Zena Marshall
Zena Moyra Marshall was a British actress of film and television, best known for her appearances as Miss Taro in Dr. No and as Countess Ponticelli in Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines.
Marshall was born in Nairobi, Kenya, to parents of English, Irish and French descent. After her father's death and her mother's remarriage, she was brought up in Leicestershire, England. Marshall attended St Mary's, Ascot, and trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.
Career
Marshall worked with the Entertainments [National Service Association] during the Second World War. Marshall first acted on stage. Her film career began with a small role in Caesar and Cleopatra, with Claude Rains and Vivien Leigh. Her exotic looks resulted in her being cast in "ethnic" roles, such as Asian women, including her role as the Chinese character Miss Taro, in the first James Bond film, Dr. No. She also appeared in Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines as the Countess Ponticelli, and made numerous television appearances. Her last film performance was in The Terrornauts in 1967.
Marshall married bandleader Paul Adam in January 1946; they divorced in 1953, owing to "misconduct" with a woman referred to only as "Miss X". She later wed and divorced Alexander "Reggie" Ward, before her final marriage to film producer Ivan Foxwell. He died in 2002. Marshall died of cancer on 10 July 2009, aged 83. Her gravesite is in St Thomas a Becket churchyard, Skeffington, Leicestershire.