Catherine Schell
Encyclopedia
Katherina Freiin Schell von Bauschlott (born 17 July 1944, in Budapest
) is an Hungarian-born actress best known for her work on British televison.
Schell rose to fame in various British
film and television productions in the 1960s and 1970s. She acted under the name Catherine von Schell early in her career, but is better known by the name Catherine Schell.
for Hungary; her mother was Countess Katharina Maria Etelka Georgina Elisabeth Teleki de Szék. At the beginning of the Second World War, the Nazis confiscated her parents' estates. Fleeing Hungary
in advance of the Russians
and Communism
, the family lived in poverty until 1948, finding asylum first in Vienna
and Salzburg
. In 1950, they migrated to the United States
, where Schell's father gained US citizenship
. Schell entered a convent school in the New York City
borough of Staten Island
. In 1957, Paul Schell joined Radio Free Europe
and the family moved to Munich
, where Catherine developed an interest in acting and attended the prestigious Otto Falckenberg Academy of Performing Arts.
and Maria Schell
.
Through a German great-grandfather, Schell is related to Louis XIV of France
, Philip II, Duke of Orléans, Regent of France, and Francis I
, Holy Roman Emperor
.
: "Lana - Königin der Amazonen").
While filming The Amsterdam Affair in 1968 she met and married her first husband, the British actor William Marlowe
(1932–2004) and moved to London.
In 1969, she appeared as Bond girl "Nancy" in the George Lazenby
James Bond
film On Her Majesty's Secret Service
and as Clementine Taplin in the science fiction thriller Moon Zero Two
.
In 1972, she appeared for the first time under the name Catherine Schell in Madame Sin
, an American
television movie
starring Bette Davis
. In 1975, she appeared opposite Peter Sellers
in the comedy The Return of the Pink Panther
as Lady Claudine Lytton. It is frequently claimed that her tendency to break
into uncontrollable laughter at Sellers's antics as inspector Clouseau ruined many takes. The final print of the film repeatedly shows Schell attempting to stifle laughter at Sellers's behaviour, both at the Lytton residence and during the nightclub bar scene. Although these scenes are frequently proffered as classic examples of corpsing
, it is worth noting that Schell has maintained in interviews that she considered it in character for Lady Lytton to be amused at Clouseau, whom she does not see as a serious threat (an attitude made explicit during her banter with her husband at the film's climax in her hotel room).
television science fiction series Space: 1999
entitled Guardian of Piri, playing the guardian's robotic servant. She returned as a regular cast member in the second season in the role of Maya
the alien "metamorph" from the planet Psychon, perhaps her most popular character.
Her marriage to Marlowe was dissolved in 1977 and she met the director Bill Hays. They married in 1982 and in 1984 worked together on the TV production of A Month in the Country.
In 1979, she appeared in a popular serial of the BBC series Doctor Who
entitled City of Death
as the Countess Scarlioni, wife of the episode's villain. She also played regular roles in other television series such as The Adventurer, One by One
, Mog
and Wish Me Luck
, in addition to many other guest appearances, including The Persuaders!
, The Troubleshooters, Arthur of the Britons
, Return of the Saint
, The Sweeney
, The Onedin Line
, The Gentle Touch
, Lovejoy
, Bergerac
, The Bill
and Howards' Way
.
, France
which was a popular destination for fans of Space: 1999. She reportedly sold the inn after her husband died. Schell made her first convention appearance in New York
during MainMission:2000, the 25th anniversary convention for Space:1999, but has appeared only one other time at a convention, largely due to the declining health of her second husband, Bill Hays
, who died on 6 March 2006.
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
) is an Hungarian-born actress best known for her work on British televison.
Schell rose to fame in various British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
film and television productions in the 1960s and 1970s. She acted under the name Catherine von Schell early in her career, but is better known by the name Catherine Schell.
Early life
Schell's father, Baron Paul Schell von Bauschlott, was a diplomatDiplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
for Hungary; her mother was Countess Katharina Maria Etelka Georgina Elisabeth Teleki de Szék. At the beginning of the Second World War, the Nazis confiscated her parents' estates. Fleeing Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
in advance of the Russians
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
and Communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
, the family lived in poverty until 1948, finding asylum first in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
and Salzburg
Salzburg
-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...
