Maryam d'Abo

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Maryam d'Abo

Maryam d'Abo in July 1987.
Born (1960-12-27) 27 December 1960
Hammersmith, London, England, United Kingdom
Occupation Actress
Years active 1983–present
Spouse(s) Hugh Hudson (2003–present)

Maryam d'Abo (born 27 December 1960) is an English film and television actress, best known as Bond girl Kara Milovy in the 1987 James Bond film The Living Daylights.

Early life

Born in London to Georgian mother Nino Kvinitadze (born in 1920 and daughter of Georgian general Giorgi Kvinitadze) and Dutch father Peter Claude Holland d'Abo (born on 7 October 1917), d'Abo was raised in Paris and Geneva.[1]

She decided to be an actress at the age of 11.[citation needed] She studied at Drama Centre London, while working as a model in adverts.[citation needed]

Career

In 1983, d'Abo made her screen debut in the successful low-budget science fiction horror film Xtro, playing Analise Mercier, a French au pair, who becomes a human incubator for an alien.

In 1985, she made a brief appearance as 'French girlfriend' in White Nights.[2]

In 1987, she starred in The Living Daylights as Kara Milovy, the sweet and vulnerable Czechoslovakian cellist and sniper who falls for James Bond. As a tie-in with the film, she also appeared in a Bond-themed Playboy cover and multi-page pictorial in the September 1987 issue,[3] but later said "I wouldn't do those pictures now... I've learned a lot since then" in an interview with People.[1]

In 1988, she had a well-received role as Ta'Ra, an alien medical officer in the science fiction TV miniseries Something is Out There, which was followed by a six-episode NBC mini-series by the same name.

In 1992, she had a supporting role as a pretentious stained-glass artist in the quirky, low-budget British comedy Leon the Pig Farmer, which enjoyed a positive reception at film festivals in Venice, London, Edinburgh, and Palm Springs, California. In 1994, she appeared in The Browning Version, directed by Mike Figgis.

Since then, she has had roles in various low-budget, straight-to-video action, horror and fantasy films such as Tomcat: Dangerous Desires (1992), as well as guest roles on television shows Tales From the Crypt (1993), Red Shoe Diaries (1992), Murder, She Wrote (1992).

She reunited with her James Bond director John Glen for a guest-starring role on the television series Space Precinct and for the feature film The Point Men (2001). Glen later claimed that the reason he cast her in three different projects was because she was one of his favourite actresses.[4] She played the mother of Lara (played by Keira Knightley) in the 2002 TV miniseries version of Doctor Zhivago, and she was Queen Hecuba in the Emmy-nominated miniseries Helen of Troy (2003). In 2005, she had a small role in the well-received French film L'Enfer (Hell), co-written by Krzysztof Kieslowski and starring Emmanuelle Béart and Carole Bouquet (also a Bond girl).

In 2002, d'Abo co-wrote the book Bond Girls Are Forever, a tribute to the women who have played the role of a Bond Girl. The book formed the basis for a documentary, featuring d'Abo and other famed Bond girls, including Ursula Andress. The documentary appeared on the American AMC network in 2002, timed to coincide with the theatrical release of Die Another Day. It was later included as a gift with the purchase of Die Another Day on DVD by some retailers. In 2006, a new version of the documentary, updated to include interviews with cast from Casino Royale (2006) was again aired on the AMC network and later released as a bonus feature on the March 2007 Blu-ray Disc and DVD release.

In 2007, she had surgery for a brain haemorrhage from which she recovered. It inspired her to meet other people who had similar experiences. In 2009, she worked on a documentary on this topic.[5]

Maryam d'Abo is signed to Models 1.[6]

She is appearing in a 2013 Indian film, White Lies, now in post-production.[7]

Personal life

She is a first cousin of the actress Olivia d'Abo.[8] She is also granddaughter of the anti-communist Georgian General Giorgi Kvinitadze.[9]

In November 2003, d'Abo married Hugh Hudson, the Oscar-nominated British director of Chariots of Fire (1981), Greystoke - The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984), and Revolution (1985).

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Alexander, Michael (24 August 1987). "Maryam D'Abo Hopes to Bring the James Bond Girl Out of the Dark Ages in The Living Daylights". People. 
  2. "White Nights credits". Internet Movie Database. 
  3. List of people in Playboy 1980–89
  4. "Maryam d'Abo: 'An electric thunderstorm exploded in my head'". Daily Mail (London). 31 May 2009. 
  5. "Maryam D'abo – Portfolio". Models 1. Retrieved 29 May 2012. 
  6. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001881/
  7. "Maryam d'Abo – Biography". Internet Movie Database. 
  8. Ferrand, Jacques (1983), Familles princières de Géorgie: essai de reconstitution généalogique (1880–1983) de 21 familles reconnues princières par l'Empire de Russie, p. 125. Montreuil, France: J. Ferrand

External links

Preceded by
Tanya Roberts
Bond girl
1987
Succeeded by
Carey Lowell
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