The actor Pamela Salem, who has died aged 80, brought a touch of class to a number of well-known franchises during a screen career of more than 50 years. She achieved cinematic immortality by playing the loyal secretary Miss Moneypenny in the James Bond film Never Say Never Again (1983), an anomalous entry to the canon, made independently of the Eon-produced series, that marked the return of Sean Connery to the role of the famous secret agent after an absence of 12 years.
Salem had worked with Connery on the 1978 film The First Great Train Robbery and when he found out she was in the running for Moneypenny he encouraged the producers to hire her. She was disappointed that many of her scenes ended up on the cutting-room floor, but her playful chemistry with Connery is still apparent in the finished product.
