Pamela Salem, the British actress known for her work in the Doctor Who and James Bond franchises, died Wednesday at 80.
Big Finish Productions, a company that produces audio dramas and worked with Salem, confirmed her death in a tribute published Friday.
“Pamela Salem was lovely, and we all loved her,” producer David Richardson said in a statement. “Whenever there was a Big Finish recording for her, she’d fly in from Miami on her own steam, without fuss or fanfare, and appear at the studio armed with the warmest smiles, the biggest hugs and often presents. She was a very gentle person — always interested in everyone, from her co-stars to the production team to the guest actors and visitors.”
Born in India, Salem attended Heidelberg University in Germany and the Central School of Speech and Drama in London, before starting in repertory theater in Chesterfield and York.
She played the character of Toos in a 1977 Doctor Who adventure, “The Robots of Death,” and 11 years later portrayed a different character, Professor Rachel Jensen, in “Remembrance of the Daleks.” Salem reprised both roles in audio plays produced by Big Finish.
Her other TV credits included the cult British sci-fi show Blake’s 7, the soap opera Eastenders, and NBC’s The West Wing, on which she played the British prime minister. Salem also appeared in two Sean Connery films, 1978’s The Great Train Robbery and the 1983 James Bond adventure Never Say Never Again. In the latter movie, the actress portrayed the role of M’s secretary, Miss Moneypenny, a part which was cut down in the finished version.
Salem later told 007 Magazine that she “was terribly sorry that a lot of the office scenes were cut from the final film, but I mean that’s understandable, the public are paying to see Bond and all the action, not us in the office.”
