Wanda Ventham

Wanda Ventham (born on 5th August 1935) is a veteran British actress who has appeared numerous times on Doctor Who, portraying Jean Rock in The Faceless Ones, Thea Ransome and the Fendahl Core in Image of the Fendahl, and Faroon in Time and the Rani.

A well-known face on British television Wanda is probably better known to sci-fi aficionados as Col. Virginia Lake, second in command of S.H.A.D.O., the secret alien-fighting organisation featured in Gerry Anderson's UFO (she is widely recognized from this series, even though in fact in she appeared in only a few episodes). Her character was considered ground-breaking during an era when women were not often portrayed in TV or film in roles of command, much less as colonels. She may also be recognized by fans of the Hammer horror films as the vampiric Lady Durward in Captain Kronos - Vampire Hunter. She also appeared in an episode of Patrick McGoohan's The Prisoner.

Trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama, Wanda Ventham's roles have been varied during her long career, including parts in The Lotus Eaters, Hetty Wainthropp Investigates, Only Fools and Horses, and Men Behaving Badly. She is the mother of television actor Benedict Cumberbatch through her marriage to fellow Lotus Eaters cast member Timothy Carlton.