Zena Marshall

British actress (1926–2009)

Paul Adam

(m. 1947; div. 1953)

Alexander Ward

(m. 1967; div. 1969)

Ivan Foxwell

(m. 1991; died 2002)

Zena Moyra Marshall (1 January 1926 – 10 July 2009) was a British actress of film and television, who was born in Kenya.

Early years

Marshall was of English, Irish and (on her mother's side) French descent.^[1] Though born in Kenya, after her father's death and her mother's remarriage, Zena Marshall was brought up in Leicestershire, England.

Career

Marshall attended St Mary's, Ascot, and trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). She worked with Ensa (the Entertainments National Service Association) during the Second World War.^[2]

Marshall first acted on stage.^[1] Her film career began with a small role in Caesar and Cleopatra (1945), with Claude Rains and Vivien Leigh.^[3] Her exotic looks resulted in her being cast in "ethnic" roles, such as Asian women, including her role as the Chinese character Miss Taro, in the first James Bond film, Dr. No (1962).^[2]^[4] She also appeared in Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines (1965) as the Countess Ponticelli, and made numerous television appearances.^[3] Her last film performance was in The Terrornauts in 1967.^[5]

Personal life

Marshall married bandleader Paul Adam in 1947^[1] and later wed Alexander Ward,^[6] before her final marriage to film producer Ivan Foxwell (1914–2002).

Death

Zena Marshall died of cancer on 10 July 2009, aged 83. She was interred in St Thomas a Becket Churchyard, Skeffington, Harborough District, Leicestershire, England.^[7]^[1]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1945	Caesar and Cleopatra	Lady-in-Waiting	Uncredited
1947	The End of the River	Sante
1948	So Evil My Love	Lisette
1948	Snowbound	Italian Girl
1948	Miranda	Secretary
1948	Good-Time Girl	Annie Farrell
1948	Sleeping Car to Trieste	Suzanne
1949	The Bad Lord Byron	An Italian Woman	Uncredited
1949	Marry Me!	Marcelle Duclos
1949	Helter Skelter	Giselle
1949	The Lost People	Anna
1949	Meet Simon Cherry	Lisa Colville
1950	Operation Disaster	The Wren
1950	So Long at the Fair	Nina
1950	Soho Conspiracy	Dora Scala
1950	Dark Interval	Sonia Jordan
1951	Hell Is Sold Out	Honeychild
1952	Blind Man's Bluff	Christine Stevens
1952	The Caretaker's Daughter	Fritzi Villiers
1953	Deadly Nightshade	Ann Farrington
1953	Men Against the Sun	Elizabeth
1954	The Scarlet Web	Laura Vane
1954	The Embezzler	Mrs. Forrest
1955	Three Cases of Murder	Beautiful Blonde	(segment "Lord Mountdrago"), Uncredited
1956	Bermuda Affair	Chris Walters
1956	My Wife's Family	Hilda
1957	Let's Be Happy	Helene
1958	Dial 999 (TV series) ('Fashions in Crime', episode)	Laura Harris
1960	A Story of David: The Hunted	Naomi
1962	Crosstrap	Rina
1962	Dr. No	Miss Taro
1962	Backfire!	Pauline Logan	Edgar Wallace Mysteries
1962	The Guilty Party	Thelma Sinclair	The Scales of Justice
1963	The Switch	Caroline Markham
1964	The Verdict	Carola	Edgar Wallace Mysteries
1965	Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines	Countess Sofia Ponticelli
1967	The Terrornauts	Sandy Lund	(final film role)

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1950	The Adventures of Sir Percy Howsey	Margueritte	TV short
1952	The Inch Man	Helen Anastiadi	Episode: "The Quiet Voice"
1952	Sunday Night Theatre	Catherine	Episode: "The Portugal Lady"
1953	Your Favorite Story		Episode: "Work of Art"
1954	Liebelei	Mitzi Schlager	TV film
1955	Saber of London	Audrey Lipton	Episode: "The Serpent Beneath"
1956	Colonel March of Scotland Yard	Madeleine	Episode: "The Silent Vow"
1957	O.S.S.	Lucille Genet	Episode: "Operation Flint Axe"
1958	African Patrol	Stella Stevens	Episode: "No Place to Hide"
1958	The Invisible Man	Tania	Episode: "The Locked Room"
1960–1965	The Edgar Wallace Mystery Theatre (two appearances) (Edgar Wallace Mysteries)
1960–1964	Danger Man	Dr. LeClair, Mrs. Ramfi, Nadia	Episodes: "The Leak", "Find and Return", "Fish on the Hook"
1962	Sir Francis Drake	Maria	Episode: "The Bridge"
1962	Richard the Lionheart	Zara	Episode: "The Challenge"
1962	Man of the World	Madame Thiboeuf	Episode: "Death of a Conference"
1962	The Scales of Justice	Thelma Sinclair	Episode: "The Guilty Party"
1963	The Human Jungle	Vera Barclay	Episode: "Over and Out"
1963	The Sentimental Agent	Melina, Rita	Episodes: "A Little Sweetness and Light", "A Box of Tricks"
1964	Ghost Squad	Yvonne	Episode: "Dead Men Don't Drive"
1965	Dixon of Dock Green	Carol Wright	Episode: "Find the Lady"
1965	Public Eye	Jean Lawford	Episode: "You Have to Draw the Line Somewhere"
1966	Court Martial	Mara	Episode: "Let Slip the Dogs of War"

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Zena Marshall". The Herald. 17 July 2009. Archived from the original on 10 June 2017. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
^ ^a ^b Gaughan, Gavin (26 July 2009). "Zena Marshall Obituary". The Guardian.
^ ^a ^b "Zena Marshall". BFI. Archived from the original on 20 June 2016.
^ McFarlane, Brian; Slide, Anthony (16 May 2016). The Encyclopedia of British Film: Fourth edition. Manchester University Press. ISBN 978-1-5261-1196-8 – via Google Books.
^ "Zena Marshall | Movies and Filmography". AllMovie.
^ "Actress Accuses a Duchess". The Kansas City Times. Missouri, Kansas City. 29 April 1968. p. 2. Retrieved 10 June 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Obituary, heraldscotland.com; accessed 17 March 2020.