Sandra Colleen Waites (15 December 1948 – 28 December 1991[1]), known professionally as Cassandra Harris, was an Australian actress.
Cassandra Harris | |
---|---|
Born | Sandra Colleen Waites 15 December 1948 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
Died | 28 December 1991 Los Angeles, California, U.S. | (aged 43)
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 1954–1985 |
Spouse(s) |
William Firth
(m. 1964; div. 1970)Dermot Harris
(m. 1970; div. 1978) |
Children | 3 |
Early life
Born in Sydney, Harris was a student at the National Institute of Dramatic Art. She enrolled in 1961, aged 12, under the name Sandra Gleeson. She went on to perform in the Sydney stage production of Boeing Boeing (1964–1965).
She appeared in The Greek Tycoon (1978), Rough Cut (1980), and the James Bond film For Your Eyes Only (1981) as the Countess Lisl von Schlaf, the ill-fated mistress of Milos Colombo (played by Israeli actor Topol). While filming this movie, her third husband, Pierce Brosnan, met producer Albert R. Broccoli, which eventually led to his casting as James Bond in four films. She guest-starred in several episodes of the television series Remington Steele with Brosnan; they married on 27 December 1980.[2]
Family
Harris had three children: Charlotte Harris (1971–2013) and Christopher (born 1972) by Dermot Harris, brother of actor Richard Harris, and son Sean Brosnan (born 1983), by Pierce Brosnan, who adopted Charlotte and Christopher after their father died in 1986.
Death
In 1987, Harris was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, the same disease that had claimed her own mother's life. She battled the illness for four years until her death on 28 December 1991, 13 days after her 43rd birthday.[2] Her daughter Charlotte also died from ovarian cancer on 28 June 2013, aged 42.[3]
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1978 | The Greek Tycoon | Cassandra | |
1980 | Rough Cut | Mrs. Lloyd Palmer | |
1981 | For Your Eyes Only | Countess Lisl von Schlaf |
Television
1979 | Enemy at the Door | Trudy Engel | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1977 | Space: 1999 | Controller Sares | Episode "Devil's Planet" |
1982 | Remington Steele | Felicia | Season 1 Ep 5 "Thou Shalt Not Steele" |
1984 | Remington Steele | Anna Simpson | Season 2 Ep 20 "Woman of Steele" |
1985 | Remington Steele | Felicia | Season 4 Ep 2 "Steele Searching: Part 2" |
References
- ^ "Cassandra Harris, Actress, 39". The New York Times. 31 December 1991.
- ^ a b "Cassandra Harris (Countess Lisl)". Archived from the original on 6 December 2004. Retrieved 1 October 2010.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ Leonard, Elizabeth (1 July 2013). "Pierce Brosnan's Daughter Dies of Ovarian Cancer". People.
External links
- Cassandra Harris at IMDb
- Cassandra Harris (Aveleyman)