. In 1950, they migrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where Schell's father gained US citizenship
United States nationality law
Article I, section 8, clause 4 of the United States Constitution expressly gives the United States Congress the power to establish a uniform rule of naturalization. The Immigration and Naturalization Act sets forth the legal requirements for the acquisition of, and divestiture from, citizenship of...
. Schell entered a convent school in the New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
borough of Staten Island
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
. In 1957, Paul Schell joined Radio Free Europe
Radio Free Europe
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is a broadcaster funded by the U.S. Congress that provides news, information, and analysis to countries in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East "where the free flow of information is either banned by government authorities or not fully developed"...
and the family moved to Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, where Catherine developed an interest in acting and attended the prestigious Otto Falckenberg Academy of Performing Arts.
Family
Schell's brother Paul Rudolf (born 1940), now known as Paul von Schell, has appeared in some German-language productions, while another brother, Peter (1941–1968), died young. She is not related to the actors MaximilianMaximilian Schell
Maximilian Schell is an Austrian-born Swiss actor who won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in Judgment at Nuremberg in 1961...
and Maria Schell
Maria Schell
Maria Margarethe Anna Schell was an Austrian/Swiss actress, who won the Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival in 1956 for Gervaise....
.
Through a German great-grandfather, Schell is related to Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
, Philip II, Duke of Orléans, Regent of France, and Francis I
Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor
Francis I was Holy Roman Emperor and Grand Duke of Tuscany, though his wife effectively executed the real power of those positions. With his wife, Maria Theresa, he was the founder of the Habsburg-Lorraine dynasty...
, Holy Roman Emperor
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
.
Films
Under the name Catherine von Schell she made her film debut in 1964 as the title character in the little-known German-language film Lana: Queen of the Amazons (GermanGerman language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
: "Lana - Königin der Amazonen").
While filming The Amsterdam Affair in 1968 she met and married her first husband, the British actor William Marlowe
William Marlowe
William Marlowe was a British theatre, television and film actor.He served in the Fleet Air Arm and hoped for a career as a writer before training as an actor at RADA. His most famous role was probably that of Chief Supt. Thomas in The Chief...
(1932–2004) and moved to London.
In 1969, she appeared as Bond girl "Nancy" in the George Lazenby
George Lazenby
George Robert Lazenby is an Australian actor and former model, best known for portraying James Bond in the 1969 film On Her Majesty's Secret Service.-Early life:...
James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
film On Her Majesty's Secret Service
On Her Majesty's Secret Service (film)
On Her Majesty's Secret Service is the sixth spy film in the James Bond series, based on the 1963 novel of the same name by Ian Fleming. Following the decision of Sean Connery to retire from the role after You Only Live Twice, Eon Productions selected an unknown actor and model, George Lazenby...
and as Clementine Taplin in the science fiction thriller Moon Zero Two
Moon Zero Two
Moon Zero Two is a science fiction film produced by Hammer Films and released in 1969. It was billed as a 'space western' and followed shortly after the release of Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey in 1968...
.
In 1972, she appeared for the first time under the name Catherine Schell in Madame Sin
Madame Sin
Madame Sin is a 1972 British thriller film directed by David Greene and starring Bette Davis, Robert Wagner, Denholm Elliot and Gordon Jackson. The screenplay was written by Greene and Barry Oringer.-Plot summary:...
, an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television movie
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
starring Bette Davis
Bette Davis
Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis was an American actress of film, television and theater. Noted for her willingness to play unsympathetic characters, she was highly regarded for her performances in a range of film genres, from contemporary crime melodramas to historical and period films and occasional...
. In 1975, she appeared opposite Peter Sellers
Peter Sellers
Richard Henry Sellers, CBE , known as Peter Sellers, was a British comedian and actor. Perhaps best known as Chief Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther film series, he is also notable for playing three different characters in Dr...
in the comedy The Return of the Pink Panther
The Return of the Pink Panther
The Return of the Pink Panther is the fourth film in the Pink Panther series, released in 1975. The film stars Peter Sellers in the role of Inspector Clouseau in his third Panther appearance, after the original The Pink Panther and A Shot in the Dark.Herbert Lom also reprises his role as Chief...
as Lady Claudine Lytton. It is frequently claimed that her tendency to break
Breaking character
Breaking character, "to break character", is a theatrical term used to describe when an actor, while actively performing in character, slips out of character and behaves as his or her actual self...
into uncontrollable laughter at Sellers's antics as inspector Clouseau ruined many takes. The final print of the film repeatedly shows Schell attempting to stifle laughter at Sellers's behaviour, both at the Lytton residence and during the nightclub bar scene. Although these scenes are frequently proffered as classic examples of corpsing
Corpsing
Corpsing is a British theatrical slang term used to describe when an actor unintentionally breaks character during a scene by laughing or by causing another cast member to laugh...
