Belinda Lee’s short life is crowded with incident and intrigue. She was a household name in the 1950’s who never made it to the ‘A list’ or to Hollywood but, ironically, her life ended in Los Angeles in 1961. She did however, make the bold step of leaving Rank to make films on the continent and these films were shown around the world (hence magazines and posters from places as far away as Turkey and Mexico).  

Her early days in film provided her with an opportunity to work alongside some of the stars of the day, often in light comedy. Thus she added the necessary glamour to Benny Hill’s first film (1956), worked alongside Frankie Howard in The Runaway Bus (1954), Alastair Sim in The Belles of St Trinian’s (1954), and Norman Wisdom in “Man of the Moment” (1955). More serious roles included Footsteps in the Fog (1955) alongside Stewart Grainger and Jean Simmons, Miracle in Soho (1957) with John Gregson and The Big Money (1958) with Ian Carmichael.  

Belinda Lee was born in Budleigh Salterton Cottage Hospital on 15th June 1935 to Stella Mary Lee (nee Graham) and her husband, Robert Esmond Lee, the manager of the Rosemullion Hotel. Her childhood was spent at Cliff Cottage, Cliff Road (demolished and redeveloped in the 1970’s) and later, 10 Cliff Terrace. She attended St Margaret’s School in Exeter from the age of 9 where she was known as Billie. A friend remembered spending “most of our time reading plays in which we often took a dozen or more parts each. Billie, even then, said she would be an actress.” After a spell at a drama school she won a scholarship to RADA living with her mother in London, who had by then separated from her husband. She left RADA, having at the age of 18 landed a part in The Runaway Bus. 

The publicity photographer for the film was Cornel Lucas. They met, fell in love and were married on 15th June 1954. Cornel Lucas 14 years Belinda’s senior, was Rank’s stills photographer and in 2005 had a retrospective exhibition of his work at the National Portrait Gallery, which included a photograph of Belinda. Three years later their marriage was over following Belinda’s romance with Prince Filippo Orsini in Italy. 

Both Belinda and the Prince were married and their relationship drove the media across Europe into frenzy. They had met following the making of Belinda’s first continental film ‘Goddess of Love’ in 1957. Prince Orsini was an Italian aristocrat, a war hero and the Pope’s throne assistant. Somewhat perversely, this affair made Belinda into a major European celebrity. 

In 1958 Belinda was ordered by Rank to South Africa for her next film Nor the Moon by Night, starring alongside Patrick McGoohan. She half completed the film then left abruptly to be with Orsini in Rome. She tried to persuade Orsini to return to Africa and leave his family but he refused. Belinda then took an overdose but was found in time. Three days later, having been refused entry to Belinda’s hospital, Orsini slashed his wrists, but was discovered and taken to hospital by force. Upon recovering, the police ordered Belinda out of Italy because of ‘disorderly conduct.’ She returned to Africa to complete her last UK film after which her contract with Rank was terminated. 

All things Italian captivated Belinda and she was content to move on and leave behind the traditional sugary roles offered at home. Her later and more risqué roles in Italian, French and German films were frowned upon by the British media/establishment but in many respects she had become the most international and most photographed British actress of her day. She was slated by elements of the UK media, some of whom viewed her as a permissive scourge and the devil incarnate. In this regard, her scandalous affair with an Italian count ‘high up’ in the Vatican, played out in the full glare of the media hardly enhanced her reputation at home. This may also be why her birth has never been recognised in her hometown.  

She does seem to have been a strong-minded, hard working, ambitious woman, who preferred not to conform to a stereotype, more a woman of the sixties than the fifties. By 1960 the Orsini affair was over and Belinda was involved with an Italian film director Gualtiero Jacopetti. It was while visiting America with Jacopetti that she met her premature death at the age of 25. Travelling back from Las Vegas to Los Angeles on 12 March 1961 the driver of her car, driving at 100mph, lost control when a tyre burst. The car somersaulted and Belinda was thrown 60 feet and died of a broken neck and fractured skull. The policeman who first arrived at the accident described her as ‘the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.’ It is not known why Belinda was in California; some commentators say she was pursuing what became Ursula Andress’s role in Dr No.  

Count Orsini flew from Rome to Los Angeles to attend the funeral and later tried to claim her ashes for burial but not being a relative, was refused. Eight months later he succeeded.  Her urn was buried in the Cimitero degli Inglesi cemetery in Rome, famous as the resting place for Keats and Shelley. It was her last wish to be buried there. 

A film star website states ‘ The greatest mystery about Belinda Lee is why today there is no interest in her, while there are cults about other, less attractive, less talented actresses.’ 

Researched and written by © G. Jones, 2004 

References

Material in Fairlynch Museum

Film magazines of the period

BS-B-00005 Biography any