Yvonne Monlaur (born Yvonne-Thérèse-Marie-Camille Bédat de Monlaur; 15 December 1939 – 18 April 2017) was a French film actress of the late 1950s and 1960s best known for her roles in the Hammer horror films.

Yvonne Monlaur
Monlaur in Gerarchi si muore (1961)
Born
Yvonne-Thérèse-Marie-Camille Bédat de Monlaur

(1939-12-15)15 December 1939
Died18 April 2017(2017-04-18) (aged 77)
Paris, France
OccupationActress
Years active1956–1967

Early years

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Monlaur was born in Paris, France.[1] Her father, Pierre Bédat de Monlaur (fr), was a poet, descended from the French comital family of d'Escoubès de Monlaur;[2][3][4] her mother was a ballet dancer.[5] As a child, she studied ballet, and as a teenager she was a fashion model.[1]

Career

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Monlaur starred in the 1958 Italian film Three Strangers in Rome, which was among Claudia Cardinale's earliest films, and in 1960 in the horror film Circus of Horrors alongside prominent actors in British film such as Anton Diffring and Donald Pleasence. In 1960, she also starred in the Hammer horror film The Brides of Dracula alongside other noted British actors of the day Peter Cushing and Freda Jackson and in The Terror of the Tongs (1961) with Christopher Lee.[6]

Monlaur screentested for the role of Domino Derval in the 1965 James Bond film Thunderball. The role eventually went to another French actress, Claudine Auger.[7]

Later years

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After working on a number of German and Italian films, Monlaur left the industry and returned to Paris. She attended a few film conventions, which included tributes to her time working on the Hammer films.

Death

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Monlaur died in Paris, France, on 18 April 2017, aged 77, survived by her only son Alexis.[1][8]

Selected filmography

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Year Title Role Director
1956 Mannequins of Paris Janine André Hunebelle
1958 Three Strangers in Rome Nanda Claudio Gora
1960 Inn for Trouble Yvette Dupres C.M. Pennington-Richards
1960 Circus of Horrors Nicole Vanet Sidney Hayers
1960 The Brides of Dracula Marianne Terence Fisher
1960 It Started in Naples Melville Shavelson
1961 The Terror of the Tongs Lee Anthony Bushell
1961 Gerarchi si muore Rosalina Giacomo Simonelli
1962 Ladies' Man Claudia Bernard Borderie
1962 Hawk of the Caribbean Arica Mageiras Piero Regnoli
1964 License to Kill Mireille Henri Decoin
1965 Heaven on One's Head Françoise Yves Ciampi

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Yvonne Monlaur, 77". Classic Images (504): 55. June 2017.
  2. ^ Le Petit Journal- L'Hebdo local du Gers, 18 March 2016, 'Pierre Bédat de Monlaur avait assuré la promotion de la daube de Seissan' URL= https://www.pressreader.com/france/le-petit-journal-lhebdo-local-du-gers/20160318/281895887357643 Date accessed= 6 January 2019
  3. ^ Bulletin de la Société archéologique, historique, littéraire & scientifique du Gers, Volume 108, Issues 1-4, 2007, p. 105
  4. ^ Soares, Andre (24 October 2016). "Yvonne Monlaur: Cult Horror Film Actress + Bond Girl Contender". Thinking Film.
  5. ^ Biography, glamourgirlsofthesilverscreen.com; accessed 25 April 2017.
  6. ^ "Yvonne Monlaur profile". unifrance.org. Retrieved 25 April 2017.
  7. ^ Production notes for Thunderball, mi6.co.uk; accessed 25 April 2017.
  8. ^ "Yvonne Monlaur Official blog". Yvonnemonlaurofficialblog.blogspot.hr. 27 February 2004. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
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