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

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi ...

Early years

Marshall was of English, Irish and (on her mother's side) French descent. 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 The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA; ) is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the Senat ...

(RADA). She worked with Ensa (the Entertainments National Service Association) during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. Marshall first acted on stage. Her film career began with a small role in '' Caesar and Cleopatra'' (1945), with Claude Rains and Vivien Leigh. 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). She also appeared in '' Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines'' (1965) as the Countess Ponticelli, and made numerous television appearances. Her last film performance was in '' The Terrornauts'' in 1967.

Personal life

Marshall married bandleader Paul Adam in 1947 and later wed Alexander Ward, before her final marriage to film producer Ivan Foxwell (1914–2002). All these unions were childless.

Death

Zena Marshall died of cancer in 2009, aged 83. She was interred in St Thomas a Becket Churchyard, Skeffington, Harborough District, Leicestershire, England.Obituary
heraldscotland.com; accessed 17 March 2020.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Marshall, Zena 1926 births 2009 deaths Actresses from London Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art British people of English descent British people of French descent British people of Irish descent British film actresses British television actresses Deaths from cancer in England People educated at St Mary's School, Ascot Actors from Leicestershire 20th-century British actresses 20th-century English women 20th-century English people