Caroline Munro

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Caroline Munro
Munro at the Glasgow Film and Comic Con (2018)
Born	Caroline Jane Munro (1949-01-16) 16 January 1949 (age 75) Windsor, Berkshire, England
Occupation(s)	Actress, model, singer
Years active	1966–present
Height	5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Spouses	Judd Hamilton ​ ​ (m. 1970; div. 1982)​ George Dugdale ​ ​ (m. 1990; died 2020)​
Children	2
Website	carolinemunro.org

Caroline Jane Munro (/mənˈroʊ/ mən-ROH; born 16 January 1949)^[1][2] is an English actress, model and singer known for her many appearances in horror, science fiction and action films of the 1970s and 1980s.^[3] She gained prominence within Hammer and horror circles, starring in Dracula AD 1972 and Captain Kronos – Vampire Hunter (1974), garnering a cult following for the numerous films that she starred in. She also acted in The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973), and in The Spy Who Loved Me (1977). In 2019, she was inducted into the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards' Monster Kid Hall of Fame.^[4]

Born in Windsor, Berkshire, Munro was the youngest child of a lawyer and a housewife. As a young child, Munro and her family moved to Rottingdean, near Brighton where she attended a convent school.^[5][6]

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:

"I wanted to do art. Art was my love. I went to art school in Brighton but I was not very good at it. I just did not know what to do. I had a friend at the college who was studying photography and he needed somebody to photograph and he asked me. Unbeknownst to me, he sent the photographs to a big newspaper in London. The fashion photographer, David Bailey, was conducting a photo contest and my picture won."

— Caroline Munro^[7]

This led to modelling work for Vogue magazine at the age of 17.^[7] She moved to London to pursue modelling work and became a cover girl for fashion and television advertisements while there. She had bit parts in films such as Casino Royale (1967)^[3] and Where's Jack? (1969).^[7] One of her photo advertisements led to a screen test and a one-year contract with Paramount^[8] where she was cast as Richard Widmark's daughter in the comedy western A Talent for Loving (also 1969).^[8] Photographs of Munro were used to portray Victoria Regina Phibes, the wife of the title character (played by Vincent Price) in The Abominable Dr Phibes (1971), and its sequel, Dr Phibes Rises Again (1972).^[9]

The chairman of Hammer Films, Sir James Carreras, spotted Munro on a Lamb's Navy Rum poster/billboard.^[10] 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)^[11] that she decided from this film onward she was a fully-fledged actress.^[12] Munro acted in Captain Kronos – Vampire Hunter (1974).^[11] Directed by Brian Clemens, she played the barefoot gypsy girl Carla. In Paramount Pictures' DVD commentary, Clemens explains that he envisioned the role as a fiery Raquel Welch-type redhead.^{[citation needed]}

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,^[13] Force 10 from Navarone (1978) and The World Is Full of Married Men (1979) as they all required nudity.^[3]

Brian Clemens helped her to be cast in the role of Margiana, the slave girl in The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973).

"I got the part – I had been signed by Hammer, for one year, for a contract, out of which I did two films, one being Dracula AD 1972, and the second one being Captain Kronos – Vampire Hunter, which, kind of, would come full-circle, to Sinbad. It was written and directed by Brian Clemens, who wrote the screenplay for The Golden Voyage of Sinbad, so, I was lucky enough to be chosen for Captain Kronos, and they were searching for somebody to do Sinbad, and they wanted a big name, somebody American, or well-known, but Brian said 'No'. He kept lobbying Charles Schneer [producer] and Ray Harryhausen — saying: 'I think you should come and look at the rushes, and see what you think, because I think she's right.' So, they said 'No', but, eventually, Brian persuaded them to do that, and they saw the rushes, and that was how I got the part. So, it was lovely, like work-out-of-work. I was very lucky to have done that."

— Caroline Munro^[14]

Munro has served^[when?] as a trustee of the Ray and Diana Harryhausen Foundation.^[15]

Other appearances during this time included I Don't Want to Be Born (1975) with Joan Collins, and At the Earth's Core (1976) with Peter Cushing and Doug McClure. She appeared also as Tammy, a nursing employee of a sinister health farm, in "The Angels of Death",^[16] an episode of the TV series The New Avengers that featured also rising stars Pamela Stephenson and Lindsay Duncan.^{[citation needed]}

In 1977, Munro turned down the opportunity to play villainess Ursa in Superman in favour of Bond girl Naomi in The Spy Who Loved Me.^[3]

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, Christopher Plummer and Marjoe Gortner.^[17]

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.^[18][19][20] 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 production Maniac (1980).^[21] This was soon followed by the "multi-award winning, shot during the Cannes Film Festival" shocker The Last Horror Film (1982)^[11] (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),^[11] Slaughter High (1986),^[11] Paul Naschy'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).^{[citation needed]}

Between 1984 and 1987, Munro was a hostess on the Yorkshire Television game show 3-2-1. Munro was a popular pin-up girl during this time, although she refused to pose nude. In the early 1980s, she appeared in music videos for Adam Ant's "Goody Two Shoes" (1982) and Meat Loaf's "If You Really Want To" (1983).^[8]

