Margaret Lee (British actress)
Encyclopedia
Margaret Lee is a British actress who was a popular leading lady in Italian
films in the 1960s and 1970s. She is the mother of production manager/producer Roberto Malerba (from her marriage to Gino Malerba) and production coordinator Damian Anderson.
; graduating in 1960. She moved to Rome
shortly afterwards to pursue a career in films. Her film debut came in the sword and sandal
adventure Fire Monsters Against the Son of Hercules
(1962), where she played the female lead alongside Reg Lewis
, but it was a string of popular comedies that initially made Lee a star in Italy. With a blonde, fluffy look modelled after Marilyn Monroe
, Lee spent the first half of the 1960s appearing in numerous Italian comedies and parodies - several of which starred the popular comedic duo Franco Franchi
and Ciccio Ingrassia
. Few of these films received much (if any) distribution in English-speaking territories but they were highly successful in Italy, and made Lee a well-known film actress.
, where she was frequently cast as sexy femme fatales. Her appearance also changed as she dropped the blonde Marilyn Monroe
-inspired look and became a brunette instead. Some of the most famous Eurospy films Lee starred in were An Orchid for the Tiger (1965) by Claude Chabrol
, Agent 077 From the Orient with Fury
(1965) by Sergio Grieco
and Kiss the Girls and Make Them Die
(1966) by Henry Levin
.
, who gave Lee wider international recognition by casting her in prominent roles in several of his all-star cast productions; starting with the British thriller Circus of Fear
(1966), directed by John Llewellyn Moxey
. Towers also cast Lee in the spy-comedy Our Man in Marrakesh
(1966), directed by Don Sharp
; the action film Five Golden Dragons
(1967), directed by Jeremy Summers
; the thrillers Venus in Furs
(1969) and The Bloody Judge (1970), both directed by Jesús Franco
; and finally in Dorian Gray
(1970), directed by Massimo Dallamano.
Lee's co-star in Circus of Fear
, Five Golden Dragons
and Venus in Furs
was the renowned German actor Klaus Kinski
(who was also a regular in Harry Alan Towers productions). The pairing of Lee and Kinski would prove to be very popular among cinema-goers - especially in Italy - so they would continue to act together until the early 1970s; appearing in a total of 12 films together.
Outside of her work for Towers, Lee didn't appear in any further international films but in 1972 she guest starred in the British TV series The Protectors
, in the episode "The Numbers Game".
. Lee also starred with Dorelli in his film debut Arriva Dorellik (1967).
Lee also starred as Cinderella
in the Italian TV special Il Cenerentola in 1969.
's extremely sleazy and violent thriller Slaughter Hotel (1971). She would eventually disappear from the Italian movie scene in 1974, and return to England. Lee returned to Italy in 1981, however, and made a minor movie comeback in Dino Risi's comedy Sesso e volentieri (1982), which reunited her with her old co-star Johnny Dorelli. But Lee's comeback was to be a short one as she only appeared in one further film, the very obscure crime-comedy Neapolitan Sting (1983), before retiring from movies altogether.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
films in the 1960s and 1970s. She is the mother of production manager/producer Roberto Malerba (from her marriage to Gino Malerba) and production coordinator Damian Anderson.
Early career
Lee was educated at the Italia Conti Theatre School in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
; graduating in 1960. She moved to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
shortly afterwards to pursue a career in films. Her film debut came in the sword and sandal
Sword and sandal
The Peplum , also known as Sword-and-Sandal, is a genre of largely Italian-made Historical or Biblical Epics that dominated the Italian film industry from 1957 to 1965, eventually being replaced in 1965 by the "Spaghetti Western"...
adventure Fire Monsters Against the Son of Hercules
Fire Monsters Against the Son of Hercules
Fire Monsters Against the Son of Hercules is a 1962 Italian film directed by Guido Malatesta.The film is also known as Colossus of the Stone Age .- Cast :...
(1962), where she played the female lead alongside Reg Lewis
Reg Lewis
Reginald "Reg" Lewis was an English footballer.Born in Bilston, Staffordshire, Lewis spent his entire career at Arsenal. He joined the club as a schoolboy in 1935, and scored on his debut against Everton on January 1, 1938. He made only four appearances in 1937-38, however, and as a result missed...
