Alexandra Bastedo

Alexandra Bastedo (9 March 1946 – 12 January 2014) was a British actress, best known for her role as secret agent Sharron Macready in the 1968 British espionage/science fiction adventure series The Champions. She has been cited as a sex symbol of the 1960s and '70s. Bastedo was a vegetarian and well-known animal welfare advocate.

She died peacefully in hospital on 12 January 2014 after suffering from cancer.

Early life

Bastedo was born in Hove, Sussex, England. According to her official website, her mother was of French, German and Italian descent. Her Canadian-born father was of Spanish, Dutch, Scottish and native Indian extraction. She attended Brighton and Hove High School and Brighton School of Drama.

Professional career

She made her film debut as one of the title characters in William Castle's poorly received 13 Frightened Girls (1963). Bastedo received notice on the European continent, earning her the nickname, "La Bastedo". Although most familiar to viewers of 1960s TV, she was also known for her multilingual skills, speaking Italian, Spanish, French and German. This skill brought her to the door of 10 Downing Street to assist with translations and landed her the role of co-presenter of Miss World competitions with Peter Marshall in the 1980s. In the early 1990s, she appeared in an episode of Absolutely Fabulous playing a 1960s model associate of Edina and Patsy. In 1991, she appeared in a notable production of the psychological thriller Dangerous Obsession by N. J. Crisp, opposite Marc Sinden and John Challis, at the Mill at Sonning.

In 2006, Bastedo was reunited for the first time with her co-stars from The Champions to provide commentaries and an interview for a DVD release of the show. Still working as an actress, she appeared in Batman Begins, and touring theatres in 2006 with a production of Beyond Reasonable Doubt alongside Leslie Grantham and Simon Ward. In 2008, she joined the cast of EastEnders, playing Cynthia.

 In January 2008, she appeared as co-presenter (with Ed Stewart) of "The Magic of Mantovani" at Lighthouse, Poole. The success of this concert led, the following year, to a second concert at Lighthouse in Poole, with the Mantovani Orchestra, which she again co-presented.

Personal life

Bastedo dated David Frost and Omar Sharif, but turned down the advances of Steve McQueen who, she recalled, propositioned her with the line, "My wife doesn't understand me". In the case of Sharif, the liaison lasted only a few weeks because of the actor's bridge-playing, his odd hours and the fact that he took telephone numbers from other women.

Mike Tomkies, the Fleet Street journalist who abandoned the life of a celebrity reporter to live alone in the wilderness, lived with her for a while in Canada, and they talked of marriage, but she was prohibited from marrying by a contract for The Champions (1968 to 69). He said that she was the "most stunningly beautiful creature" he had ever seen.

In 1980, at Chichester Cathedral, Bastedo married Patrick Garland, a director, writer and actor; he became a long-serving director of the Chichester Festival Theatre. Bastedo wrote a memoir, Beware Dobermanns, Donkeys and Ducks, as well as several books on caring for cats and dogs. Her husband died on 19 April 2013.

Animal welfare

Bastedo was a vegetarian, and is the founder of ABC Animal Sanctuary. In an interview on the BBC television series Where Are They Now? Bastedo provided a glimpse into her private life. She used to be the president of her local RSPCA branch, but gave up her position in 2008 so she could dedicate more time to her own fast-growing animal sanctuary at her home in West Chiltington, West Sussex. A journalist, who interviewed her husband in 2010, described their domestic surroundings:

[W]e sit in his Sussex garden looking towards a small lake with a jetty and a battered rowing boat – a perfect pastoral scene which could be a stage set. He lives with his wife, the actress Alexandra Bastedo, who remains startlingly beautiful, a couple of Dobermans, some territorial cats, and a menagerie of horses, donkeys, pigs and goats – Bastedo runs an animal sanctuary. Garland's domain is largely inside the house where he closes doors to keep animals out of rooms lined with 12,000 books.

She was also a patron to a number of animal welfare organizations including: Compassion in World Farming, Wildlife Aid Foundation, National Animal Welfare Trust, Greyhounds in Need, and Naturewatch.

Bibliography

• Alexandra Bastedo, Beware Dobermanns, Donkeys and Ducks (Parkwest: Robson Books, 1998).
• Alexandra Bastedo and Jeannie Kemnitzer, Canine Care and Cuisine: The Healthy Dog Book (Parkwest: Robson Books, 2000).
• Alexandra Bastedo and Jeannie Kemnitzer, The Healthy Cat Book: Feline Care and Cuisine (Parkwest: Robson Books, 2000).
• Alexandra Bastedo and Jeannie Kemnitzer, The Healthy Dog Book (Parkwest: Robson, 2002).

Filmography

• 13 Frightened Girls (aka The Candy Web) (1963)
• The Liquidator (1966)
• Doctor in Clover (1966)
• That Riviera Touch (1966)
• The Haunted Man (1966)
• The Head Waiter (1966) (TV)
• The Saint (episode "The Counterfeit Countess", 1967)
• Casino Royale (1967)
• The Champions (TV series, 1968–69)
• A Promise of Bed (1969)
• I Can't... I Can't (1969)
• Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) (episode "Whoever Heard of a Ghost Dying?", 1969)
• Tibetana (1970)
• Codename (1970) (TV series)
• My Lover My Son (1970)
• From a Bird's Eye View (episode "Sicillian Affair", 1970)
• The Blood Spattered Bride (1972) (Spanish title: La Novia Ensangrentada)
• Odio mi cuerpo (1974)
• Tu dios y mi infierno (1975)
• The Ghoul (1975)
• El Clan de los Nazarenos (1975)
• The Man Inside (1976)
• Find the Lady (1976)
• El Mirón (1977)
• Cabo de vara (1978)
• The Aphrodite Inheritance (miniseries, 1979)
• A Choice of Two (1981)
• Estigma (1982)
• Legend of the Champions (TV, 1983)
• Draw! (1984) (TV)
• La Veritat oculta (1987)
• Absolutely Fabulous (episode "Fat", 1992)
• Batman Begins (2005)
• EastEnders (2008–2009)