Pamela Franklin
Encyclopedia
Pamela Franklin is a British
actress who appeared in feature films from 1961 until 1976, and on American television throughout the 1970s.
, where her father was an importer/exporter. The family lived in Japan, Hong Kong, Australia, and Ceylon before returning to England. At the age of eight she was sent to the Elmhurst School of Ballet in England
. She made her film debut at the age of 11 in The Innocents (1961), and her television debut in the Wonderful World of Disneys, The Horse Without a Head. In 1962 she played opposite William Holden
, Trevor Howard
and Capucine
in the British film The Lion
. She was only fourteen years old when she made The Third Secret
in 1964, in which she played the doctor's daughter, Katherine. When she was interviewed about the film in 1979, she said that "she and Stephen Boyd
had become friends and the warmth on screen was genuine."
In 1966 she had a lead role in the BBC TV series Quick Before They Catch Us
.
, who played her father in Our Mother's House
, a film was nominated for the Golden Lion
at the Venice Film Festival
in 1967, and in the same year acted opposite Marlon Brando
and Rita Moreno
in The Night of the Following Day
as the kidnap victim in this crime thriller. This was her first "adult" role with one scene showing her bare-breasted.
Probably her best-known role was as "Sandy" in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
(1969), for which she won the National Board of Review award for Best Supporting Actress. In the same year she starred in the John Huston
movie Sinful Davey
, with a young John Hurt
, which was not successful and failed to boost her career.
As an adult, she became somewhat typecast in horror films, after her performance in the occult thriller The Legend of Hell House
. She starred in the 1973 made for television horror movie, Satan's School for Girls
, in which she played Elizabeth Sayers. Her last film role was in The Food of the Gods
, although she made television appearances until 1981, including an episode of Police Woman
, in which she became physically ill playing a rape victim. Other television shows in which she made appearances include The Love Boat
, Fantasy Island
, Hawaii Five-O
, Barnaby Jones
, Vegas, and Trapper John, M.D.
In 1983 she played Lady Macbeth
opposite Kristoffer Tabori in the production of Macbeth
at the Longbeach Free Shakespeare in the Park.
on the set of Necromancy
, which came out in 1972. The couple married in 1971, settled in Hollywood, and had two sons. Her husband and son, Louis, co-own the bookstore Mystery Pier Books, Inc in West Hollywood.
(1962) The Horse Without a Head (1963) (TV) See How They Run (1964) (TV) Flipper's New Adventure
(1964) A Tiger Walks
(1964) The Third Secret
(1964) The Nanny (1965) Eagle in a Cage
(1965) (TV) Our Mother's House
(1967) The Night of the Following Day
(1968) David Copperfield (1969) (TV) Sinful Davey
(1969) The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
(1969) And Soon the Darkness
(1970) Medical Center
(1970-72?) character part as "Baby Frytag" (TV) Green Acres
(1971) (TV) episode "Hawaiian Honeymoon" pilot/spin-off attempt Necromancy
(1972)Half A Death' episode / 'Ghost Story/Circle Of Fear' (TV) (1973)
Satan's School for Girls
(1973) (TV)
The Legend of Hell House
(1973)
Ace Eli and Rodger of the Skies
(1973)
Intertect (1973) (TV)
The Letters (1973) (TV)
The Six Million Dollar Man
(1974) (TV) episode "Operation Firefly"
Crossfire (1975) (TV)
Won't Write Home Mom, I'm Dead (1975) (TV)
Screamer (1975) (TV)
The Food of the Gods
(1976)
Eleanor and Franklin
(1976) (TV)
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
actress who appeared in feature films from 1961 until 1976, and on American television throughout the 1970s.
Early life and career as a child actress
Franklin, who had three brothers, was born in Yokohama, Japan, and grew up in the Far EastFar East
The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...
, where her father was an importer/exporter. The family lived in Japan, Hong Kong, Australia, and Ceylon before returning to England. At the age of eight she was sent to the Elmhurst School of Ballet in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. She made her film debut at the age of 11 in The Innocents (1961), and her television debut in the Wonderful World of Disneys, The Horse Without a Head. In 1962 she played opposite William Holden
William Holden
William Holden was an American actor. Holden won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1954 and the Emmy Award for Best Actor in 1974...
