Maryam D'Abo - Career

Career

In 1983, d'Abo made her screen debut in the successful low-budget science fiction horror film Xtro, playing Analise Mercier, a French au pair, who becomes a human incubator for an alien. Xtro was briefly vilified as a so-called video nasty, but in fact it was granted an uncut video certificate by the BBFC.

In 1985, she made a brief appearance as 'French girlfriend' in White Nights.

In 1987, she starred in The Living Daylights as Kara Milovy, the sweet and vulnerable Czechoslovakian cellist and sniper who falls for James Bond. As a tie-in with the film, she also appeared in a Bond-themed Playboy cover and multi-page pictorial in the September 1987 edition, but later said "I wouldn't do those pictures now... I've learned a lot since then" in an interview with People.

In 1988, she had a well-received role as Ta'Ra, an alien medical officer in the science fiction TV miniseries Something is Out There, which was followed by a six-episode NBC mini-series by the same name.

In 1992, she had a supporting role as a pretentious stained-glass artist in the quirky, low-budget British comedy Leon the Pig Farmer, which enjoyed a positive reception at film festivals in Venice, London, Edinburgh, and Palm Springs, California. In 1994, she appeared in The Browning Version, directed by Mike Figgis.

Since then, she has had roles in various low-budget, straight-to-video action, horror and fantasy films such as Tomcat: Dangerous Desires (1992), as well as guest roles on television shows Tales From the Crypt (1993), Red Shoe Diaries (1992), Murder, She Wrote (1992).

She reunited with her James Bond director John Glen for a guest-starring role on the television series Space Precinct and for the feature film The Point Men (2001). Glen later claimed that the reason he cast her in three different projects was because she was one of his favorite actresses. She played the mother of Lara (played by Keira Knightley) in the 2002 TV miniseries version of Doctor Zhivago, and she was Queen Hecuba in the Emmy-nominated miniseries Helen of Troy (2003). In 2005, she had a small role in the well-received French film L’Enfer (Hell), co-written by the late Krzysztof Kieslowski and starring Emmanuelle Béart and Carole Bouquet (also a Bond girl).

In 2002, d'Abo co-wrote the book Bond Girls Are Forever, a tribute to the women who have played the role of a Bond Girl. The book formed the basis for a documentary, featuring d'Abo and other famed Bond girls, including Ursula Andress. The documentary appeared on the American AMC network in 2002, timed to coincide with the theatrical release of Die Another Day. It was later included as a gift with the purchase of Die Another Day on DVD by some retailers. In 2006, a new version of the documentary, updated to include interviews with cast from Casino Royale (2006) was again aired on the AMC network and later released as a bonus feature on the March 2007 Blu-ray Disc and DVD release.

In 2007, she had surgery for a brain hemorrhage from which she recovered. It inspired her to meet other people who had similar experiences. In 2009, she worked on a documentary on this topic.

Maryam d'Abo is signed to Models 1.