Caroline Munro is a gorgeous British actress and model best known for her supporting performances in a variety of genre films throughout the 1970s. These films included such features as Ray Harryhausen’s 1973 fantasy classic The Golden Voyage of Sinbad, as well as the 1977 Roger Moore-starring James Bond vehicle The Spy Who Loved Me. The latter film immortalized Caroline as a Bond girl, though it’s far from being the only reason that the actress retains cult status today. Over the course of her career, Caroline has gotten to grace the screen alongside such legendary actors as Christopher Lee, David Hasselhoff, and the aforementioned Roger Moore. Many have wondered if Caroline had as much chemistry with these figures behind the scenes as she did on the screen. Join Facts Verse as Caroline Munro spills the secrets of her on-screen seductions.
Caroline Munro’s Parents Reluctantly Let Her Model
Caroline Munro was born in the United Kingdom in 1949. Due to her religious upbringing, few could’ve predicted that the young girl would grow up to be one of the most popular and lusted-after models of her time. Many have questioned why Caroline’s religious parents allowed her to get into modeling when she was a teenager, and it seems that part of the reason was because modeling helped the shy Caroline open up socially. Caroline has always suffered from dyslexia, and this caused problems for her as a child. When Caroline’s parents saw that the young woman might have some success in the world of modeling, they didn’t want to stop her even though they were slightly skeptical of the industry.
Caroline’s path to modeling stardom started when she was only 16 years old. In the mid-1960s, a friend of Caroline’s submitted a photo of her to the local news. The news was holding a contest dubbed the “Face of the Year” competition, and teenage Caroline ended up being selected as the year’s prettiest face. This brought a good deal of attention to the young woman, and professional modeling opportunities quickly came her way. Soon, she was appearing in magazines. Soon after that, she was on giant billboards.
During her early days as a model, one of Caroline’s most notable gigs was being the face of Lamb’s Navy Rum. Caroline modeled for the company for around a decade, during which period her scantily clad appearance could be seen on billboards across the country. Some have even suggested that the Navy-themed advertising campaigns contributed in an increase in people joining the United States Navy. Caroline has recalled how her parents were initially shocked to see their scantly clad daughter appearing on giant billboards. However, they were forced to get used to it.
Caroline Munro Worked Musically with the Band Cream
In the late 1960s, Caroline Munro branched out from modeling into the world of popular music. Caroline released a modestly successful single around the time, and her backing band included the likes of Eric Clapton and the remaining members of Cream, as well as guitarist Steve Howe of Yes fame. Though nothing ended up coming of this musical endeavor, it remains an interesting side note to Caroline’s early career. Around the same time that Caroline Munro was making music with the members of Cream, she could also be seen performing a non-speaking role in the comedic James Bond film Casino Royale. The film was released in 1967, and Caroline’s appearance foreshadowed her much more significant Bond-affiliated role in The Spy Who Loved Me, which would come a decade later.
Casino Royale feature a burgeoning Woody Allen in a small role. Woody wasn’t yet a big filmmaker, but he was already fairly well known for his comedic work on television, particularly in the United Kingdom. Caroline has recalled that, though Casino Royale also featured the likes of Peter Sellers and Orson Welles, it was Woody that her mother and father were most star struck by when dropping her off on set.
A few years after the release of Casino Royale, Caroline Munro was finally given the opportunity to speak on the big screen thanks to her role in the 1969 comedic Western film A Talent for Loving. You’ll likely have a hard time finding anyone who remembers the film nowadays, though it is slightly notable for featuring Caroline attempting a Mexican accent. Caroline continued working into the 1970s, and she scored what would become a fairly iconic role when she was cast in Dracula A.D. 1972. Though the feature may not be that well known to mainstream audiences, it is certainly notable to fans of Hammer Film Productions.
Caroline Munro’s role alongside Christopher Lee in Dracula A.D. 1972 would be only the first of several iconic roles that the actress would receive over the course of the ensuing 1970s. Stay tuned as we look at the rest, including the actress’s defining second turn as a Bond girl in 1977’s The Spy Who Loved Me. If you’re enjoying this video so far, be sure to hit the like button to show your support! Also, subscribe to the channel if you’d like to be among the first to know when more Facts Verse videos are on their way!
