biography
Born Lois Hooker in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, on February 14, 1927, actress Lois Maxwell began her career as a young girl on Canadian
radio. In 1942, she joined a Canadian military unit and went to Britain to entertain troops. When it was discovered that she was underage,
she stayed in England and enrolled at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Following the end of World War II, with quite a bit of stage
experience behind her Maxwell moved to Hollywood, where she was put under contract with Warner Bros.
Maxwell's big break came in the drama That Hagen Girl (1947; with Shirley Temple, Ronald Reagan, and Rory Calhoun), for which she won the Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer. She also landed a starring role in the noir thriller The Big Punch (1948; with Wayne Morris and Gordon MacRae). Despite a Golden Globe and good notices, her career stalled. She jumped over to Columbia in the noir The Dark Past (1948; with William Holden and Adele Jergens/), the second-feature crime drama The Crime Doctor's Diary (1949; with Warner Baxter, Adele Jergens/, and Robert Armstrong), and Kazan (1949; with Stephen Dunne). She tired of the low-budget, routine Hollywood programmers and left Hollywood at the end of her Columbia contract in 1949. In Italy, she found meatier roles in such dramas as Tomorrow Is Too Late (1950; with Vittorio De Sica, Pier Angeli, and Monique van Vooren) and the comedy Ha da venì... don Calogero (1953; with Barry Fitzgerald). Maxwell lived in England and commuted to Italy when when working on a film. 
She decided to settle in England and soon found work in such films as The Woman's Angle (1952; with Cathy O'Donnell and Joan Collins), Satellite in the Sky (1956; with Kieron Moore), and High Terrace (1956; with Dale Robertson). In 1957, she married television production coordinator Peter Marriott, and the couple welcomed a daughter in 1958 and a son in 1959. Sadly, Maxwell's husband suffered a massive coronary in 1961 and, with his ensuing cardiac issues, was too ill to continue his career. With a husband and two young children to support, she beat the bushes looking for more work, which she found in television and in film. 
A chance meeting with Terence Young, who had directed one of Maxwell's early pictures, Corridor of Mirrors (1948; with
Christopher Lee), eventually led to her being cast as Miss Jane Moneypenny in Dr. No
(1962; with Sean Connery and Ursula Andress). An instant fixture, she remained with the series for more than twenty years and
fourteen films, through A View to a Kill (1985; with Roger Moore and Christopher Walken). She also acted in some of the 007
knockoff films, including Operation Kid Brother (1967; with Neil Connery and Daniela Bianchi) and
From Hong Kong With Love (1975; with Mickey Rooney). |
the films of lois maxwellThe Big Punch (1948) 
LEFT: From the Warner Bros. programmer The Big Punch with Wayne Morris. RIGHT: With love interest Gordon MacRaeScotland Yard Inspector (1952)
From the British mystery Scotland Yard InspectorTorpedo Zone (1954) 
Maxwell portrays Lt. Lily Donald in the Italian war film Torpedo ZoneSatellite in the Sky (1956)High Terrace (1956)
With Eric Pohlmann in the mystery High TerracePassport to Treason (1956) 
LEFT: From the mystery Passport to Treason. RIGHT: With Rod CameronFace of Fire (1959)
From the Allied Artists drama Face of FireFrom Russia With Love (1963)
Maxwell in her second outing as Miss Jane Moneypenny in the James Bond adventure From Russia With Love. Interestingly, Maxwell was originally cast in the part of seductress Sylvia Trench before the casting switchGoldfinger (1964)
With Sean Connery in the James Bond adventure GoldfingerOperation Double 007 (1967)
Maxwell and Neil Connery starred in the Italian 007 knockoff Operation Double 007, which once aired on Mystery Science Theater 3000You Only Live Twice (1967)
From the fifth Bond film You Only Live Twice with Karin Dor, Mie Hama, Sean Connery, and Akiko WakabayashiThe Saint (1962-1969 Syndicated TV Series) 
LEFT: With Roger Moore in a 1966 episode of The Saint titled Interlude in Venice. RIGHT: With Roger Moore and Quinn O'Haralater yearsAfter the death of her husband in 1973, Maxwell and her children relocated to her native Canada, settling in Ontario. While still maintaining her acting career, she also went to work as a columnist for the Toronto Sun and for a time worked for a crowd-control barrier company. Her acting career slowed after her last Bond film, A View to a Kill (1985; with Roger Moore and Grace Jones), and she officially wrapped her career in 2001, after suffering a life-threatening blood clot and a cancer diagnosis. She moved to Perth in western Australia to live with her son. After a bout with lung and vascular disease, Lois Maxwell passed away September 29, 2007, at the age of 80. She was survived by her son and daughter. |
filmographyFILM
|
lois maxwell trailers now showinglois maxwell film now showing |
Click on the logo to go back to Brian's Drive-In Theater
This page premiered January 28, 2011.
Copyright and Disclaimer Information