, Trevor Howard
Trevor Howard
Trevor Howard , born Trevor Wallace Howard-Smith, was an English film, stage and television actor.-Early life:...
and Capucine
Capucine
Capucine was a French actress and fashion model best known for her comedic roles in The Pink Panther and What's New Pussycat? . She appeared in 36 films and 17 television productions between 1948 and 1990...
in the British film The Lion
The Lion
The Lion , a novel by French author Joseph Kessel, is the story of a girl and her lion.The novel was translated into English by Peter Green.-Plot summary:...
. She was only fourteen years old when she made The Third Secret
The Third Secret
-Plot introduction:The story takes us behind the Vatican walls during the reign of a dying pope. Clement XV, a gentle, poetic German, keeps visiting the archives where the Third Secret of Fatima is kept. He is clearly troubled by something, but won't fully confide in his secretary, Father Colin...
in 1964, in which she played the doctor's daughter, Katherine. When she was interviewed about the film in 1979, she said that "she and Stephen Boyd
Stephen Boyd
Stephen Boyd was an Irish actor, from Glengormley, Northern Ireland, who appeared in around 60 films, most notably in the role of Messala in Ben-Hur.-Biography:...
had become friends and the warmth on screen was genuine."
In 1966 she had a lead role in the BBC TV series Quick Before They Catch Us
Quick Before They Catch Us
Quick Before They Catch Us was a 1966 British action/adventure children's television series. It starred then child actors Pamela Franklin, Teddy Green and David Griffin as three teenagers who become amateur detectives in Swinging London during the mid-1960s...
.
Later career in film, television, and the stage
Franklin received favourable critical notices for her portrayal of an unusually worldly teenager in the suspense film The Nanny (1965). She acted with Dirk BogardeDirk Bogarde
Sir Dirk Bogarde was an English actor and novelist. Initially a matinee idol in such films as Doctor in the House and other Rank Organisation pictures, Bogarde later acted in art-house films such as Death in Venice...
, who played her father in Our Mother's House
Our Mother's House
Our Mother's House is a 1967 British drama film starring Dirk Bogarde. The screenplay was by Jeremy Brooks, based on the 1963 novel of the same name by Julian Gloag.-Plot:...
, a film was nominated for the Golden Lion
Golden Lion
Il Leone d’Oro is the highest prize given to a film at the Venice Film Festival. The prize was introduced in 1949 by the organizing committee and is now regarded as one of the film industry's most distinguished prizes...
at the Venice Film Festival
Venice Film Festival
The Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
in 1967, and in the same year acted opposite Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando, Jr. was an American movie star and political activist. "Unchallenged as the most important actor in modern American Cinema" according to the St...
and Rita Moreno
Rita Moreno
Rita Moreno is a Puerto Rican singer, dancer and actress. She is the only Hispanic and one of the few performers who have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony, and was the second Puerto Rican to win an Academy Award....
in The Night of the Following Day
The Night of the Following Day
The Night of the Following Day is a 1968 film starring Marlon Brando, Pamela Franklin, Richard Boone and Rita Moreno. Filmed in France, around Le Touquet it tells a simple story: a kidnapped heiress is held hostage in a remote beachhouse on the coast of France.The film starts with Dupont's...
as the kidnap victim in this crime thriller. This was her first "adult" role with one scene showing her bare-breasted.
Probably her best-known role was as "Sandy" in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (film)
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie is a 1969 drama film, based on the novel of the same name by Muriel Spark.The novel was turned into a play by Jay Presson Allen, which opened on Broadway in 1968, with Zoe Caldwell in the title role, a performance for which she won a Tony Award...
(1969), for which she won the National Board of Review award for Best Supporting Actress. In the same year she starred in the John Huston
John Huston
John Marcellus Huston was an American film director, screenwriter and actor. He wrote most of the 37 feature films he directed, many of which are today considered classics: The Maltese Falcon , The Treasure of the Sierra Madre , Key Largo , The Asphalt Jungle , The African Queen , Moulin Rouge...
movie Sinful Davey
Sinful Davey
-Production:The film, directed by John Huston, is based on the autobiography of David Haggart entitled The Life Of David Haggart. The film, about a Scottish rogue, was filmed in Ireland and consequently much of the cast have Irish brogues instead of the more accurate Scottish accent.-Cast:*John...
, with a young John Hurt
John Hurt
John Vincent Hurt, CBE is an English actor, known for his leading roles as John Merrick in The Elephant Man, Winston Smith in Nineteen Eighty-Four, Mr. Braddock in The Hit, Stephen Ward in Scandal, Quentin Crisp in The Naked Civil Servant and An Englishman in New York...