Munro's film roles were confined to performing cameos as herself in Night Owl (1993),^[3] as Mrs. Pignon in To Die For (1994),^[3] as the counselor in her friend Jeffrey Arsenault's film Domestic Strangers (1996), and as Carla the Gypsy in Flesh for the Beast (2003).^[22]

In 2018, Munro re-teamed with her Dracula A.D. 1972 co-star Christopher Neame to appear in the horror film House of the Gorgon (2018).^[23]

In September 2021, Munro started presenting Talking Pictures TV’s new, exclusive series The Cellar Club.^[24] In the series, Caroline introduces celebrated and obscure horror films from her Cellar Club and gives her personal, insider perspective. In October of the same year, Munro contributed an introduction to the LGBT+ horror short story collection Shapes in the Dark. She describes appearing opposite Christopher Lee 'in full Count attire' as a 'lightbulb moment' cementing her relationship as an actor with the genre.^[25] In 2023, Caroline appeared in Leigh Tarrant's britflik horror 'The Presence Of Snowgood'.

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, Jack Bruce, and Ginger Baker.^[26][27] 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 for the single "Pump Me Up", which was released on Numan's Numa record label.^[28]

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1966	Smoke Over London	Beautiful Brunette	Cameo
1967	Casino Royale	Guard Girl	Uncredited
1968	Joanna	Extra	Uncredited
1969	Where's Jack?	Madame Vendonne
	A Talent for Loving	Evalina Patten
1971	On the Buses	Poster Girl
	The Abominable Dr. Phibes	Victoria Regina Phibes	Uncredited
1972	Mutiny on the Buses	Poster Girl
	Dracula A.D. 1972	Laura
	Dr. Phibes Rises Again	Victoria Regina Phibes
1973	The Golden Voyage of Sinbad	Margiana
1974	Captain Kronos – Vampire Hunter	Carla
1975	I Don't Want to Be Born	Mandy Gregory
1976	At the Earth's Core	Dia
1977	The Spy Who Loved Me	Naomi
1978	Starcrash	Stella Star
1980	Maniac	Anna D'Antoni
1982	The Last Horror Film	Jana Bates
1984	Don't Open Till Christmas	Caroline Munro
1986	Slaughter High	Carol Manning
1987	Faceless	Barbara Hallen
1988	Howl of the Devil	Carmen
1989	The Black Cat	Nora
1993	Night Owl	Caroline Munro
1994	To Die For	Mrs. Pignon
1996	Domestic Strangers	Counsellor
2002	Blood Craving	Caroline Munro
2003	Flesh for the Beast	Carla the Gypsy
2006	The Absence of Light	Abbey Church
2012	Aqua Tales	Marina	Voice
	Eldorado	Lilly
2015	Vampyres	Hotel owner	[29]
	Crying Wolf 3D	Shopkeeper	[30]
2016	Stellar Quasar and the Scrolls of Dadelia	Amanay
2017	Cute Little Buggers	Mystic Mary
2019	House of the Gorgon	Baroness Bartov	[31]
2020	The Haunting of Margam Castle	Brenda
2023	The Pocket Film of Superstitions	High Priestess
2023	The Presence Of Snowgood	Dolores Blackman

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1971	The BOO Show	Pet dog	TV film
1976	The Howerd Confessions	Captain Latour	Episode: #1.2
1977	The New Avengers	Tammy	Episode: "Angels of Death"
1986	Cinderella: The Shoe Must Go On	Game Show Hostess	TV film
1988	Maigret	Carolyn Page	TV film
1992	Tropical Heat	Alicia	Episode: "Stranger in Paradise"
2013	Midsomer Murders	Evil Priestess	Episode: "Death and the Divas"

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1966	G.G. Passion	Female fan	Uncredited
2009	Turpin	Lady Victoria
2013	The Landlady	The Landlady
2017	Frankula	Clarissa Cobra
2018	End User	Barmaid
2019	Alone on Christmas: The Creation of Curtis Stein	Helga

Singles

Act	Title	Cat	Year	Loc	Notes #
Caroline Munro	"Tar and Cement" / "This Sporting Life"	Columbia DB 8189	1967	UK	[32]
Hamilton & Munro	"Come Softly To Me" / "Sad Old Song"	King Kong Records 52001	1979	France	[33]
Judd And Miss Munro	"You Got It" / "Where Does Love Begin"	Aquarius AQ 3	1976	UK
Judd And Miss Munro	"Rhythm Of The Rain" / "Sound Of The Sun"	RCA Victor RCA 2753	1976	UK
Judd Hamilton And Caroline Munro	"Love Songs" / "Sound Of The Sun"	RCA Victor PB 5021	1977	UK	[34]
Caroline Munro	"Pump Me Up" / "The Picture"	Numa NU 5	1984	UK
Caroline Munro	"Pump Me Up" / "The Picture", Pump Me Up (7" Version)	Numa NUM 5	1984	UK	12"
Caroline Munro	"Pump Me Up" (Remix) / "Pump Me Up" (Instrumental Version)	Zig Zag Records – ZIG20006 Numa – ZIG20006	1985	Italy	12", 33RPM[32]

• Official website
• Caroline Munro at IMDb
• Caroline Munro at the TCM Movie Database
• Caroline Munro at AllMovie
• Caroline Munro at HorrorStars
• Interview (2007) at Den Of Geek
• Interview (2008) at Zani
• The Caroline Munro Diaries