Kurt: /* External links */

2023-01-16T18:15:53Z

External links

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:15, 16 January 2023
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	==External links==		==External links==
	~~{{wikiquote}}~~
	* {{official website\|http://www.valerieleon.com/}}		* {{official website\|http://www.valerieleon.com/}}
	* {{IMDb name\|0502538}}		* {{IMDb name\|0502538}}
	* [http://horrorstars.net/valerie-leon.html Valerie Leon] at HorrorStars		* [http://horrorstars.net/valerie-leon.html Valerie Leon] at HorrorStars
	* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/wiltshire/entertainment/films_and_tv/valerieleon.shtml Audio interview] at [http://www.bbc.co.uk/wiltshire BBC Wiltshire]		* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/wiltshire/entertainment/films_and_tv/valerieleon.shtml Audio interview] at [http://www.bbc.co.uk/wiltshire BBC Wiltshire]

	~~{{Authority control}}~~

	{{DEFAULTSORT:Leon, Valerie}}		{{DEFAULTSORT:Leon, Valerie}}

Kurt at 18:13, 16 January 2023

2023-01-16T18:13:59Z

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	{{short description\|English actress and model}}		{{short description\|English actress and model}}
	~~{{EngvarB\|date=January 2023}}~~
	~~{{Use British English\|date=January 2023}}~~
	~~{{Use dmy dates\|date=January 2023}}~~
	{{Infobox person		{{Infobox person
	\| name = Valerie Leon		\| name = Valerie Leon
	\| image = ~~<!-- filename only, no "File:" or "Image:" prefix, and no enclosing [[brackets]] -->~~		\| image = Valerie Leon.jpg
	\| alt = <!-- descriptive text for use by speech synthesis (text-to-speech) software -->		\| alt = <!-- descriptive text for use by speech synthesis (text-to-speech) software -->
	\| caption =		\| caption =
	\| birth_name = Valerie Therese Leon		\| birth_name = Valerie Therese Leon
	\| birth_date = {{birth date and age\|df=yes\|1943\|11\|12}}		\| birth_date = {{birth date and age\|df=yes\|1943\|11\|12}}
	\| birth_place = [[Hampstead]], London, England		\| birth_place = [[w:Hampstead\|Hampstead]], London, England
	\| occupation = {{hlist\|Actress\|model}}		\| occupation = {{hlist\|Actress\|model}}
	\| years_active = 1967–present		\| years_active = 1967–present

Kurt: 1 revision imported

2023-01-16T18:11:35Z

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en>AnomieBOT: Dating maintenance tags: {{Use British English}} {{Use dmy dates}} {{EngvarB}}

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Dating maintenance tags: {{Use British English}} {{Use dmy dates}} {{EngvarB}}

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{{short description|English actress and model}}
{{EngvarB|date=January 2023}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Valerie Leon
| image = 
| alt = 
| caption =
| birth_name = Valerie Therese Leon
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1943|11|12}}
| birth_place = [[Hampstead]], London, England
| occupation = {{hlist|Actress|model}}
| years_active = 1967–present
| spouse = {{Marriage|[[Michael Mills (British producer)|Michael Mills]]|1974|1988|end=died}}
| children = 2
| website = http://www.valerieleon.com/
}}
'''Valerie Therese Leon''' (born 12 November 1943) is an English actress and model who has had roles in film and television productions, including six of the ''[[Carry On (franchise)|Carry On]]'' film series and two [[James Bond (film series)|James Bond]] films, ''[[The Spy Who Loved Me (film)|The Spy Who Loved Me]]'' (1977) and ''[[Never Say Never Again]]'' (1983) alongside [[Roger Moore]] and [[Sean Connery]], respectively. She also had roles in high profile films such as ''[[The Italian Job]]'' (1969), ''[[The Wild Geese]]'' (1978) and ''[[Revenge of the Pink Panther]]'' (1978) and had a starring role in the [[Hammer horror]] film ''[[Blood from the Mummy's Tomb]]'' (1971).

Leon also appeared in the [[Hai Karate]] television adverts in the 1970s which gained her substantial publicity. She also became known globally as a [[sex symbol]] due to her glamorous looks and attractive figure, and was often referred to as the "English [[Raquel Welch]]".