, which was not successful and failed to boost her career.
As an adult, she became somewhat typecast in horror films, after her performance in the occult thriller The Legend of Hell House
The Legend of Hell House
The Legend of Hell House is a 1973 British horror film directed by John Hough and starring Pamela Franklin, Roddy McDowall, Clive Revill, and Gayle Hunnicutt. The screenplay was written by Richard Matheson based on his own novel Hell House.-Plot:...
. She starred in the 1973 made for television horror movie, Satan's School for Girls
Satan's School for Girls (1973 film)
Satan's School for Girls is a 1973 made-for-tv horror film directed by David Lowell Rich, and produced by Aaron Spelling. The film has been named as one of the most memorable TV movies of the 1970s.- Plot :...
, in which she played Elizabeth Sayers. Her last film role was in The Food of the Gods
The Food of the Gods (film)
The Food of the Gods is a 1976 film released by American International Pictures and was written, produced, and directed by Bert I. Gordon....
, although she made television appearances until 1981, including an episode of Police Woman
Police Woman (TV series)
Police Woman is an American television police drama starring Angie Dickinson that ran on NBC for four seasons, from September 13, 1974, to March 29, 1978.-Synopsis:...
, in which she became physically ill playing a rape victim. Other television shows in which she made appearances include The Love Boat
The Love Boat
The Love Boat is an American television series set on a cruise ship, which aired on the ABC Television Network from September 24,1977, until May 24,1986.The show starred Gavin MacLeod as the ship's captain...
, Fantasy Island
Fantasy Island
Fantasy Island is the title of two separate but related American fantasy television series, both originally airing on the ABC television network.-Original series:...
, Hawaii Five-O
Hawaii Five-O
Hawaii Five-O is an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productions and Leonard Freeman. Set in Hawaii, the show originally aired for twelve seasons from 1968 to 1980, and continues in reruns. The show featured a fictional state police unit run by Detective Steve McGarrett,...
, Barnaby Jones
Barnaby Jones
Barnaby Jones is a television detective series starring Buddy Ebsen and Lee Meriwether as father- and daughter-in-law who run a private detective firm in Los Angeles. A spin-off from Cannon, the show ran on CBS from January 28, 1973 to April 3, 1980, beginning as a midseason replacement...
, Vegas, and Trapper John, M.D.
In 1983 she played Lady Macbeth
Lady Macbeth
Lady Macbeth may refer to:*Lady Macbeth, from William Shakespeare's play Macbeth**Queen Gruoch of Scotland, the real-life Queen on whom Shakespeare based the character...
opposite Kristoffer Tabori in the production of Macbeth
Macbeth
The Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
at the Longbeach Free Shakespeare in the Park.
Personal life
Franklin met actor Harvey JasonHarvey Jason
Harvey Albert Jason is an English actor and the co-owner of Mystery Pier Books, an independent book store that sells first editions.Jason was born in London, the son of Marie Goldblatt and actor Alec Jason...
on the set of Necromancy
Necromancy
Necromancy is a claimed form of magic that involves communication with the deceased, either by summoning their spirit in the form of an apparition or raising them bodily, for the purpose of divination, imparting the ability to foretell future events or discover hidden knowledge...
, which came out in 1972. The couple married in 1971, settled in Hollywood, and had two sons. Her husband and son, Louis, co-own the bookstore Mystery Pier Books, Inc in West Hollywood.
Filmography
The Lion
The Lion , a novel by French author Joseph Kessel, is the story of a girl and her lion.The novel was translated into English by Peter Green.-Plot summary:...
(1962) The Horse Without a Head (1963) (TV) See How They Run (1964) (TV) Flipper's New Adventure
Flipper's New Adventure
Flipper's New Adventure is an American feature film released on June 24, 1964 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, written by Art Arthur, and directed by Leon Benson...
(1964) A Tiger Walks
A Tiger Walks
A Tiger Walks is a 1964 family drama film, directed by Norman Tokar and produced by Walt Disney Productions. It is based on a novel of the same name by Ian Niall...
(1964) The Third Secret
The Third Secret (film)
The Third Secret is a 1964 British drama film directed by Charles Crichton. The screenplay by Robert L. Joseph focuses on an American newscaster who investigates the mysterious death of his psychoanalyst...
