Catherine Schell (born Katherina Freiin Schell von Bauschlott, 17 July 1944) is a Hungarian-born British actress who came to prominence in British film and television productions from the 1960s. Her notable roles include the Bond girl Nancy in On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), Lady Claudine Litton in The Return of the Pink Panther (1975), Countess Scarlioni in the Doctor Who serial City of Death (1979), and a regular role as Maya in Year Two of the television series Space: 1999 (1976–1977).
Early life
Schell's father, Baron Pál Schell von Bauschlott (5 September 1898 in Nagyida – 20 October 1979 in Munich), was a Hungarian diplomat of three-quarter Hungarian ancestry; her mother (m. Budapest, 28 January 1940) was Countess Katalin Mária Etelka Georgina Erzsébet Teleki de Szék (11 November 1917 in Budapest – ?). "Schell" is the family name, while "von Bauschlott" indicates the place in Germany where the Schell family owned its main estate.
Fleeing Hungary in advance of the Soviets and communism, the family lived in poverty until 1948, finding asylum in Austria: first in Vienna, then in Salzburg. In 1950, the family emigrated to the United States,
Career
Film
She acted under the alternative name "Catherina von Schell" early in her career. Under this name she made her film debut as the title character in the German-language film Lana, Queen of the Amazons (1964). She appeared as Bond girl Nancy in the James Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), with George Lazenby in the lead. Schell appeared in another British science-fiction series, as Countess Scarlioni in the Doctor Who serial City of Death (1979). The marriage ended in divorce in 1977. Schell married director Bill Hays (1938–2006) in 1982. In 1984, they worked together for the first time as husband and wife on a TV production of Ivan Turgenev's play A Month in the Country.
Retirement
Schell's career continued into the mid-1990s, after which she retired from acting and in 1996, opened Valentin, a small guesthouse (:fr:Auberge) in Bonneval, Haute-Loire, France.
In September 2000, in New York City, Schell made her first convention appearance at MainMission: 2000, a celebration of the 25th anniversary of Space: 1999. To date, she has appeared at only one other convention, mainly due to the declining health of her second husband Bill Hays (1938–2006) .
In 2010, Schell contributed a foreword to the Space: 1999 novel Born for Adversity, written by David McIntee and published by Powys Media.
In 2016, the first part of Schell's autobiography, A Constant Alien was published. In 2018, the second part of Schell's autobiography, When God Was Out For Lunch , was published.
Around 2020, Schell came out of acting retirement to portray the Grand Duchess Valeria in the BBC One/Netflix series Dracula, which aired in 2020.
Around 2022, Schell came out of acting retirement to portray Zoya Krupp, the Count's Romani ex-wife, in The Munsters, a horror comedy film produced, written, and directed by Rob Zombie.
As of 2022, Schell resides in France.
Filmography
Film
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Year
!Title
!Role
!Notes
|-
|1964 || Lana, Queen of the Amazons || Queen Lana ||
|-
|1964 || Traitor's Gate || Hope Joyner ||
|-
|1967 || Hell Is Empty || Catherine Grant ||
|-
|1968 || Assignment K || Maggi || Uncredited
|-
|1968 || Amsterdam Affair || Sophie Ray ||
|-
|1969 || Moon Zero Two || Clementine Taplin ||Credited as Catherina von Schell
|-
|1969 || On Her Majesty's Secret Service || Nancy ||
|-
|1972 || Madame Sin || Barbara ||
|-
|1974 || The Black Windmill || Lady Melissa Julyan ||
|-
|1974 || Callan || Jenny ||
|-
|1975 || The Return of the Pink Panther || Lady Claudine Litton ||
|-
|1977 || Gulliver's Travels || Mary ||
|-
|1978 || Exposure || Caroline ||
|-
