THE actress Alexandra Bastedo has passed away at the age of 67.
Ms. Bastedo will be best remembered for her role in the cult TV series The Champions (see below). She played Sharron Macready, who with her co-stars Stuart Damon and William Gaunt, formed a team of crime fighters who had been bestowed with special mental powers and strength following a plane crash in Tibet.
The series, which ran between 1968 and 1969, was not only a hit in Britain but had been huge in parts of Europe and in South America.
Born in Hove, East Sussex, the young Bastedo had originally wanted to become a vet, but after entering a newspaper competition the 16-year-old won a role in the comedy movie 13 Frightened Girls! (1963). A spell at the Brighton School of Drama was to follow.
Before landing the role on The Champions she had landed small parts in movies such as The Riviera Touch (1966) and Casino Royale (1967) and on a number of television shows, including The Saint.
After The Champions, Ms. Bastedo continued to appear regularly on a wide range of TV shows and films during the 1970s and 1980s, before taking a break from acting and opening the ABC Animal Sanctuary near Pulborough in West Sussex.
In the late 1990s, she returned to acting with appearances on such shows as Absolutely Fabulous. Her final credits included the 2005 movie Batman Begins and an appearance in the BBC TV series EastEnders in 2008.
Ms. Bastedo had been suffering from cancer and passed away in West Sussex. She was married to Patrick Garland, who predeceased her in 2013.
To view the opening credits for The Champions, click here.
To see an excerpt from an archive interview with Ms. Bestado, click here.
To view an online photo-tribute to Ms. Bestado, click here.
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