Valerie Leon

 

 

 

My first memory of the lovely Valerie Leon was of a tall, but prim and proper looking woman with her hair tied in a bun whilst wearing Dame Edna Everage glasses.

For those die hard fans of the 'Carry On' film series, you will immediately know I am referring to Valerie's role in 'Carry On Girls' (1973).

Of course, the dowdy appearance is all but a disguise as she later takes off her mac and glasses then unfurls her hair to reveal a hidden bikini clad goddess which was kept secret from her on-screen husband Bernard Bresslaw.

Aside from her scene stealing appearance in the above film, Valerie cropped up in just about every genre of British TV and Film legend you can imagine. Early in her career, she was the original Hai-Karate aftershave ad girl in 1969.

In 1973, she starred alongside one half of the 'Two Ronnie's' in the shape of little Ronnie Corbett in 'No Sex Please, Were British'. Future 'Return of The Saint' actor Ian Ogilvy was also lucky enough to get close to Valerie in this film.

Four years later, she had a very brief cameo in a scene with Roger Moore in the 'Spy Who Loved Me'(1977) playing a hotel desk clerk.

Other heights that Valerie hit include being one of the classic 'Hammer Horror' girls as well as being fortunate enough to be cast in one of the Peter Sellers Pink Panther series of films. Perhaps her greatest honour is to have been part of the ultimate British heist movie 'The Italian Job' (1969).

Like many of her fellow attractive peers during the era, she was often cast as the femme fatale in series such as 'The Saint', 'The Avengers', Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased)', Space 1999' and even more bizarrely, in an episode of 'The Goodies'.

Now 72, she is survived by the death of her husband in 1988 - the TV comedy producer Michael Mills with whom she had two children.

Filmography:

• Smashing Time (1967)
• Carry On Up The Khyber (1968)
• Zeta One (1969)
• This, That And The Other (1969)
• Carry On Camping (1969)
• The Italian Job (1969)
• Carry On Again Doctor (1969)
• All The Way Up (1970)
• Carry On Up The Jungle (1970)
• The Man Who Had Power Over Women (1970)
• The Rise And Rise Of Michael Rimmer (1970)
• Blood From The Mummy's Tomb (1971)
• Carry On Matron (1972)
• No Sex Please, We're British (1973)
• Carry On Girls (1973)
• Can You Keep It Up For A Week? (1974)
• The Ups And Downs Of A Handyman (1975)
• Queen Kong (1976)
• The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
• The Wild Geese (1978)
• Revenge Of The Pink Panther (1978)
• Strangers (1982) TV Series
• Never Say Never Again (1983)
• A Neutral Corner (2006)
• The Green Green Grass (2007) TV Series