, but it was a string of popular comedies that initially made Lee a star in Italy. With a blonde, fluffy look modelled after Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe was an American actress, singer, model and showgirl who became a major sex symbol, starring in a number of commercially successful motion pictures during the 1950s....
, Lee spent the first half of the 1960s appearing in numerous Italian comedies and parodies - several of which starred the popular comedic duo Franco Franchi
Franco Franchi
Franco Franchi was an Italian comedian.He was born in Palermo, Sicily and began his career in the 1950s, although his career only really took off in the 1960s...
and Ciccio Ingrassia
Ciccio Ingrassia
Ciccio Ingrassia was an Italian comedian.He was born in Palermo, Sicily and began his career in the 1950s, although his career only really took off in the 1960s. He starred in many comedies, mainly as a duo with comedian Franco Franchi...
. Few of these films received much (if any) distribution in English-speaking territories but they were highly successful in Italy, and made Lee a well-known film actress.
Eurospy films
Around the mid 1960s, Lee moved away from comedies and started appearing in a long line of Eurospy filmsEurospy films
Eurospy films is a nickname for the genre of European films that imitated and spoofed the James Bond 007 series of films. The Eurospy genre was highly prolific in the years from the end of 1964 when Goldfinger was released until 1967 following the release of You Only Live Twice or the demise of...
, where she was frequently cast as sexy femme fatales. Her appearance also changed as she dropped the blonde Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe was an American actress, singer, model and showgirl who became a major sex symbol, starring in a number of commercially successful motion pictures during the 1950s....
-inspired look and became a brunette instead. Some of the most famous Eurospy films Lee starred in were An Orchid for the Tiger (1965) by Claude Chabrol
Claude Chabrol
Claude Chabrol was a French film director, a member of the French New Wave group of filmmakers who first came to prominence at the end of the 1950s...
, Agent 077 From the Orient with Fury
Agent 077 From the Orient with Fury
Agent 077 From the Orient With Fury or Agent 077 Fury in the Orient or Agente 077 dall'oriente con furore is a 1965 Italian action spy adventure film of the Secret Agent 077 film series directed by Sergio Grieco...
(1965) by Sergio Grieco
Sergio Grieco
Sergio Grieco was an Italian film director and screenwriter.He directed nearly 40 films between 1950 and 1977...
and Kiss the Girls and Make Them Die
Se Tutte le Donne del Mondo
Se Tutte le Donne del Mondo is a James Bond spoof movie released in 1966. Originally filmed under the title Operation Paradise from January to March 1966 in most of the world, the English title was If All the Women in the World. It was released in the U.S...
(1966) by Henry Levin
Henry Levin
Henry Levin began as a stage actor and director but was most notable as an American film director of over fifty feature films. He broke into film in 1943 as a dialogue director for the films Dangerous Blondes and Appointment in Berlin for Columbia Pictures...
.
International career
Lee's beauty and talent also caught the eye of international film producer Harry Alan TowersHarry Alan Towers
Harry Alan Towers was a British-born radio and film producer and screenwriter, regularly using the pseudonym Peter Welbeck. He produced over a hundred feature films and continued to write and produce well into his eighties...
, who gave Lee wider international recognition by casting her in prominent roles in several of his all-star cast productions; starting with the British thriller Circus of Fear
Circus of Fear
Circus of Fear is a 1966 British-German international co-production thriller film starring Christopher Lee, Suzy Kendall, Cecil Parker and Victor Maddern. The U.S. title was Psycho-Circus. It was based on a novel by Edgar Wallace.-Plot:...
(1966), directed by John Llewellyn Moxey
John Llewellyn Moxey
John Llewellyn Moxey is an Argentinian film and television director. He is best known for directing film The City of the Dead and directing episodes of The Saint, Magnum, P.I. and Murder, She Wrote.-Life and career:Moxey was born in Argentina in 1925...
. Towers also cast Lee in the spy-comedy Our Man in Marrakesh
Our Man in Marrakesh
Our Man in Marrakesh is a 1966 British comedy film directed by Don Sharp, starring Tony Randall and Senta Berger.-Plot:...
