Valerie Leon
Valerie Leon
Valerie Therese Leon is an English actress and model who has had roles in many film and television productions, including six of the Carry On film series and two James Bond films, The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) and Never Say Never Again (1983) alongside Roger Moore and Sean Connery, respectively. She also had roles in high-profile films such as The Italian Job (1969), The Wild Geese (1978), and Reven
"When I look back, Ive had an incredibly lucky life. Being tall with unusual looks helped, although I did build a barrier around myself early on because of shyness. I know I could have enjoyed my life a lot more then if Id been the person I am today."
"I was totally star-struck as a youngster and incredibly shy, but I loved the theatre – especially pantomimes. After a failed audition for RADA, I worked as a trainee fashion buyer at Harrods, where they had an entertainments society and I performed in several of its productions. I took singing lessons and my teacher encouraged me to read The Stage, where I saw that chorus singers were needed for the musical The Belle Of New York. I got the job – much to my parents horror, who wanted me to keep my respectable job, but I was determined to become an actress."
"I would be harder, tougher. I would put myself about more. I should have mixed with more people which would have led to more opportunities. As I said, I had this sort of "keep away from me" look, barrier, whatever, and I guess people might have thought I was snooty, which I wasnt, but that was my way of just coping with things. Many stars come to sticky ends, so I think maybe its just as well. At least I am still here, for which Im grateful."
