1945 Burma |
| Occupation | Actor |
Zienia Merton is a British actress born in Burma, 11 December 1945. Her mother was Burmese, and her father half English, half French. She was raised in Singapore, Borneo, Portugal, and England.
Her most famous role in probably that of Sandra Benes in Space: 1999, the science fiction series produced by Gerry Anderson and Sylvia Anderson in 1975-1976, with Martin Landau, Barbara Bain, and Barry Morse. In 1999 Merton starred in the Message from Moonbase Alpha short film professionally produced by enthusiasts and written by series writer Johnny Byrne. The short episode surprised everyone on its debut at the closing ceremony of the Breakaway convention in Los Angeles, California on September 13, 1999 - the same fictional date in the pilot episode of "Breakaway" when the moon is blasted out of Earth orbit. Regarded by many as the series' 49th and final episode, and providing a closure to the series, "Message" has since been released on DVD around the world.
Merton's other significant science fiction credit was as Ping-Cho in the 1964 Doctor Who story Marco Polo. This installment of the series is one of the missing stories, although an audio version has been pieced together from various sources and released along with fan reconstructions of the story using visual material available such as photographs and composite pictures.
Her other work includes Jason King (1971), and Return of the Saint (1979); and she was a lead actor as 'Christina' in the Dennis Potter television adaptation of Casanova with Frank Finlay. She also appeared on The Benny Hill Show in 1972, playing the wife of Hill's Chow Mein character. She also appeared in an episode of Lovejoy in 1986.
Zienia Merton also appeared in the film The Chairman (1969) with Gregory Peck, and has appeared several times in supporting roles on EastEnders, Casualty and The Bill.
Her autobiography, Anecdotes and Armadillos (with Robert Wood) was published in 2005.
