Leslie Phillips' Bond girl wife, 65, died after drinking toxic liquid
By Daily Mail Reporter
The wife of comic actor Leslie Phillips died after drinking a toxic liquid and pouring it over herself, her inquest has heard.
Bond film actress Angela Scoular, 65, who had been suffering from bowel cancer, drank the liquid after battling with alcoholism, manic depression and worries over debts, Westminster Coroner's Court heard.
The actress, of Maida Vale, West London, suffered 40 per cent burns to her body, throat and dietary tract.
Angela Scoular with her husband the actor Leslie Phillips. He said he did not think his wife could have mistaken the toxic liquid for anything else
Angela Scoular with her husband the actor Leslie Phillips. He said he did not think his wife could have mistaken the toxic liquid for anything else
Ms Scoular, 65, had been suffering from bowel cancer
Ms Scoular, 65, had been suffering from bowel cancer
Mr Phillips said he did not think his wife could have mistaken the toxic liquid for anything else.
The cause of death was ingestion of a corrosive substance and multiple fractures, said coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox.
Dr Wilcox ruled that Ms Scoular's death was not suicide and recorded a verdict of 'killing herself while the balance of her mind was disturbed'.
She told Ms Scoular's son, Dan Scoular, to whom she gave birth before meeting Mr Phillips: 'She was clearly an extraordinary woman and also a successful actress who unfortunately battled her whole adult life with very, very debilitating mental health, which unfortunately defeated her in the end.'
The actress appeared in two James Bond films, as Buttercup in the 1966 spoof Casino Royale and as Ruby Bartlett in On Her Majesty's Secret Service in 1969.
She played Lady Agatha Shawcross in the TV series You Rang, M'Lord? and Cathy in a 1967 production of Wuthering Heights.
Ms Scoular married Leslie Phillips in 1982.
He met the actress in 1976 when they were in the same play.
The couple pictured in 2005. The actress battled with alcoholism, manic depression and worries over debts, Westminster Coroner's Court heard
The couple pictured in 2005. The actress battled with alcoholism, manic depression and worries over debts, Westminster Coroner's Court heard
The couple did not have any children together, but Mr Phillips, who had four children from his previous marriage, brought up Ms Scoular’s son Daniel.
The actress also starred in The Avengers, Penmarric and As Time Goes By.
Film roles included A Countess From Hong Kong (1967), featuring Marlon Brando and Sophia Loren, Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush (1968), and the British comedy Doctor In Trouble, in which Mr Phillips also starred, in 1970.
In March 2009, Mr Phillips gave an interview about his family, telling a reporter: ‘Life has been incredibly kind for 75 years, but not at the moment.
‘My lovely wife of 30-odd years, Angela Scoular, is being treated for bowel cancer.
‘You just have to deal with it, but it's not the best way to welcome spring.’
Celebration: Leslie with Angela on their wedding day in 1982
Celebration: Leslie with Angela on their wedding day in 1982
Bond girl: Angela as Ruby in a scene from On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), with George Lazenby as James Bond
Bond girl: Angela as Ruby in a scene from On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), with George Lazenby as James Bond
Angela appeared in two fillms about the famous spy. Here, she appears as Buttercup with David Niven in Casino Royale
Angela appeared in two fillms about the famous spy. Here, she appears as Buttercup with David Niven in Casino Royale
Angela also appeared in the TV series Doctor In The House
Angela also appeared in the TV series Doctor In The House
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