British leading lady Cherie Lunghi got her movie career off to a splendid start with a plum "legendary" role. In 1981's Excalibur, Lunghi was awarded with several ethereal close-ups by virtue of her portrayal of Lady Guenevere. Four years later, she was cast as Michal, first wife of the title character (played by Richard Gere) in King David (1985). Other period assignments in Cherie Lunghi's repertoire include the Sherlock Holmes escapade The Sign of Four (1983) and the World War II-era romantic drama Letters to an Unknown Lover (1985). She appeared in the biblical epic King David, and went on to act in various projects including The Mission, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Jack and Sarah, and the scathing satire Burn Hollywood Burn. As the 21st century began she appeared in Back to the Secret Garden and had a handful of television appearances before being cast in a major part in the series Secret Diary of a Call Girl. After that program came to an end, Lunghi was cast in the 2011comedy Love's Kitchen.
Cherie Lunghi
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Biography by AllMovie
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Factsheet
- Attended a London arts school in the 1960s with actors Nigel Havers, Jenny Agutter and Jane Seymour.
- At 13, had the title role in a BBC production of Alice in Wonderland.
- Attended London's Central School for Speech and Drama.
- Was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre Company in the 1970s.
- Married her first husband, Ralph Lawson, an actor from South Africa, in a marriage of convenience to keep him from being deported from England.
- Made a series of popular instant-coffee ads for British TV.
- Modeled lingerie at age 49 for the magazine FHM.
- Competed in the 2008 edition of the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing.
- Paints portraits in oil.
- Is fluent in Italian and French.