Caroline Jane Munro ( ; born 16 January 1949)McFarlane, Brian (28 February 2014). ''The Encyclopedia of British Film: Fourth edition''. Oxford University Press. p. 538; is an English actress, model and singer known for her many appearances in horror,

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

and

action film The action film is a film genre that predominantly features chase sequences, fights, shootouts, explosions, and stunt work. The specifics of what constitutes an action film has been in scholarly debate since the 1980s. While some scholars such as D ...

s of the 1970s and 1980s. She gained prominence within

Hammer A hammer is a tool, most often a hand tool, consisting of a weighted "head" fixed to a long handle that is swung to deliver an impact to a small area of an object. This can be, for example, to drive nail (fastener), nails into wood, to sh ...

and horror circles, starring in '' Dracula AD 1972'' and '' Captain Kronos – Vampire Hunter'' (1974), garnering a

cult following A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The latter is often called a cult classic. A film, boo ...

for the many films she starred in. She also acted in '' The Golden Voyage of Sinbad'' (1973) and '' The Spy Who Loved Me'' (1977). In 2019, she was inducted into the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards' Monster Kid Hall of Fame.

Early life and education

Born in

Windsor, Berkshire Windsor is a historic town in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. It is the site of Windsor Castle, one of the official residences of the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, British monarch. The town is situated we ...

, Munro was the youngest child of a lawyer and a housewife. As a young child, Munro and her family moved to

Rottingdean Rottingdean is a village in the city of Brighton and Hove, on the south coast of England. It borders the villages of Saltdean, Ovingdean and Woodingdean, and has a historic centre, often the subject of picture postcards. Name The name Rotting ...

, near

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

where she attended a

convent A convent is an enclosed community of monks, nuns, friars or religious sisters. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The term is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...

school.

Career

Munro's career began in 1966 when her mother and a photographer friend entered some headshots of her in '' The Evening News''s "Face of the Year" contest: This led to modelling work for '' Vogue'' magazine at the age of 17. She moved to London to pursue modelling work and became a

cover girl A cover girl is a woman whose photograph is used for the front cover of magazines. She may be a model, celebrity or entertainer. The term would generally not be used to describe a person making a single, casual appearance on the cover of a magaz ...

for fashion and television advertisements while there. She had bit parts in films such as '' Casino Royale'' (1967) and '' Where's Jack?'' (1969). One of her photo advertisements led to a screen test and a one-year contract with

Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. **Paramount Picture ...

where she was cast as

Richard Widmark Richard Weedt Widmark (December 26, 1914March 24, 2008) was an American film, stage, and television actor and producer. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as the villainous Tommy Udo in his debut film, ''Kiss of Death (1947 film ...

's daughter in the comedy western '' A Talent for Loving'' (also 1969). Photographs of Munro were used to portray Victoria Regina Phibes, the wife of the title character (played by

Vincent Price Vincent Leonard Price Jr. (May 27, 1911 – October 25, 1993) was an American actor. He was known for his work in the horror film genre, mostly portraying villains. He appeared on stage, television, and radio, and in more than 100 films. Price ...

) in '' The Abominable Dr Phibes'' (1971), and its sequel, '' Dr Phibes Rises Again'' (1972).

Hammer Horror films

The chairman of Hammer Films, Sir James Carreras, spotted Munro on a Lamb's Navy Rum poster/billboard. He asked his casting director, James Liggat, to find and screen test her. She was promptly signed to a one-year contract. Her first film for Hammer proved to be a turning point in her career. It was during the making of '' Dracula AD 1972'' (1972) that she decided from this film onward she was a fully-fledged actress. Munro acted in '' Captain Kronos – Vampire Hunter'' (1974). Directed by

Brian Clemens Brian Horace Clemens (30 July 1931 – 10 January 2015) was an English screenwriter and television producer. He worked on the British TV series '' The Avengers'' and created '' The New Avengers'' and '' The Professionals''. Early life Clemen ...

, she played the barefoot gypsy girl Carla. In

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

' DVD commentary, Clemens explains that he envisioned the role as a fiery

Raquel Welch Jo Raquel Welch (; September 5, 1940 – February 15, 2023) was an American actress. Welch first gained attention for her role in ''Fantastic Voyage'' (1966), after which she signed a long-term contract with 20th Century Fox. They lent her con ...

-type

redhead Red hair, also known as ginger hair, is a human hair color found in 2–6% of people of Northern or Northwestern European ancestry and lesser frequency in other populations. It is most common in individuals homozygous for a recessive alle ...

. Munro has the distinction of being the only actor ever signed to a long-term contract by Hammer Films. She turned down the lead female roles in Hammer's '' Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde'' (1971), '' Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell'' (1974), the unmade ''

Vampirella Vampirella () is a vampire superheroine created by Forrest J Ackerman and comic book artist Trina Robbins in Warren Publishing's black-and-white horror comics magazine ''Vampirella'' #1 (Sept. 1969), a sister publication of '' Creepy'' and ''E ...

