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Cassandra Harris

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Cassandra Harris
Born
Sandra Colleen Waites

(1948-12-15)15 December 1948
Died28 December 1991(1991-12-28) (aged 43)
OccupationActress
Years active1954–1985
Spouses
William Firth
(m. 1964; div. 1970)
Dermot Harris
(m. 1970; div. 1978)
(m. 1980)
Children3

Sandra Colleen Waites (15 December 1948 – 28 December 1991), known professionally as Cassandra Harris, was an Australian actress.

Early life

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Born in Sydney, Harris was a student at the National Institute of Dramatic Art. She enrolled in 1961, aged 12, under the name Sandra Gleeson. She went on to perform in the Sydney stage production of Boeing Boeing (1964–1965).

Harris appeared in The Greek Tycoon (1978), Rough Cut (1980), and the James Bond film For Your Eyes Only (1981)[1] as the Countess Lisl von Schlaf, the ill-fated mistress of Milos Columbo (played by Israeli actor Topol). While filming this movie, her third husband, Pierce Brosnan, met producer Albert R. Broccoli. Her dream was for Brosnan to become Bond and encouraged him to pursue the role. He was supposed to take over from Roger Moore after impressing Broccoli in his role in the TV series Remington Steele. he agreed to take the role but producers from the TV show refused to release him from his contract, he eventually was cast in the role in the early 90's, He played James Bond in four films. She guest-starred in several episodes of the television series Remington Steele with Brosnan; they married on 27 December 1980.[2]

Personal life and death

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Harris had three children: Charlotte Harris (1971–2013) and Christopher Harris (b. 1972) by Dermot Harris, brother of actor Richard Harris, and son Sean Brosnan (b. 1983), by Pierce Brosnan, who adopted Charlotte and Christopher after their father died in 1986.

In 1987, Harris was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, the same disease that had claimed her own mother's life. She had the illness for four years until her death on 28 December 1991, at the age of 43.[3][2] Her daughter Charlotte also died from ovarian cancer on 28 June 2013, aged 41.[4]

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
1978 The Greek Tycoon Cassandra
1980 Rough Cut Mrs. Lloyd Palmer
1981 For Your Eyes Only Countess Lisl von Schlaf

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1977 Space: 1999 Controller Sares Episode "Devil's Planet"
1979 Enemy at the Door Trudy Engel
1982 Remington Steele Felicia Season 1 Ep 5 "Thou Shalt Not Steele"
1984 Remington Steele Anna Simpson Season 2 Ep 20 "Woman of Steele"
1985 Remington Steele Felicia Season 4 Ep 2 "Steele Searching: Part 2"

References

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  1. ^ Nashawaty, Chris (17 November 2020). "'GoldenEye' Is Proof That Pierce Brosnan Was a Great James Bond Who Never Got a Great James Bond Film". Esquire. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Cassandra Harris (Countess Lisl)". Archived from the original on 6 December 2004. Retrieved 1 October 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  3. ^ "Cassandra Harris, Actress, 39". The New York Times. 31 December 1991.
  4. ^ Leonard, Elizabeth (1 July 2013). "Pierce Brosnan's Daughter Dies of Ovarian Cancer". People.
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