(1966), directed by Don Sharp
Don Sharp
Donald Sharp is a British film director.His most famous films were made for Hammer Studios in the sixties, and included The Kiss of the Vampire and Rasputin, the Mad Monk . Also in 1965 he directed The Face of Fu Manchu, based on the character created by Sax Rohmer, here played by Christopher Lee...
; the action film Five Golden Dragons
Five Golden Dragons
Five Golden Dragons is a 1967 action film directed by Jeremy Summers and starring Robert Cummings. -Cast:* Robert Cummings - Bob Mitchell* Margaret Lee - Magda* Rupert Davies - Comm...
(1967), directed by Jeremy Summers
Jeremy Summers
Jeremy Summers is a retired British television director and film director, best known for his directorship of ITC productions in the 1960s and 1970s, most notably The Saint.-Background:...
; the thrillers Venus in Furs
Venus in Furs (1969 film)
Venus in Furs is a 1969 Italian supernatural erotic thriller film directed by Jesús Franco and starring James Darren.The film bears only a superficial resemblance to the 1870 Venus in Furs novel by Leopold von Sacher Masoch...
(1969) and The Bloody Judge (1970), both directed by Jesús Franco
Jesús Franco
Jesús "Jess" Franco is a Spanish film director, writer, cinematographer and actor. His career took off in 1961 with his cult classic The Awful Dr. Orloff, which received wide distribution in the United States and England...
; and finally in Dorian Gray
Dorian Gray (1970 film)
Dorian Gray is a 1970 movie adaptation of Oscar Wilde's novel The Picture of Dorian Gray starring Helmut Berger. Directed by Massimo Dallamano, the film stresses the decadence and eroticism of the story and changes the setting to early 1970s London...
(1970), directed by Massimo Dallamano.
Lee's co-star in Circus of Fear
Circus of Fear
Circus of Fear is a 1966 British-German international co-production thriller film starring Christopher Lee, Suzy Kendall, Cecil Parker and Victor Maddern. The U.S. title was Psycho-Circus. It was based on a novel by Edgar Wallace.-Plot:...
, Five Golden Dragons
Five Golden Dragons
Five Golden Dragons is a 1967 action film directed by Jeremy Summers and starring Robert Cummings. -Cast:* Robert Cummings - Bob Mitchell* Margaret Lee - Magda* Rupert Davies - Comm...
and Venus in Furs
Venus in Furs (1969 film)
Venus in Furs is a 1969 Italian supernatural erotic thriller film directed by Jesús Franco and starring James Darren.The film bears only a superficial resemblance to the 1870 Venus in Furs novel by Leopold von Sacher Masoch...
was the renowned German actor Klaus Kinski
Klaus Kinski
Klaus Kinski, born Klaus Günter Karl Nakszynski , was a German actor. He appeared in more than 130 films, and is perhaps best-remembered as a leading role actor in Werner Herzog films: Aguirre, the Wrath of God , Nosferatu the Vampyre , Woyzeck , Fitzcarraldo and Cobra Verde .-Early...
(who was also a regular in Harry Alan Towers productions). The pairing of Lee and Kinski would prove to be very popular among cinema-goers - especially in Italy - so they would continue to act together until the early 1970s; appearing in a total of 12 films together.
Outside of her work for Towers, Lee didn't appear in any further international films but in 1972 she guest starred in the British TV series The Protectors
The Protectors
The Protectors is a British television series, an action thriller created by Gerry Anderson. It is Anderson's second TV series using live actors as opposed to electronic marionettes, and also his second to be firmly set in the present day...
, in the episode "The Numbers Game".
Television
Margaret Lee was also popular on Italian television in the 1960s; appearing as a showgirl alongside the famous singer Johnny DorelliJohnny Dorelli
Johnny Dorelli is an Italian actor, singer and showman.Born as Giorgio Guidi in Meda, he debuted as singer in the late 1950s for CGD label. In 1958 he won the Sanremo Festival in duo with Domenico Modugno, with the songs "Nel blu dipinto di blu" and "Piove "...
. Lee also starred with Dorelli in his film debut Arriva Dorellik (1967).