==Early life==
Leon was born in [[Islington]], London in 1943 to Henry and Daphne Leon (née Ehrmann) and is the eldest of four children. Her father was a director of a textile company, and her mother, who trained at [[RADA]], ended her acting career to become a full-time mother.

After attending the [[Channing School for Girls]], Leon attended the [[College for Distributive Trades]] before moving to [[Paris]] to become an [[au pair girl]]. She did a spell of modelling before returning to England.

== Career ==
Leon's career began as a trainee fashion buyer at [[Harrods]]. In April 1965, Leon went to an audition which led to her becoming a chorus girl. Leon appeared in a touring production of ''[[The Belle of New York (musical)|The Belle of New York]]''. When the tour in Britain was cancelled after some weeks, Valerie contacted Central Casting and started to work as an extra in movies - her first film was ''[[That Riviera Touch]]'' (1966) starring [[Morecambe and Wise]], for which she was hired as a girl in bikini. Around the same time, she appeared with [[Barbra Streisand]] in ''[[Funny Girl (musical)|Funny Girl]]'' at the [[Prince of Wales Theatre]] in London's West End.

Leon appeared in six films of the [[Carry On (franchise)|''Carry On'']] series: ''[[Carry On Up The Khyber]]'' (1968), ''[[Carry On Camping]]'' (1969), ''[[Carry On Again Doctor]]'' (1969), ''[[Carry On Up the Jungle]]'' (1970), ''[[Carry On Matron]]'' (1972) and ''[[Carry On Girls]]'' (1973), and appeared in 2 James Bond films ''[[The Spy Who Loved Me (film)|The Spy Who Loved Me]]'' (1977) as a Hotel Receptionist and as Lady in Bahamas in ''[[Never Say Never Again]]'' (1983). Other film appearances include ''[[Revenge of the Pink Panther]]'', ''[[The Wild Geese]]'' (both 1978), ''[[The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer]]'' (1970, as the secretary Tanya), a hotel receptionist in ''[[The Italian Job]]'' (1969), and a [[callgirl]] in ''[[No Sex Please, We're British]]'' (1973). The [[Hammer horror]] film ''[[Blood from the Mummy's Tomb]]'' (1971) gave Leon a dual starring role, as a reincarnated Egyptian queen.

Leon's TV credits include ''[[The Saint (TV series)|The Saint]]'', ''[[Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)|Randall and Hopkirk]]'', ''[[Up Pompeii!]]'', ''[[The Avengers (TV series)|The Avengers]]'', ''[[Space: 1999]]'', ''[[The Persuaders!|The Persuaders]]'', ''[[Last of the Summer Wine]]'' and the 1968 version of [[Johnny Speight]]'s provocative comedy-drama ''If There Weren't Any Blacks You'd Have To Invent Them'' as a nurse.

Leon was also one of the women driven wild by a man wearing [[Hai Karate]] aftershave, in a successful series of British commercials for the product.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Cotter |first1=Robert |title=The Women of Hammer Horror: A Biographical Dictionary and Filmography |publisher=[[McFarland & Company]] |isbn=978-1-4766-8513-7 |pages=121 |url=https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/the-women-of-hammer-horror-soft/ |access-date=22 June 2022}}</ref> Leon parodied her role in ''[[The Goodies (TV series)|The Goodies]]'' episode "[[It Might as Well Be String]]" by attacking [[Tim Brooke-Taylor]].

She has also made appearances on stage in the UK in her reminiscence show, ''Up Front with Valerie Leon''.

==Personal life==
Leon was married to the television comedy producer [[Michael Mills (British producer)|Michael Mills]] from 1974 until his death in 1988. The couple had two children: a son, Leon, born in 1975 and a daughter, Merope, born in 1977.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.valerieleon.com/|title=Official website, including biography and showreel|website=Valerie Leon|access-date=29 December 2016}}</ref>

==Appearances in reference works==
*{{cite book|last=Paul|first=Louis|year=2008|title=Tales From the Cult Film Trenches; Interviews with 36 Actors from Horror, Science Fiction and Exploitation Cinema|chapter=Valerie Leon|pages=164–171|publisher=Wayne State University Press|location=Detroit|isbn=978-0-7864-2994-3}}