'','' Force 10 from Navarone'' (1978) and '' The World Is Full of Married Men'' (1979) as they all required

nudity Nudity is the state of being in which a human is without clothing. While estimates vary, for the first 90,000 years of pre-history, anatomically modern humans were naked, having lost their body hair, living in hospitable climates, and not ...

''The Golden Voyage of Sinbad''

helped her to be cast in the role of Margiana, the slave girl in '' The Golden Voyage of Sinbad'' (1973). Munro is an Advisor to the Ray and Diana Harryhausen Foundation, having previously served on the Board of Trustees. Other appearances during this time included '' I Don't Want to Be Born'' (1975) with

Joan Collins Dame Joan Henrietta Collins (born 23 May 1933) is an English actress, author and columnist. She is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe Awards, a People's Choice Award, two Soap Opera Digest Awards and a Primetime Emm ...

, and '' At the Earth's Core'' (1976) with

Peter Cushing Peter Wilton Cushing (26 May 1913 – 11 August 1994) was an English actor. His acting career spanned over six decades and included appearances in more than 100 films, as well as many television, stage and radio roles. He achieved recognition f ...

and

Doug McClure Douglas Osborne McClure (May 11, 1935 – February 5, 1995) was an American actor whose career in film and television extended from the 1950s to the 1990s. He is best known for his role as the cowboy Trampas during the entire run from 1962 to 1 ...

. She appeared also as Tammy, a nursing employee of a sinister health farm, in "The Angels of Death", an episode of the TV series '' The New Avengers'' that featured also rising stars

Pamela Stephenson Pamela Stephenson, Lady Connolly (born 4 December 1949) is a New Zealand-born psychologist, writer, actress and comedian. She moved with her family to Australia in 1953 and studied at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA). After playi ...

and Lindsay Duncan.

Late 1970s and 1980s

In 1977, Munro turned down the opportunity to play

villain A villain (also known as a " black hat", "bad guy" or "baddy"; The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.126 "baddy (also baddie) noun (pl. -ies) ''informal'' a villain or criminal in a book, film, etc.". the feminine form is villai ...

ess Ursa in ''

Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...

'' in favour of

Bond girl A Bond girl is a character who is a love interest, female companion or (occasionally) an adversary of James Bond in a novel, film, or video game. Bond girls occasionally have names that are double entendres or sexual puns, such as Plenty O' ...

Naomi in '' The Spy Who Loved Me.'' Munro continued to work in numerous British and European horror and science fiction films throughout the 1970s and 1980s, such as '' Starcrash'' (1978) with

David Hasselhoff David Michael Hasselhoff (born July 17, 1952), nicknamed "The Hoff", is an American actor, singer, and television personality. He has set a Guinness World Record as the most watched man on TV. Hasselhoff first gained recognition on the soap ...

Christopher Plummer Arthur Christopher Orme Plummer (December 13, 1929 – February 5, 2021) was a Canadian actor. His career spanned seven decades, gaining him recognition for his performances in film, stage and television. His accolades included an Academy Aw ...

and

Marjoe Gortner Hugh Marjoe Ross Gortner (born January 14, 1944) is an American former Evangelism, evangelist preacher and actor. He first gained public attention during the late 1940s when his parents arranged for him to be Ordination, ordained as a preacher a ...

. Between 1975 and 1977, at least four singles were released with her husband Judd Hamilton, including "You Got It" which had a run of popularity on the radio. They were the first act to have a UK release on the new Aquarius label.Record Mirror'', 10 April 1976 �
Page 25 james hamilton's DISCO PAGE
/ref> Some singles were billed as made by Judd and Miss Munro. Munro's career continued to thrive well in the 1980s, and she appeared in many slasher and Eurotrash productions. Her first film shot on American soil was the

William Lustig William "Bill" Lustig (born February 1, 1955, in The Bronx, New York) is an American film director and producer who has worked primarily in the horror film genre. He is the nephew of former middleweight champion Jake LaMotta. Film career As ...

production '' Maniac'' (1980). This was soon followed by the "multi-award winning, shot during the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

" shocker '' The Last Horror Film'' (1982) (directed by David Winters), in which she was reunited with her ''Maniac'' (and ''Starcrash'') co-star Joe Spinell. She had a cameo role in the film '' Don't Open Till Christmas'' (1984), '' Slaughter High'' (1986),

Paul Naschy Jacinto Molina Álvarez (September 6, 1934 – November 30, 2009) known by his stage name Paul Naschy, was a Spanish film actor, screenwriter, and director working primarily in horror films. His portrayals of numerous classic horror figures&md ...

