British actress Pamela Salem, who starred alongside Sean Connery as Miss Moneypenny in the 1983 James Bond film “Never Say Never Again,” has died at age 80, production company Big Finish announced Friday.
Salem, who was born in India in 1944, also worked with the late Connery in the 1978 comedy heist movie “The First Great Train Robbery.”
Her TV career included roles in TV shows including “ER,” “The West Wing” and “Doctor Who.”
Salem, who moved to the US in the 1990s, also enjoyed a career as a co-writer and radio and theatre producer alongside her husband Michael O’Hagan, Big Finish said.
Big Finish producer David Richardson led tributes to “lovely” Salem, recalling: “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.
He added: “As a performer, she’d been on my radar since I was a child – I’d seen and enjoyed her in Jason King, Doctor Who, Blake’s 7, Into the Labyrinth… as I grew up she was Miss Moneypenny in Never Say Never Again, appeared in dozens of episodes of EastEnders and after moving to the US guest starred in ER and The West Wing. Pamela had an extraordinary career and carried it lightly.”
