Margaret Gwendolyn Box (4 August 1943 – 24 April 2024), known professionally as Margaret Lee, was a British actress who was a popular leading lady in Italian films in the 1960s and 1970s.

Early career

Born in

Wolverhampton Wolverhampton ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands of England. Located around 12 miles (20 km) north of Birmingham, it forms the northwestern part of the West Midlands conurbation, with the towns of ...

, England, but raised in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, she was educated at the Italia Conti Theatre School in London, 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 Marilyn Monroe ( ; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; June 1, 1926 August 4, 1962) was an American actress and model. Known for playing comic "Blonde stereotype#Blonde bombshell, blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex ...

, Lee spent the first half of the 1960s appearing in numerous Italian comedies and parodies – several of which starred the popular comedic duo

Franco and Ciccio Franco and Ciccio (, ) were a comic comedy duo formed by Italian actors Franco Franchi (1928–1992) and Ciccio Ingrassia (1922–2003), particularly popular in the 1960s and 1970s. Their collaboration began in 1954 in the theatre field, and ende ...

. 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

Though she failed the win the role of Tatiana Romanova in '' From Russia with Love'', Lee moved away from comedies and started appearing in a long line of Eurospy films, where she was frequently cast as sexy

femme fatale A ( , ; ), sometimes called a maneater, Mata Hari, or vamp, is a stock character of a mysterious, beautiful, and Seduction, seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers, often leading them into compromising, deadly traps. She is an archetype ...

s. Her appearance also changed as she dropped the blonde

-inspired look and became a brunette instead. Some of the most famous Eurospy films Lee starred in were '' Our Agent Tiger'' (1965) by

Claude Chabrol Claude Henri Jean Chabrol (; 24 June 1930 – 12 September 2010) was a French film director and a member of the French New Wave (''nouvelle vague'') group of filmmakers who first came to prominence at the end of the 1950s. Like his colleagues an ...

, '' Agent 077: From the Orient with Fury'' (1965) by

Sergio Grieco Sergio Grieco (13 January 1917 – 30 March 1982) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. Biography Sergio's father was the Italian Communist Party, Italian Communist Ruggero Grieco. Grieco first started in film in the Soviet Union in 1 ...

, ''

Kiss the Girls and Make Them Die ''Kiss the Girls and Make Them Die'' (Italian: ''Se tutte le donne del mondo... (Operazione Paradiso)'') is a James Bond spoof film released in 1966 as an Italian-American co-production between Dino De Laurentiis' Cinematografica and Columbia Pic ...

'' (1966) by Henry Levin and '' Dick Smart 2.007'' (1967) by

Franco Prosperi Franco Prosperi (2 September 1926 – 17 October 2004) was an Italian film director and screenwriter, active between the mid-1960s and the early 1980s. Career Born in Rome, Prosperi began his career as an assistant director with Mario Bava ...

International career

Lee's beauty and talent also caught the eye of international film producer

Harry Alan Towers Harry Alan Towers (19 October 1920 – 31 July 2009) was a British radio and independent film producer and screenwriter. He wrote numerous screenplays for the films he produced, often under the pseudonym Peter Welbeck. He produced over 80 f ...

, 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 Donald Herman Sharp (19 April 192114 December 2011) was an Australian film director. His best known films were made for Hammer Film Productions, Hammer in the 1960s, and included ''Kiss of the Vampire (film), Kiss of the Vampire'' (1963) and ' ...

; the action film '' Five Golden Dragons'' (1967), directed by

Jeremy Summers Jeremy Summers (18 August 1931 – 14 December 2016) was a British television director and film director, known for directing television series such as ''The Saint (TV series), The Saint'' and films such as ''Five Golden Dragons'', ''The House o ...

; the thrillers '' Venus in Furs'' (1969) and '' The Bloody Judge'' (1970), both directed by

Jesús Franco Jesús Franco Manera (12 May 1930 – 2 April 2013), also commonly known as Jess Franco, was a Spanish filmmaker, composer, and actor, known as a highly prolific director of low-budget exploitation and B-movies. He worked in many different gen ...