==Filmography==
===Film===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes
|-
|rowspan=2|1966 || ''[[That Riviera Touch]]'' || Girl in Bikini || uncredited
|-
|| ''[[The Sandwich Man (1966 film)|The Sandwich Man]]'' || Girl in Crowd || uncredited
|-
|rowspan=2|1967 || ''[[Mister Ten Per Cent]]'' || Girl at Theatre Party || uncredited
|-
|| ''[[Smashing Time]]'' || Tove's Secretary ||
|-
| 1968 || ''[[Carry On Up the Khyber]]'' || Hospitality Girl ||
|-
|rowspan=4|1969 || ''[[Carry On Camping]]'' || Miss Dobbin ||
|-
|| ''[[The Italian Job]]'' || Royal Lancaster Hotel receptionist ||
|-
|| ''[[Carry On Again Doctor]]'' || Deirdre ||
|-
|| ''[[Zeta One]]'' ||Atropos ||
|-
|rowspan=5|1970 || ''[[Carry On Up the Jungle]]'' || Leda ||
|-
|| ''[[A Promise of Bed|This, That and the Other]]'' || Bath Girl ||
|-
|| ''[[The Man Who Had Power Over Women]]'' || Glenda ||
|-
|| ''[[The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer]]'' || Tanya ||
|-
|| ''[[All the Way Up (film)|All the Way Up]]'' || Miss Hardwick ||
|-
|1971 || ''[[Blood from the Mummy's Tomb]]'' || Margaret Fuchs / Queen Tera ||
|-
|1972 || ''[[Carry On Matron]]'' || Jane Darling ||
|-
|rowspan=2|1973 || ''[[No Sex Please, We're British (film)|No Sex Please, We're British]]'' || Susan ||
|-
|| ''[[Carry On Girls]]'' || Paula Perkins ||
|-
|1974 || ''[[Can You Keep It Up for a Week?]]'' || Miss Hampton ||
|-
|1975 || ''[[The Ups and Downs of a Handyman]]'' || Redhead ||
|-
|1976 || ''[[Queen Kong]]'' || Queen of the Nabongas ||
|-
|1977 || ''[[The Spy Who Loved Me (film)|The Spy Who Loved Me]]'' || Hotel Receptionist ||
|-
|rowspan=2|1978 || ''[[The Wild Geese]]'' || Girl Dealer ||
|-
|| ''[[Revenge of the Pink Panther]]'' || Tanya ||
|-
|1983 || ''[[Never Say Never Again]]'' || Lady in Bahamas ||
|-
|rowspan=2|2006 || ''[[Alfred Hitchcock#Henleys|Gas]]'' || Hooker / Dentist Receptionist ||
|-
|| ''[[Brooklyn Film Festival#2006|A Neutral Corner]]'' || Flo ||
|-
|2015 || ''Golden Years'' || Gilda Parker ||
|-
|2016 || ''Pitfire of Hell'' || Margaret ||
|-
|2018 || ''For the Love of Ella'' || Tara ||
|-
|2020 || ''[[Spiteful Puppet#Jeepers Creepers (2020)|Jeepers Creepers]]'' || Fantasy Lover || voice
|-
|}