's ''Howl of the Devil'', and Jess Franco's '' Faceless'' (1988), followed in rapid succession. She reteamed with ''Starcrash'' director Luigi Cozzi for ''Demons 6: De Profundis'' (aka ''Il gatto nero'', 1989). Between 1984 and 1987, Munro was a hostess on the

Yorkshire Television ITV Yorkshire, previously known as Yorkshire Television and commonly referred to as just YTV, is the British television service provided by ITV Broadcasting Limited for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV (TV network), ITV network. Until 19 ...

game show '' 3-2-1''. Munro was a popular

pin-up girl A pin-up model is a model whose mass-produced pictures and photographs have wide appeal within the popular culture of a society. Pin-up models are usually glamour, actresses, or fashion models whose pictures are intended for informal and aesth ...

during this time, although she refused to pose

nude Nudity is the state of being in which a human is without clothing. While estimates vary, for the first 90,000 years of pre-history, anatomically modern humans were naked, having lost their body hair, living in hospitable climates, and no ...

. In the early 1980s, she appeared in music videos for

Adam Ant Stuart Leslie Goddard (born 3 November 1954), known professionally as Adam Ant, is an English singer, musician, and actor. He gained popularity as the lead singer of new wave group Adam and the Ants and later as a solo artist, scoring 10 UK ...

's "

Goody Two Shoes ''The History of Little Goody Two-Shoes'' is a children's story published by John Newbery in London in 1765. The author of the book remains unclear, but Oliver Goldsmith is generally considered the most likely. The story popularized the phr ...

" (1982) and

Meat Loaf Michael Lee Aday (born Marvin Lee Aday; September 27, 1947 – January 20, 2022), known professionally by his stage name Meat Loaf, was an American singer and actor. He was known for his powerful, wide-ranging voice and theatrical live shows. ...

's " If You Really Want To" (1983).

Since 1990

Munro's film roles were confined to performing cameos as herself in '' Night Owl'' (1993), as Mrs. Pignon in ''

To Die For ''To Die For'' is a 1995 satirical black comedy film directed by Gus Van Sant. It stars Nicole Kidman, Joaquin Phoenix and Matt Dillon, with Illeana Douglas, Wayne Knight, Casey Affleck, Holland Taylor, Kurtwood Smith, Dan Hedaya, an ...

'' (1994), as the counselor in her friend Jeffrey Arsenault's film ''Domestic Strangers'' (1996), and as Carla the Gypsy in '' Flesh for the Beast'' (2003). In 2018, Munro re-teamed with her '' Dracula A.D. 1972'' co-star

Christopher Neame Christopher Neame (born 12 September 1947) is an English actor who resides in the United States. UK career Neame's UK film credits include appearances in two Hammer Film Productions, Hammer Horror films: ''Lust for a Vampire'' (1971) and ''D ...

to appear in the horror film ''House of the Gorgon'' (2018). In September 2021, Munro started presenting a

Talking Pictures TV Talking Pictures TV (TPTV) is a British free-to-air vintage film and nostalgia television channel. It was launched on 26 May 2015 on Sky. Later it also became available on Freeview, Freesat and Virgin Media. It is on air 24 hours a day and fe ...

series, ''The Cellar Club''. In the series, Munro introduces celebrated and obscure horror films and gives a personal, insider perspective. She has described appearing opposite Christopher Lee "in full Count attire" as a "lightbulb moment" cementing her relationship as an actor with the genre. In 2023, Munro appeared in Leigh Tarrant's British horror film ''The Presence of Snowgood''.

Music

An early effort of Munro's was a single release by Columbia, " Tar and Cement", backed with "The Sporting Life". The musicians who played on the recording included

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English Rock music, rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s l ...

Jack Bruce John Symon Asher Bruce (14 May 1943 – 25 October 2014) was a Scottish musician. He gained popularity as the primary lead vocalist and ‍bassist ‍of Rock music, rock band Cream (band), Cream. After the group disbanded in 1968, he pursued a ...

, and

Ginger Baker Peter Edward "Ginger" Baker (19 August 1939 – 6 October 2019) was an English drummer. His work in the 1960s and 1970s earned him the reputation of "rock's first superstar drummer", for a style that melded jazz and Music of Africa, Africa ...

. She also recorded several singles including: *"You Got It", backed with "Where Does Love Begin" *"Rhythm of the Rain", backed with "Sound of the Rain" *"Love Songs", backed with "Sound of the Sun" In 1984, Munro collaborated with

Gary Numan Gary Anthony James Webb (born 8 March 1958), known professionally as Gary Numan, is an English singer, songwriter and musician. He entered the music industry as frontman of the New wave music, new wave band Tubeway Army. After releasing two st ...

Early life and education

Career

Hammer Horror films

''The Golden Voyage of Sinbad''

Late 1970s and 1980s

Since 1990

Music

Filmography

Film

Television

Short film

Discography

References

External links