; and finally in ''

Dorian Gray ''The Picture of Dorian Gray'' is an 1890 philosophical fiction and Gothic horror novel by Irish writer Oscar Wilde. A shorter novella-length version was published in the July 1890 issue of the American periodical ''Lippincott's Monthly M ...

'' (1970), directed by

Massimo Dallamano Massimo Dallamano (17 April 1917 – 4 November 1976) was an Italian cinematographer, film director, and screenwriter. He is best known for his work on Sergio Leone's Dollars Trilogy, and for directing several giallo and poliziotteschi films ...

. Lee's co-star in '' Circus of Fear'', '' Five Golden Dragons'', '' Coplan Saves His Skin'' and '' Venus in Furs'' was the renowned German actor

Klaus Kinski Klaus Kinski (, born Klaus Günter Karl Nakszynski 18 October 1926 – 23 November 1991) was a German actor. Equally renowned for his intense performance style and notorious for his volatile personality, he appeared in over 130 film roles in a ...

(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 television series '' The Protectors'', in the episode "The Numbers Game".

Television

Margaret Lee was also popular on Italian television in the 1960s; appearing as a

showgirl A showgirl is a female performer in a theatrical revue who wears an exotic and revealing costume and in some shows may appear topless. Showgirls are usually dancers, sometimes performing as chorus girls, burlesque dancers or fan dancers, and ...

alongside the famous singer

Johnny Dorelli Giorgio Guidi (born 20 February 1937), known professionally as Johnny Dorelli, is an Italian actor, singer and television host. Early life Giorgio Guidi was born in Meda, Lombardy, Italy. In 1946, he moved with his family to New York City, ...

. Lee also starred with Dorelli in his film debut ''Arriva Dorellik'', also known as '' How to Kill 400 Duponts'' (1967). Lee also starred as

Cinderella "Cinderella", or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a Folklore, folk tale with thousands of variants that are told throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsin Press, 1988. The protagonist is a you ...

in the Italian television 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 Leo'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 Dino Risi (23 December 1916 – 7 June 2008) was an Italian film director. With Mario Monicelli, Luigi Comencini, Nanni Loy, and Ettore Scola, he was one of the masters of ''commedia all'italiana''. Biography Risi was born in Milan. He had an ...

'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 and moving to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Personal life and death

Lee was the mother of production manager/producer Roberto Malerba (from her marriage to Gino Malerba) and production manager/producer Damian Anderson. Margaret Lee died on 24 April 2024, at the age of 80.

Filmography

* '' Maciste contro i mostri'' ( ''Fire Monsters Against the Son of Hercules'', 1962) * ''I tre nemici'' (1962) * ''Due samurai per cento geishe'' (1962) * ''Totò di notte n. 1'' (1962) * ''

Cleopatra Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator (; The name Cleopatra is pronounced , or sometimes in both British and American English, see and respectively. Her name was pronounced in the Greek dialect of Egypt (see Koine Greek phonology). She was ...

'' (1963) – uncredited bit part role * ''Avventura al motel'' (1963) * ''La ballata dei mariti'' (1963) * '' Gli imbroglioni'' ( ''The Swindlers'', 1963) dir. by

Lucio Fulci Lucio Fulci (; 17 June 1927 – 13 March 1996) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and actor. Although he worked in a wide array of genres through a career spanning nearly five decades, including Commedia all'italiana, comedies and spagh ...

* '' Sansone contro i pirati'' ( ''Samson Against the Pirates'', 1963) * ''Siamo tutti pomicioni'' (1963) * ''I quattro tassisti'' (1963) * ''Vino whisky e acqua salata'' ( ''Wine, Whiskey and Salt Water'', 1963) * ''Via Veneto'' (1963) * ''Adolescenti al sole'' (1964) * ''Due mattacchioni al Moulin Rouge'' (1964) * '' I due pericoli pubblici'' ( ''Two Public Enemies'', 1964) * ''In ginocchio da te'' (1964) * ''I maniaci'' ( ''The Maniacs'', 1964) dir. by

