Madeline Smith

Madeline Smith Biography

Madeline Smith as Miss Caruso

Madeline Smith is a former model and English actress who was born on August 2, 1949 in Hartfield, Sussex. After completing her education in a convent school, she had a temporary job at Biba, a popular boutique in Kensington High Street, London. It was here that she was introduced to modeling, thanks to the encouragement of Barbara Hulanicki, the founder of Biba.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Madeline was a frequent subject of J Edward Oliver’s cartoons, which appeared in the British music magazine Disc. Smith made her screen debut in 1968 with a small part in the film Escalation, followed by a role in The Mini-Affair. Her first project with Hammer Film Productions was Taste the Blood of Dracula in 1969, where she played an East End prostitute. She also starred in other Hammer films The Vampire Lovers (1970), Tam-Lin (1970), Theatre of Blood (1973) and Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (1974).

Madeline Smith is arguably best remembered for becoming the first Bond girl under Roger Moore after playing Miss Caruso in the 1973 Bond film Live and Let Die. Although Smith’s role was relatively short, the scene where Bond unzips her blue dress with the magnet gadget is as 007 says, ‘sheer magnetism,’ and the British actress is regularly conjoined with her vivacious character.

Kraken

Madeline’s television credits are equally impressive, including shows such as Doctor at Large, The Two Ronnies, Clochemerle, Steptoe and Son, and The Howerd Confessions among many others. She also appeared in two episodes of All Creatures Great and Small as different characters. Additionally, she was a regular cast member of the BBC2 series The End of the Pier Show and In The Looking Glass.

Madeline Smith married actor David Buck in 1975 and the couple had a daughter, Emily, in 1984. Tragically, David passed away from cancer in 1989, leading Madeline to slow down her acting career and focus on her family. Her last appearance was in TV film The Amazing Mr. Blunden (2021).

A selection of Madeline Smith images…