Maryam d’Abo

Beginnings

Maryam d’Abo is an English film and television actress. Born in London to Georgian mother Nino Kvinitadze and Dutch father Peter Claude Holland d’Abo, Maryam was raised in Paris and Geneva. She is the cousin of singer Mike d’Abo and second cousin of his daughter Olivia d’Abo.

Acting career

Maryam decided to be an actress at the age of 11. She studied at Drama Centre London while working as a model in commercials. Entering the film business in 1983 with Xtro, Maryam swiftly clocked up credits in productions including ‘Master Of The Game’ (mini-series), ‘Until September,’ ‘White Nights’ and ‘Out Of Africa’ before becoming involved in the screen tests for a new James Bond film ‘The Living Daylights’ – recreating a scene from the film From ‘Russia With Love’ with would-be 007s. So impressed were the producers and director (John Glen) that they decided Maryam was perfect casting for the role of Kara Milovy. She went on to work with John Glen on other projects, including ‘Space Precinct’ (1995) and ‘The Point Men’ (2001). Glen later exclaimed she was one of his favourite actresses.

In the Bond film ‘The Living Daylights’ (1987), her character played the cello in an orchestra. She mimed the pieces of music, learning from composer John Barry. The strings were coated with dry soap so that the sound couldn’t be heard. Maryam also took horseback riding lessons for the Afghanistan scenes.

Author

Maryam co-wrote the book ‘Bond Girls Are Forever’, published in 2002, which is a tribute to the women who have played the role of a Bond girl. In 2002, she wrote and produced a documentary called ‘Bond Girls Are Forever’, featuring interviews with the most famous and most beautiful Bond girls from Ursula Andress to Halle Berry. The documentary was shown all over the world and was included on the DVD versions of the Bond film ‘Die Another Day’ (2002). In 2006, a new version of the documentary, updated to include interviews with the cast from ‘Casino Royale’ (2006) shown on the AMC network and as a bonus.

Marriage & sadness

In November 2003, D’Abo married Hugh Hudson, the Oscar-nominated British director of ‘Chariots of Fire’ (1981). They remained married until his death in 2023.

In 2007, Maryam had surgery for a serious brain haemorrhage which few people survive. After her recovery, she was inspired to meet other people who had similar experiences. She then worked on and produced a 2009 documentary on the topic.

Speaker

Maryam continues to act and in demand as a speaker (Q&A) on various topics. She speaks fluent French.