* ''I marziani hanno dodici mani'' ( ''The Twelve-Handed Men of Mars'', 1964) * ''Un mostro e mezzo'' (1964) * ''La vedovella'' (1964) * '' Agente 077 dall'oriente con furore'' ( ''Agent 077: From the Orient with Fury'', 1965) * '' Casanova 70'' (1965) * '' I due sergenti del generale Custer'' ( ''Two Sergeants of General Custer'', 1965) * '' Io uccido, tu uccidi'' ( ''I Kill, You Kill'', 1965) * '' Letti sbagliati'' (1965) * ''Le lit à deux places'' ( ''The Double Bed'', 1965) * ''Il morbidone'' ( ''The Dreamer'', 1965) * '' On a volé la Joconde'' (1965) * '' Questa volta parliamo di uomini'' ( ''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'' ( ''Our Agent Tiger'', 1965) * '' Le carnaval des barbouzes'' ( ''Killer's Carnival'', 1966) * '' Circus of Fear'' (1966) starring Christopher Lee * ''Djurado'' ( ''Johnny Golden Poker'', 1966) * '' Il ladro della Gioconda'' ( ''The Mona Lisa Has Been Stolen'', 1966) * '' New York chiama Superdrago'' ( ''Secret Agent Super Dragon'', 1966) * '' Our Man in Marrakesh'' (1966) * '' Se tutte le donne del mondo'' ( ''Kiss the Girls and Make Them Die'', 1966) * ''Tre notti violente'' ( ''Web of Violence'', 1966) * '' Arrriva Dorellik'' ( ''How to Kill 400 Duponts'', 1967) * '' Colpo maestro al servizio di Sua Maestà britannica'' ( ''Master Stroke'', 1967) * ''Le Tigre sort sans sa mère'' ( ''Da Berlino l'apocalisse'' and ''Spy Fit'', 1967) * '' Dick Smart 2.007'' (1967) * '' Five Golden Dragons'' (1967) * ''Franco, Ciccio e le vedove allegre'' ( ''Franco, Ciccio and the Cheerful Widows'', 1967) * ''Le Soleil des voyous'' (1967)

Action Man Action Man is an action figure launched in Britain in 1966 by Palitoy as a licensed copy of Hasbro's American "movable fighting man", G.I. Joe. Action Man was originally produced and sold in the United Kingdom and Australia by Palitoy Ltd of ...

'' * '' Banditi a Milano'' ( ''Bandits in Milan'', 1968) * '' The Cats'' ( ''I bastardi'', 1968) * '' Coplan sauve sa peau'' ( ''Coplan Saves His Skin'', 1968) * '' Pas de roses pour OSS 117'' ( ''OSS 117 – Double Agent'', 1968) * '' Questi fantasmi'' ( ''Ghosts – Italian Style'', 1968) * '' Cry Chicago'' ( ''¡Viva América!'' or ''Mafia Mob'', 1969) * '' 5 per l'inferno'' ( ''Five for Hell'', 1969) * '' A doppia faccia'' ( ''Double Face'', 1969) starring Klaus Kinski * ''Il Cenerentola'' (1969) – TV special * '' House of Pleasure'' (1969) * ''Sai cosa faceva Stalin alle donne?'' ( ''What Did Stalin Do to Women?'', 1969) * ''Un sudario a la medida'' ( ''A Candidate for a Killing'', 1969) * '' Venus in Furs'' (1969) * '' Appuntamento col disonore'' ( ''Rendezvous with Dishonour'', 1970) * ''

'' (1970) * '' The Bloody Judge'' (1970) * ''Bano de sangre'' ( ''Blood Bath'') – unreleased * ''Le belve'' (1971) * '' La bestia uccide a sangue freddo'' ( ''Slaughter Hotel'', 1971) * ''Nokaut'' ( ''The Rogue'', 1971) * ''Papesatan, papesatan aleppe'' (1973) * '' Gli assassini sono nostri ospiti'' ( ''The Killers Are Our Guests'', 1974) * ''La sensualità è un attimo di vita'' (1974) * '' Sesso e volentieri'' (1982) * ''Stangata napoletana'' ( ''Neapolitan Sting'', 1983)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Margaret 1943 births 2024 deaths Actresses from Wolverhampton English film actresses Alumni of the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts Actresses from London