Lee also starred as Cinderella
Cinderella
"Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper" is a folk tale embodying a myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. Thousands of variants are known throughout the world. The title character is a young woman living in unfortunate circumstances that are suddenly changed to remarkable fortune...
in the Italian TV special Il Cenerentola in 1969.
Later career
By the early 1970s, Lee's movie career had descended further and further into exploitation; culminating in Fernando Di LeoFernando Di Leo
Fernando Di Leo was an Italian film director and script writer born in San Ferdinando di Puglia. During his career from 1964 to 1985, Di Leo directed 20 films and was involved in the writing process in 43...
's extremely sleazy and violent thriller Slaughter Hotel (1971). She would eventually disappear from the Italian movie scene in 1974, and return to England. Lee returned to Italy in 1981, however, and made a minor movie comeback in Dino Risi's comedy Sesso e volentieri (1982), which reunited her with her old co-star Johnny Dorelli. But Lee's comeback was to be a short one as she only appeared in one further film, the very obscure crime-comedy Neapolitan Sting (1983), before retiring from movies altogether.
Filmography
- Maciste contro i mostri (a.k.a. Fire Monsters Against the Son of HerculesFire Monsters Against the Son of HerculesFire Monsters Against the Son of Hercules is a 1962 Italian film directed by Guido Malatesta.The film is also known as Colossus of the Stone Age .- Cast :...
, 1962) - I tre nemici (1962)
- Due samurai per cento geishe (1962)
- Totò di notte n. 1 (1962)
- Cleopatra (1963) - uncredited bit part role
- Avventura al motel (1963)
- La ballata dei mariti (1963)
- Gli imbroglioni (a.k.a. The Swindlers, 1963)
- Sansone contro i pirati (a.k.a. Samson Against the Pirates, 1963)
- Siamo tutti pomicioni (1963)
- I quattro tassisti (1963)
- Vino whisky e acqua salata (a.k.a. Wine, Whiskey and Salt Water, 1963)
- Via Veneto (1963)
- Adolescenti al sole (1964)
- Due mattacchioni al Moulin Rouge (1964)
- I due pericoli pubblici (a.k.a. Two Public Enemies, 1964)
- In ginocchio da te (1964)
- I maniaci (a.k.a. The Maniacs, 1964)
- I marziani hanno dodici mani (a.k.a. The Twelve-Handed Men of Mars, 1964)
- Un mostro e mezzo (1964)
- La vedovella (1964)
- Agente 077 dall'oriente con furore (a.k.a. Agent 077 From the Orient with FuryAgent 077 From the Orient with FuryAgent 077 From the Orient With Fury or Agent 077 Fury in the Orient or Agente 077 dall'oriente con furore is a 1965 Italian action spy adventure film of the Secret Agent 077 film series directed by Sergio Grieco...
, 1965) - Casanova '70 (1965)
- I due sergenti del generale Custer (a.k.a. Two Idiots at Fort Alamo, 1965)
- Io uccido, tu uccidi (a.k.a. I Kill, You Kill, 1965)
- Letti sbagliati (1965)
- Le lit à deux places (a.k.a. The Double Bed, 1965)
- Il morbidone (a.k.a. The Dreamer, 1965)
- On a volé la Joconde (1965)
- Questa volta parliamo di uomini (a.k.a. Let's Talk About Men, 1965)
- Questo pazzo, pazzo mondo della canzone (1965)
- Lo scippo (1965)
- La ragazzola (1965)
- Le tigre se parfume à la dynamite (a.k.a. An Orchid for the Tiger, 1965)
- Le carnaval des barbouzes (a.k.a Killer's Carnival, 1966)
- Circus of FearCircus of FearCircus of Fear is a 1966 British-German international co-production thriller film starring Christopher Lee, Suzy Kendall, Cecil Parker and Victor Maddern. The U.S. title was Psycho-Circus. It was based on a novel by Edgar Wallace.-Plot:...
