Biography for
Maryam d'Abo More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

27 December 1960, London, England, UK

Height

5' 5" (1.65 m)

Mini Biography

Born in London, England and raised in European cities such as Paris and Geneva, Maryam d'Abo has rewarded audiences with her beauty and presence for over twenty years. Maryam first appeared in Xtro (1983), a gory horror film that is considered a cult entry in the genre. She appeared consistently throughout the mid-1980s in a variety of films, including a mini-series based on the work of author Sidney Sheldon, entitled "If Tomorrow Comes" (1986). She accepted "Laughter in the Dark" based on the Vladimir Nabokov novel. Her co-stars were Maximilian Schell and Mick Jagger. It was to be her big break, since it was a very challenging role, and she was in every scene. But financing fell through, and the film was never completed. The stress made her lose weight, and she appeared more mature. Which turned out to just the right look for a classical cellist in her next film. Thus, her real big break came in the form of the James Bond film, The Living Daylights (1987). Maryam played Bond girl "Kara Milovy" opposite Timothy Dalton's "James Bond". The film gave her career a real jolt, and she found herself in leading roles throughout the early 1990s, in a variety of films. She based herself in both England and the USA, appearing in Shootfighter: Fight to the Death (1993) and the European horror movie Immortal Sins (1991). She played her hand in the erotic thriller genre, appearing in Tomcat: Dangerous Desires (1993), Tropical Heat (1993) and an episode of 'Red Shoe Diaries', featured on the video _Red Shoe Diaries 3: Another Woman's Lipstick (1993)(V)_. She starred in more films throughout the mid-1990s, opposite the late Margaux Hemingway in Double Obsession (1994), a remake: The Browning Version (1994), a romantic comedy called Solitaire for 2 (1995), and thrillers such as Timelock (1996) and An American Affair (1997).

In 2002, Maryam drew on her experiences as a Bond Girl to write, produce and host Bond Girls Are Forever (2002) (TV), examining the culture and connotations of being a Bond girl, and the subsequent effects on a film career. This interesting documentary shed new light on the topic of James Bond films, and appeared on British and American television, whilst gaining a DVD release. Maryam strayed away from commercial features, opting to appear in a variety of television dramas, including: a TV mini series of Doctor Zhivago (2002) (TV) and Helen of Troy (2003) (TV). More recently, she appeared in San-Antonio (2004), Trespassing (2004), a movie filmed in France Hell (2005) and a direct-to-video sequel, The Prince & Me II: The Royal Wedding (2006) (V). Maryam has displayed talent in a variety of genres, she continues to make guest appearances for her fans, and is likely to appear in more films. This striking blonde actress, a former Bond girl, holds her own up with the best of them.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Anonymous.

Spouse

Hugh Hudson

(November 2003 - present)

Trivia

Georgian mother and Dutch father. Brought up in Paris and Geneva.

Cousin of singer Mike d'Abo, and hence first cousin once removed of his daughter, Olivia d'Abo.

Nov. 2002 - Hosted Bond Girls Are Forever (2002) (TV) on the American Movie Classics network, showcasing the allure of "Bond Girls" from the James Bond series of films. In addition to sharing her own stories and experiences from The Living Daylights (1987), she interviewed such past and present Bond Girls as Halle Berry, Jill St. John, the first Bond Girl Ursula Andress, and Sophie Marceau.

Has an admitted phobia of explosions.

Almost died in 2006 from a brain hemorrhage during a workout.

She and her husband Hugh Hudson worked on a documentary about brain trauma, inspired by Maryam's 2006 real-life surgery from a brain aneurysm.

In 1986, when Maryam played the role of the Bond girl, she made sure that she didn't want to come across as a bimbo. Her passion for women's rights continued to 2011, when she joined a women's rights march that culminated at London's arts and culture complex, the Southbank Centre, hosting "Women of the World," a festival showcasing women's achievement.

Her mother headed the UNICEF greeting card operation in Europe.

Regretted her nude layout in "Playboy" magazine to promote the James Bond film The Living Daylights (1987). She said that she really disliked the pictures, because they were so pedestrian.

Director John Glen claims that she is one of his favorite actresses, since he cast her in three projects: The Living Daylights (1987), "Space Precinct" (1994)_, and The Point Men (2001).

Was rejected for the role of the Bond girl in A View to a Kill (1985), because she appeared too young. It went to actress Fiona Fullerton.

Even though, she has no French blood, French is her first spoken language, since she grew up there. She has also acted on the French stage, claiming that she is much quicker and extroverted in French, since it is a romance language.

Her father descended from a Finnish family, which moved to Holland when Finland was occupied by Sweden, and eventually to England. He had contracted meningitis shortly before Maryam was born, and the disease had destroyed his brain. It made him an invalid, and unable to speak, until he died 35 years later.

Her maternal grandfather was the general of the Soviet Georgian army and her grandmother was from the wealthiest family in Georgia. When the Soviets took over in 1922, the French government invited them to emigrate. Penniless in Paris, her grandfather fell back on one of the delicacies of his native land and actually made yogurt in France for a living. He lived to be 96 years old.

She almost got married when she was 22 years old and later said that she was glad it didn't happen because she wasn't ready for marriage then.