Eunice Gayson first made an impression on American screens with Columbia's 1956 release of the British-American adventure film ZARAK. Victor Mature starred as "Zarak Khan," son of tyrannical rebel leader Haji Khan, and who struggles with his desire for his father’s wife "Salma", played by Anita Ekberg. Gayson played "Cathy Ingram," the wife of "Major Ingram" (Michael Wilding), the British officer sent to defeat the Afghan rebels.
In ZARAK, Eunice Gayson first worked with two people who would be major players in her subsequent career: co-producer Albert R. Broccoli and director Terence Young. William Alwyn provided the film's unreleased score.
Eunice Gayson co-starred with Peter Cushing in 1958's THE REVENGE OF FRANKENSTEIN, Hammer Films' sequel to their successful THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN from the previous year. In the film, Cushing played "Doctor Victor Stein" (also known as "Baron Frankenstein" and "Dr. Franck"), who works at the Hospital for the Poor in the town of Carlsbruck. Gayson was "Margaret Conrad," a young volunteer at the institution.
Terence Fisher directed the film. Two minutes of Leonard Salzedo's score was released on a GDI compilation CD in 2000.
Francis Matthews and Eunice Gayson in THE REVENGE OF FRANKENSTEIN
It was director Terence Young who cast Eunice Gayson in 1962's DR. NO. He would later tell her "You always bring me luck in my films." At first Gayson was to play" Miss Moneypenny" and Lois Maxwell was to play "Sylvia Trench," but they switched roles. For reasons unknown, Gayson was dubbed by voice artist Nikki Van der Zyl (who also dubbed Ursula Andress), although Gayson's voice remained in the film's trailer.
An item in the 3 April 1963 Los Angeles Times revealed that featured actresses Zena Marshall, Eunice Gayson, and Lois Maxwell were declared by the “managing board of the British Directors Guild” to be three of the five most beautiful women in the British Isles.
Eunice Gayson reprised her role of "Sylvia Trench" in an early scene of FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE. Although, the original plan was for Sylvia to appear in each film as James Bond's regular girlfriend, continually frustrated when Bond is called away for his next assignment, this idea was scratched. Terence Young directed the 1963 release.
Eunice Gayson and Sean Connery in FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE
FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE was Eunice Gayson's last feature film. She returned to television work in Britain, but made several appearances on American television screens when episodes of various series in which she appeared ("The Saint," "The Avengers," "Secret Agent" ("Danger Man")) were broadcast in the U.S. Her final screen appearance came in a 1972 episode of the Gene Barry series "The Adventurer," which was syndicated in the U.S. Eunice Gayson retired from screen acting at age 44.