(1966) - Djurado (a.k.a. Johnny Golden Poker, 1966)
- Il ladro della Gioconda (a.k.a. The Mona Lisa Has Been Stolen, 1966)
- New York chiama Superdrago (a.k.a. New York Calling Superdragon, 1966)
- Our Man in Marrakesh (1966)
- Se tutte le donne del mondoSe Tutte le Donne del MondoSe Tutte le Donne del Mondo is a James Bond spoof movie released in 1966. Originally filmed under the title Operation Paradise from January to March 1966 in most of the world, the English title was If All the Women in the World. It was released in the U.S...
(a.k.a. Kiss the Girls and Make Them Die, 1966) - Tre notti violente (a.k.a. Web of Violence, 1966)
- Arrriva Dorellik (1967)
- Colpo maestro al servizio di Sua Maestà britannica (a.k.a. Master Stroke, 1967)
- Da Berlino l'apocalisse (a.k.a. Spy Fit, 1967)
- Dick Smart 2007 (1967)
- Five Golden DragonsFive Golden DragonsFive Golden Dragons is a 1967 action film directed by Jeremy Summers and starring Robert Cummings. -Cast:* Robert Cummings - Bob Mitchell* Margaret Lee - Magda* Rupert Davies - Comm...
(1967) - Franco, Ciccio e le vedove allegre (a.k.a. Franco, Ciccio and the Cheerful Widows, 1967)
- Le soleil des voyous (a.k.a. Leather and Nylon, 1967)
- Banditi a MilanoBandits in MilanBandits in Milan is a 1968 Italian crime film directed by Carlo Lizzani. It was listed to compete at the 1968 Cannes Film Festival, but the festival was cancelled due to the events of May 1968 in France...
(a.k.a. Bandits in Milan, 1968) - I bastardi (a.k.a. Sons of SatanSons of SatanSons of Satan is a 1968 Italian crime film directed by Duccio Tessari and starring Rita Hayworth.-Cast:* Rita Hayworth - Martha* Giuliano Gemma - Jason* Klaus Kinski - Adam* Margaret Lee - Karen* Claudine Auger - Barbara* Serge Marquand - Jimmy...
, 1968) - Coplan sauve sa peau (a.k.a. Coplan Saves His Skin, 1968)
- Niente rose per OSS 117 (a.k.a OSS 117 - Murder for Sale, 1968)
- Questi fantasmiGhosts - Italian StyleGhosts - Italian Style is a 1968 Italian comedy film directed by Renato Castellani.-Cast:* Sophia Loren - Maria Lojacono* Vittorio Gassman - Pasquale Lojacono* Mario Adorf - Alfredo Mariano* Aldo Giuffrè - Raffaele* Margaret Lee - Sayonara...
(a.k.a. Ghosts - Italian Style, 1968) - ¡Viva América! (a.k.a. Mafia Mob, 1969)
- 5 per l'inferno (a.k.a. Five for Hell, 1969)
- A doppia faccia (a.k.a. Double Face, 1969)
- Il Cenerentola (1969) - TV special
- Colpo rovente (a.k.a. Red Hot Shot, 1969)
- Frau Wirtin hat auch eine Nichte (a.k.a. House of Pleasure, 1969)
- Sai cosa faceva Stalin alle donne? (a.k.a. What Did Stalin Do to Women?, 1969)
- Un sudario a la medida (a.k.a. A Candidate for a Killing, 1969)
- Venus in FursVenus in FursVenus in Furs is a novella by Austrian author Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, the best known of his works. The novel was part of an epic series that Sacher-Masoch envisioned called Legacy of Cain. Venus in Furs was part of Love, the first volume of the series...
(1969) - Appuntamento col disonore (a.k.a. The Night of the Assassin, 1970)
- Dorian Gray (1970)
- Il trono di fuoco (a.k.a. The Bloody Judge, 1970)
- Bano de sangre (a.k.a. Blood Bath) - unreleased
- Le belve (1971)
- La bestia uccide a sangue freddo (a.k.a. Slaughter Hotel, 1971)
- Nokaut (a.k.a. The Rogue, 1971)
- Papesatan, papesatan aleppe (1973)
- Gli assassini sono nostri ospiti (a.k.a. The Killers Are Our Guests, 1974)
- La sensualità è un attimo di vita (1974)
- Sesso e volentieri (1982)
- Stangata napoletana (a.k.a. Neapolitan Sting, 1983)