Hollywood Actors and Actress Hollywood Information

Barbara Shelley Biography

Barbara Shelley is a British actress best known for her parts in horror movies such as ‘The Camp on Blood Island’ (1958), ‘Blood of the Vampire’ (1958), ‘Village of the Damned’ (1960), ‘Shadow of the Cat’ (1961), ‘The Gorgon’ (1964), ‘The Secret of Blood Island’ (1964) , ‘Dracula: Prince of Darkness’ (1966), ‘Rasputin: The Mad Monk’ (1966) and ‘Quatermass’ and ‘The Pit’ (1967).

She had lovely stature and very good looks, which she used to the best effect on screen. Before she became an actress she worked as a model. Interestingly, though she received the tag line scream queen, particularly in her role in ‘Dracula: Prince of Darkness’, it was co-star Suzan Farmer who dubbed her scream for this film. Also her entry into acting began during the 1950’s in Italian films. She starred in Italian movies Luna nuova (1955) and Mio figlio Nerone (1956). However, when it became apparent she was not going to get good roles in this industry, she went back to England to improve her career options.

She was very active during the 1960’s after which she received lesser and lesser roles in films. Once her market as an actress slipped away, she turned to television for work. Her roles in television include series such as ‘Workhorse’, ‘The Comedy of Errors’, ‘People Like Us’, ‘Oil Strike North’, ‘Doctor Who’, ‘Planet of Fire’, ‘EastEnders’, ‘Bergerac’ and ‘More Than a Messiah’.

In due course of her career as a television star, she achieved fame and became well known for her performances. Currently, retired from television work, she has taken to interior designing as her new passion. However, her nostalgia of her yesteryears life is still on and she can be seen at film conventions in which she is the central figure of camp horror history.