Barbara Shelley

Had two sisters: Josephine (1929-2012), who emigrated to Canada in 1952, and Catherine (1945-2017).

The sexy Barbara Shelley was born Barbara Kowin on February, 13, 1932 in London, England. With her beautiful looks and stature, she worked as a model during her salad days.

Her film career began in Italy in the mid-1950s in such tempting fare as Luna nova (1955) and Nero's Mistress (1956), but when this seemed like she was going to remain in the minor ranks, she returned to England to attempt to better her career.

After appearing in the minor sex farce The Little Hut (1957) with Stewart Granger, David Niven and Ava Gardner, Barbara caught notoriety in the title role of Cat Girl (1957), a low budget production in which she played a woman possessed by a family curse who develops psychic links with a leopard. This paid off and she quickly evolved into a popular Gothic glamour woman at Hammer Studios.

Starting things off with The Camp on Blood Island (1958) and Blood of the Vampire (1958), the lovely actress proceeded to stake out her own lucrative territory in the horror genres.

Through the 1960s, she co-starred in the classic Village of the Damned (1960), along with The Shadow of the Cat (1961), The Gorgon (1964), The Secret of Blood Island (1965), Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966), Rasputin: The Mad Monk (1966) and Quatermass and the Pit (1967).

Her character was seduced and corrupted by Christopher Lee in both Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966) and Rasputin: The Mad Monk (1966).

Recovered after suffering a stroke in 2007, though she says it left her "unabled" rather than disabled.

Made what was billed as her "final signing appearance" at London Comic Con in July 2019.

Following the death of Philip Latham in June 2020, she became the last surviving cast member of Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966), one of her best known films.