, it is worth noting that Schell has maintained in interviews that she considered it in character for Lady Lytton to be amused at Clouseau, whom she does not see as a serious threat (an attitude made explicit during her banter with her husband at the film's climax in her hotel room).
Television
In 1975 she appeared in a first season episode of the ITCITC Entertainment
The Incorporated Television Company was a British television company largely involved in production and distribution. It was founded by Lew Grade.-History:...
television science fiction series Space: 1999
Space: 1999
Space: 1999 is a British science-fiction television series that ran for two seasons and originally aired from 1975 to 1977. In the opening episode, nuclear waste from Earth stored on the Moon's far side explodes in a catastrophic accident on 13 September 1999, knocking the Moon out of orbit and...
entitled Guardian of Piri, playing the guardian's robotic servant. She returned as a regular cast member in the second season in the role of Maya
Maya (Space: 1999)
Maya is a fictional character who appeared in the second series of the science fiction television program Space: 1999. Played by actress Catherine Schell , Maya was introduced in the second series opener 'The Metamorph'...
the alien "metamorph" from the planet Psychon, perhaps her most popular character.
Her marriage to Marlowe was dissolved in 1977 and she met the director Bill Hays. They married in 1982 and in 1984 worked together on the TV production of A Month in the Country.
In 1979, she appeared in a popular serial of the BBC series Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
entitled City of Death
City of Death
-Pre-production:Writer David Fisher had contributed two scripts to Doctor Whos sixteenth season – The Stones of Blood and The Androids of Tara – and was asked by producer Graham Williams for further story ideas...
as the Countess Scarlioni, wife of the episode's villain. She also played regular roles in other television series such as The Adventurer, One by One
One By One (TV series)
One By One is a British television series made by the BBC between 1984 and 1987.The series, created by Anthony Read, followed the career of international veterinarian David Taylor and his work caring for exotic animals at zoos in Britain, from the 1950s to the 1970s...
, Mog
Mog (TV series)
Mog was a British television comedy from 1985 and 1986 about a cat burglar living in a psychiatric hospital. It starred Enn Reitel as the title character, who is only faking insanity. It was based on Peter Tinniswood's 1970 novel of the same name. It was made for the ITV network by Central...
and Wish Me Luck
Wish Me Luck
Wish Me Luck is a British television drama about the exploits of British women undercover agents during the Second World War. The series was made by London Weekend Television for the ITV network between 1987 and 1989 and created by Lavinia Warner and Jill Hyem, who had previously produced and...
, in addition to many other guest appearances, including The Persuaders!
The Persuaders!
The Persuaders! is a 1971 action/adventure series, produced by ITC Entertainment for initial broadcast on ITV and ABC. It has been called "the last major entry in the cycle of adventure series that had begun eleven years earlier with Danger Man in 1960", as well as "the most ambitious and most...
, The Troubleshooters, Arthur of the Britons
Arthur of the Britons
Arthur of the Britons is a British television show about the historical King Arthur. Produced by the HTV regional franchise, it consisted of two series, released between 1972 and 1973...
, Return of the Saint
Return of the Saint
Return of the Saint was a British action-adventure television series that aired for one season in 1978 and 1979 in Britain on ITV, and was also broadcast on CBS in the United States...
, The Sweeney
The Sweeney
The Sweeney is a 1970s British television police drama focusing on two members of the Flying Squad, a branch of the Metropolitan Police specialising in tackling armed robbery and violent crime in London...
, The Onedin Line
The Onedin Line
The Onedin Line is a BBC television drama series which ran from 1971 to 1980. The series was created by Cyril Abraham.The series is set in Liverpool from 1860 to 1886 and deals with the rise of a shipping line, the Onedin Line, named after its owner James Onedin...