(1964) The Nanny (1965) Eagle in a Cage
Eagle in a Cage
Eagle in a Cage is a 1972 American and British historical drama film directed by Fielder Cook. Napoleon is played by Kenneth Haigh.An earlier version of the story had been made in 1965, when an episode of the television series Hallmark Hall of Fame depicted the events starring Trevor Howard as...
(1965) (TV) Our Mother's House
Our Mother's House
Our Mother's House is a 1967 British drama film starring Dirk Bogarde. The screenplay was by Jeremy Brooks, based on the 1963 novel of the same name by Julian Gloag.-Plot:...
(1967) The Night of the Following Day
The Night of the Following Day
The Night of the Following Day is a 1968 film starring Marlon Brando, Pamela Franklin, Richard Boone and Rita Moreno. Filmed in France, around Le Touquet it tells a simple story: a kidnapped heiress is held hostage in a remote beachhouse on the coast of France.The film starts with Dupont's...
(1968) David Copperfield (1969) (TV) Sinful Davey
Sinful Davey
-Production:The film, directed by John Huston, is based on the autobiography of David Haggart entitled The Life Of David Haggart. The film, about a Scottish rogue, was filmed in Ireland and consequently much of the cast have Irish brogues instead of the more accurate Scottish accent.-Cast:*John...
(1969) The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (film)
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie is a 1969 drama film, based on the novel of the same name by Muriel Spark.The novel was turned into a play by Jay Presson Allen, which opened on Broadway in 1968, with Zoe Caldwell in the title role, a performance for which she won a Tony Award...
(1969) And Soon the Darkness
And Soon the Darkness
And Soon the Darkness is a 1970 British thriller film. Starring Pamela Franklin, Michele Dotrice and Sandor Elès, it tells the story of two young English women on a cycling holiday in France, who run into difficulties.-Plot:...
(1970) Medical Center
Medical Center (TV series)
Medical Center is a medical drama series which aired on CBS from 1969 to 1976.-Synopsis:The show starred James Daly as Dr. Paul Lochner and Chad Everett as Dr. Joe Gannon, surgeons working in an otherwise unnamed university hospital in Los Angeles. The show focused both on the lives of the doctors...
(1970-72?) character part as "Baby Frytag" (TV) Green Acres
Green Acres
Green Acres is an American television series starring Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor as a couple who move from New York City to a country farm...
(1971) (TV) episode "Hawaiian Honeymoon" pilot/spin-off attempt Necromancy
Necromancy (film)
Necromancy is a 1972 horror film directed by Bert I. Gordon and starring Orson Welles and Pamela Franklin.-Plot:...
(1972)
Satan's School for Girls (1973 film)
Satan's School for Girls is a 1973 made-for-tv horror film directed by David Lowell Rich, and produced by Aaron Spelling. The film has been named as one of the most memorable TV movies of the 1970s.- Plot :...
(1973) (TV)
The Legend of Hell House
The Legend of Hell House is a 1973 British horror film directed by John Hough and starring Pamela Franklin, Roddy McDowall, Clive Revill, and Gayle Hunnicutt. The screenplay was written by Richard Matheson based on his own novel Hell House.-Plot:...
(1973)
Ace Eli and Rodger of the Skies
Ace Eli and Rodger of the Skies is a 1973 adventure-comedy film, with a story by Steven Spielberg. The film centers on a stunt pilot and his son as they fly around the United States in the 1920s, and their adventures along the way.-Background:Steven Spielberg had developed the story of a flyer...
(1973)
The Six Million Dollar Man
The Six Million Dollar Man is an American television series about a former astronaut with bionic implants working for the OSI...
(1974) (TV) episode "Operation Firefly"
The Food of the Gods (film)
The Food of the Gods is a 1976 film released by American International Pictures and was written, produced, and directed by Bert I. Gordon....
(1976)
Eleanor and Franklin
Eleanor and Franklin is a television movie released on January 11, 1976, starring Edward Herrmann as Franklin D. Roosevelt and Jane Alexander as Eleanor Roosevelt. It is the first part in a two-part biopic based on Joseph P. Lash's Pulitzer Prize-winning and best-selling biography with the same...
(1976) (TV)
External links
- From Innocence to Experience, ABC Film Review, Interview, August 1970 Retrieved 7-23-2011
- The Third Secret (1964) Retrieved 7-23-2011