===Television===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes
|-
|1967 || ''[[The Saint (TV series)|The Saint]]'' || Therese || Episode: "To Kill a Saint"
|-
|1967 || ''[[The Baron (TV series)|The Baron]]'' || Film Actress || Episode: "Countdown"
|-
|1968 || ''If There Weren't Any Blacks You'd Have to Invent Them'' || Senior Nurse || TV film
|-
|1968 || ''[[The Avengers (TV series)|The Avengers]]'' || Betty || Episode: "Whoever Shot Poor George Oblique Stroke XR40?"
|-
|1969 || ''Galton and Simpson Comedy'' || Girl || Episode: "Friends in High Places"
|-
|1969 || ''[[Hark at Barker]]'' || Lady on Beach || Episode: "Rustless and the Solar System"
|-
|1969 || ''[[Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)]]'' || Kay || Episode: "That's How Murder Snowballs"
|-
|1970 || ''[[Up Pompeii!]]'' || Daili || Episode: "The Senator and the Asp"
|-
|1970 || ''[[The Des O'Connor Show]]'' || Various || 3 episodes
|-
|1971 || ''[[Misleading Cases]]'' || Rowena Stuke || Episode: "The Sitting Bird"
|-
|1971 || ''[[The Persuaders!]]'' || Space Queen || Episode: "The Long Goodbye"
|-
|1972 || ''[[The Organization (TV series)|The Organization]]'' || Prudence || Episode: "The Long Goodbye"
|-
|1972 || ''Scoop'' || Miss Barton || Episode: "The Stitch Service"
|-
|1972 || ''[[My Wife Next Door]]'' || Laura || Episode: "Dream Girl"
|-
|1972 || ''[[Carry On Christmas]]'' || Serving Wench || TV film
|-
|1973 || ''The Tarbuck Follies'' || Various || TV film
|-
|1973 || ''[[The Train Now Standing]]'' || Brenda || Episode: "A Night to Remember"
|-
|1973 || ''Nobody Is Norman Wisdom'' || Sylvia || Episode: #1.6
|-
|1973 || ''[[Bowler (TV series)|Bowler]]'' || Miss Ibbotson || Episode: "Bowler's Analysis"
|-
|1973 || ''[[Doctor in Charge]]'' || Miss Wedderburn || Episode: "In Place of Strife"
|-
|1974 || ''[[Special Branch (TV series)|Special Branch]]'' || Juanita Wayne || Episode: "Sounds Sinister"
|-
|1974 || ''The Jimmy Tarbuck Show'' || Various ||
|-
|1975 || ''[[Space: 1999]]'' || Thule Girl || Episode: "Death's Other Dominion"
|-
|1976 || ''[[The Goodies (TV series)|The Goodies]]'' || The Seductress || Episode: "It Might as Well Be String"
|-
|1977 || ''Mike Yarwood in Persons'' || Rose || Episode: #1.4
|-
|1977 || ''[[The Morecambe & Wise Show (1968 TV series)|The Morecambe & Wise Show]]'' || Various || Episode: "1977 Christmas Show"
|-
|1978 || ''[[Whodunnit? (UK game show)|Whodunnit?]]'' || Virginia || Episode: "A Dead Cert"
|-
|1978 || ''[[The Kenny Everett Video Cassette]]'' || Manicurist || Episode: "#1.1"
|-
|1978 || ''[[Happy Ever After (British TV series)|Happy Ever After]]'' || Fiona || Episode: "The More We Are Together"
|-
|1978 || ''[[Rings on Their Fingers]]'' || Cathie || Episode: "Lead Me to the Altar"
|-
|1979 || ''[[Morecambe and Wise|Morecambe and Wise at the BBC]]'' || Various || Episode: "28 February 1979"
|-
|1979 || ''[[Les Dawson|The Dawson Watch]]'' || Various || Episode: "The Family"
|-
|1980, 1984 || ''[[Kelly Monteith]]'' || Various || 2 episodes
|-
|1982 || ''[[Strangers (1978 TV series)|Strangers]]'' || Jeanette || Episode: "A Swift and Evil Rozzer"
|-
|1983 || ''[[Let There Be Love (TV series)|Let There Be Love]]'' || Yolanda || Episode: "Spilling the Beans"
|-
|1991 || ''Roy's Raiders'' || Lola Courtney || Episode: #1.4
|-
|2006 || ''[[Last of the Summer Wine]]'' || DW Cheetham || Episode: "Who's That Merry Man with Billy, Then?"
|-
|2007 || ''[[The Green Green Grass]]'' || Katia's Mother || Episode: "Lust in Translation"
|-
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
* {{official website|http://www.valerieleon.com/}}
* {{IMDb name|0502538}}
* [http://horrorstars.net/valerie-leon.html Valerie Leon] at HorrorStars
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/wiltshire/entertainment/films_and_tv/valerieleon.shtml Audio interview] at [http://www.bbc.co.uk/wiltshire BBC Wiltshire]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leon, Valerie}}
[[Category:1943 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Actresses from London]]
[[Category:English film actresses]]
[[Category:English television actresses]]
[[Category:People from Hampstead]]
[[Category:20th-century English actresses]]
[[Category:21st-century English actresses]]

Valerie Leon - Revision history

Kurt: /* External links */

Kurt at 18:13, 16 January 2023

Kurt: 1 revision imported

en>AnomieBOT: Dating maintenance tags: {{Use British English}} {{Use dmy dates}} {{EngvarB}}