, The Gentle Touch
The Gentle Touch
The Gentle Touch is a British police drama television series made by London Weekend Television for ITV which ran from 1980-1984. Commencing transmission on 11 April 1980, the series is notable for being the first British series to feature a female police detective as its leading character, ahead of...
, Lovejoy
Lovejoy
Lovejoy is a TV series about the adventures of Lovejoy, a British antiques dealer and faker based in East Anglia, a less than scrupulous yet likeable rogue. The episodes were based on a series of picaresque novels by John Grant...
, Bergerac
Bergerac (TV series)
Bergerac was a British television show set on Jersey. Produced by the BBC in association with the Seven Network, and screened on BBC1, it starred John Nettles as the title character Detective Sergeant Jim Bergerac, a detective in "Le Bureau des Étrangers" Bergerac was a British television show...
, The Bill
The Bill
The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...
and Howards' Way
Howards' Way
Howards' Way is a television drama series produced by BBC Birmingham and transmitted on BBC One between 1 September 1985 and 25 November 1990. The series deals with the personal and professional lives of the yachting and business communities in the fictional town of Tarrant on the South Coast of...
.
Retirement
Schell's acting career continued into the mid-1990s, after which she retired from acting and opened Chambre d'Hôtes Valentin, a small guesthouse in Bonneval, Haute-LoireBonneval, Haute-Loire
Bonneval is a commune in the Haute-Loire department in south-central France....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
which was a popular destination for fans of Space: 1999. She reportedly sold the inn after her husband died. Schell made her first convention appearance in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
during MainMission:2000, the 25th anniversary convention for Space:1999, but has appeared only one other time at a convention, largely due to the declining health of her second husband, Bill Hays
Bill Hays (director)
Bill Hays was a British television director who is best remembered for the award-winning Orde Wingate and Rock Follies, a BBC adaptation of A Month in the Country, the acclaimed The Tale of Beatrix Potter and the musical Close the Coalhouse Door.Hays also helmed the second and third series of the...
, who died on 6 March 2006.
Books
Schell contributed a foreword to the Space: 1999 novel, "Born for Adversity", written by David McIntee. The novel was published in February 2010 by Powys Media.Selected filmography
- Amsterdam AffairAmsterdam AffairAmsterdam Affair is a 1968 British crime film directed by Gerry O'Hara and starring Wolfgang Kieling, William Marlowe, Catherine Schell and Pamela Ann Davy. Dutch policeman Van Der Valk investigates a novelist who is accused of murdering his mistress...
(1968) - On Her Majesty's Secret ServiceOn Her Majesty's Secret Service (film)On Her Majesty's Secret Service is the sixth spy film in the James Bond series, based on the 1963 novel of the same name by Ian Fleming. Following the decision of Sean Connery to retire from the role after You Only Live Twice, Eon Productions selected an unknown actor and model, George Lazenby...
(1969) - Madame SinMadame SinMadame Sin is a 1972 British thriller film directed by David Greene and starring Bette Davis, Robert Wagner, Denholm Elliot and Gordon Jackson. The screenplay was written by Greene and Barry Oringer.-Plot summary:...
(1972) - The Black WindmillThe Black WindmillThe Black Windmill is a 1974 British spy thriller directed by Don Siegel and starring Michael Caine, John Vernon, Janet Suzman and Donald Pleasence The screenplay by Leigh Vance is based on Clive Egleton's novel Seven Days to a Killing. The story involves a British secret service agent, John...
(1974) - CallanCallan (film)Callan is a 1974 British thriller film directed by Don Sharp and starring Edward Woodward, Eric Porter and Carl Möhner. It was based on the television series Callan.-Cast:* Edward Woodward ... David Callan* Eric Porter ... Hunter...
(1974) - The Return of the Pink PantherThe Return of the Pink PantherThe Return of the Pink Panther is the fourth film in the Pink Panther series, released in 1975. The film stars Peter Sellers in the role of Inspector Clouseau in his third Panther appearance, after the original The Pink Panther and A Shot in the Dark.Herbert Lom also reprises his role as Chief...
(1975)
External links
- Destination: Moonbase Alpha - The Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to Space: 1999.