|1978 || Destination Moonbase-Alpha || Maya ||Originally Space: 1999 2-part episode “The Bringers of Wonder”
|-
|1979 || The Prisoner of Zenda || Antoinette ||
|-
|1982 || The Island of Adventure || Alison Mannering ||
|-
|1982 || Cosmic Princess || Maya ||Originally Space: 1999 episodes “The Metamorph” and “Space Warp”
|-
|1983 || On the Third Day || Clarissa Hammond ||
|-
|1988 || On the Black Hill || Lotte Zons ||
|-
|1990 || The March || Noelle Epps ||
|-
|1993 || Pretty Princess || Countess Von Dix ||
|-
|2022 || The Munsters || Zoya Krupp ||
|}
Television
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Year
!Title
!Role
!Notes
|-
|1967 || Till Eulenspiegel || Nele || Unknown episodes
|-
|1970 || Omnibus || Lunia || Episode: "A Requiem for Modigliani"
|-
|1971 || Paul Temple || Uschi Baumann || Episode: "Death of Fasching"
|-
|1971 || The Troubleshooters || Kirsten Hansen || 2 episodes
|-
|1971 || The Search for the Nile || Florence Baker || 2 episodes
|-
|1971 || The Persuaders! || Kristin Hansen || Episode: "The Morning After"
|-
|1972 || A Family at War || Erika || Episode: "Two Fathers"
|-
|1972–1973 || The Adventurer || Diane Marsh || 11 episodes
|-
|1973 || The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes || Maria Wolkinski || Episode: "The Sensible Action of Lieutenant Holst"
|-
|1973 || Arthur of the Britons || Benedicta || Episode: "The Girl from Rome"
|-
|1974 || Napoleon and Love || Marie Walewska || 4 episodes
|-
|1974 || Dial M for Murder || Helen || Episode: "Contract"
|-
|1974 || The Double Dealers || The Double Dealers || Episode: "An Ad in The Times"
|-
|1975 || The Sweeney || Stella Goodman || Episode: "Big Spender"
|-
|1975 || Thriller || Julie || Episode: "The Next Voice You See"
|-
|1975 || Looking for Clancy || Penny Clancy || 4 episodes
|-
|1975 || Space: 1999 || Servant of the Guardian || Episode: "Guardian of Piri"
|-
|1976 || Play of the Month || Mabel Dancy || Episode: "Loyalties"
|-
|1976–1977 || Space: 1999 || Maya || 23 episodes
|-
|1977 || Supernatural || Theresa || Episode: "Viktoria"
|-
|1978 || The Onedin Line || Hannah Webster || Episode: "The Reverend's Daughter"
|-
|1978 || Return of the Saint || Samantha || Episode: "The Imprudent Professor"
|-
|1979 || Doctor Who || Countess Scarlioni || Episode: "City of Death"
|-
|1980 || The Gentle Touch || Margot || Episode: "Melody"
|-
|1980–1981 || The Spoils of War || Paula Brandt || 11 episodes
|-
|1980 || Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson || Lady Sylvia Tarleton || Episode: "The Case of the Deadly Tower"
|-
|1982 || Strangers || Sophy Paget-Lombardi || Episode: "A Swift and Evil Rozzer"
|-
|1983 || Bergerac || Veronique || Episode: "Prime Target"
|-
|1983 || Agatha Christie's Partners in Crime || Virma La Strange || Episode: "The Ambassador's Boots"
|-
|1985 || One by One || Lady Ann Pendle || 6 episodes
|-
|1985–1986 || Mog || Mrs. Mortenson || All 13 episodes
|-
|1985 || A Month in the Country || Lizaveta || TV film
|-
|1985 || My Brother Jonathan || Mrs. Martyn || Episode: #1.1
|-
|1988 || Screen Two || Melena Lotskova || Episode: "Border"
|-
|1989 || The Bill || Mrs. Stern || Episode: Silver Lining"
|-
|1989 || Howards' Way || Yvette Studer || Episode: #5.10
|-
|1990 || Wish Me Luck || Virginia Mitchell || 8 episodes
|-
|1991 || Lovejoy || Francis Beauchamp || Episode: "Raise the Hispanic"
|-
|1992 || Moon and Son || Mrs. Milestone || Episode: "Nearly Dearly Departed"
|-
|1993 || Screen Two || Marie-Claire || Episode: "The Clothes in the Wardrobe"
|-
|1994 || The Wimbledon Poisoner || Mrs. Gunther || Both 2 episodes
|-
|1995 || Tales of Mystery and Imagination (TV show) || Lady Montresor || Episode: "The Cask of Amontillado"
|-
|1996 || The Knock || Inspector Helene Masson || 2 episodes
|-
|2020 || Dracula || Grand Duchess Valeria || Episode: "Blood Vessel"
|}