Caroline Became a Notable Actress During the 1970s
Hammer Film Productions’ cult-classic horror film Dracula A.D. 1972 was one of several films from the iconic horror studio that featured actor Christopher Lee in the role of Dracula. The film remains widely beloved, and a big part of it’s appeal comes from Caroline Munro’s sexy performance. In the film, there’s plenty of chemistry between her and Christopher Lee’s Dracula, though Caroline has kept quiet on whether or not she ever hooked up with the actor. In addition to Caroline Munro and Christopher Lee, the cult-classic horror film also featured Peter Cushing. Peter Cushing played the character of Abraham Van Helsing.
Fans of Hammer Film Productions will know that Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing first took on their respective roles of Count Dracula and Abraham Van Helsing in the late 1950s. The first film to feature the duo as the characters was 1955’s Horror of Dracula, and the last was 1973’s The Satanic Rites of Dracula. The latter film came out only a year after Dracula A.D. 1972, yet it didn’t feature Caroline Munro. In Dracula A.D. 1972, Caroline’s character was named Laura Bellows.
Though Caroline Munro wasn’t asked back to return in the sequel to Dracula A.D. 1972, she did go on to appear in another iconic genre film that was released in 1973. That film would be The Golden Voyage of Sinbad, which was a fantasy feature from legendary special-effects artist Ray Harryhausen. Though all of Ray’s works were made with a family audience in mind, the famous auteur producer wasn’t afraid to let his actresses be sexy on the screen. Caroline Munro’s performance in The Golden Voyage of Sinbad is certainly no exception, with the actress’s portrayal of the character of Margiana in the film being very titillating.
Caroline Has Been Immortalized in Many Forms
It was in 1977 that Caroline Munro finally received her iconic role as a Bond girl in The Spy Who Loved Me. The film not only gave Caroline the chance to seduce Roger Moore’s character of Bond, but it also gave her the chance to try and kill him! Caroline’s character in the film was named Naomi, and she could be seen wearing a revealing biking through the majority of her performance. Caroline’s performance in the film proved so popular with audience members that most were disappointed when her character failed to kill James Bond. Of course, many have wondered if Caroline Munro ever hooked up with Roger Moore behind the scenes.
Caroline has never said anything about hooking up with Roger Moore during the filming of The Spy Who Loved Me, but Bond actors have been notorious for seducing their female costars. It seems that Caroline has always enjoyed keeping things fairly professional when she’s at work and has preferred to keep her seductive side hidden until the cameras start rolling. Though Caroline never seems to have hooked up with Roger Moore, she has always had a respect for the man that exceeds their time together in the James Bond franchise. This isn’t because of any secret romance, however, but instead because Roger Moore is another notable performer that came from the world of modeling.
A year after appearing alongside Roger Moore’s James Bond in The Spy Who Loved Me, Caroline Munro got to grace cinema screens alongside a young David Hasselhoff in 1973’s Starcrash. The film gave Caroline the chance to be immortalized once again, this time in the form of an action figure. Those who can track down an action figure of Caroline’s character from Starcrash might want to hold on to it, as it seems to be growing in value as the years go by.
Caroline’s Career Slowed Down After an Iconic Slasher Film
In 1980, Caroline Munro appeared in the iconic slasher film Maniac. The film was notorious around the time of it’s release for it’s graphic content, and has since maintained the status of a cult classic. Later in the 1980s, Caroline Munro made another failed bid to become a star in the world of popular music. This time, instead of the members of Cream, Caroline had the help of New Wave idol Gary Numan. Sadly, the resulting single, which was dubbed “Pump Me Up”, wasn’t a huge success outside of the country of Italy.
As the 1980s came to an end, Caroline Munro’s career fizzled out. However, the model-turned-actress is still out there doing her thing to a certain extent. Some say that the actress could’ve become a bigger deal if she had made the permanent move over to America. Instead, she chose to remain in England with her family. Today, Caroline is still a popular figure amongst film enthusiasts thanks to the variety of notable genre pictures that she appeared in.
Caroline Munro is still around today at the age of 73, and she’s nearly just as stunning as she was during her prime! Now it’s time to hear from you: did you know that model-turned-actress Caroline Munro got to be a Bond girl twice, and that she’s still around today at the age of 73? As always, like this video to show your support, and subscribe and hit the notification bell if you’d like to be among the first to know when more Facts Verse videos are on their way!
