# Jill Ireland

Jill Dorothy Ireland (24 April 1936 – 18 May 1990) was an English actress and singer.

## Early life

Born in Hounslow South West London, England. She was the daughter of a wine importer. She was educated at Chatsworth Junior School in Hounslow. She lived at 'Chertsey' on Maswell Park Road in Hounslow.

## Career

Ireland began acting in the mid-1950s with small roles in films such as Simon and Laura (1955) and Three Men in a Boat (1956). She appeared with first husband David McCallum in Robbery Under Arms and five episodes of The Man from U.N.C.L.E.: "The Quadripartite Affair" (season 1, episode 3, 1964), "The Giuoco Piano Affair" (season 1, episode 7, 1964), "The Tigers Are Coming Affair" (season 2, episode 8, 1965), and a two-parter "The Five Daughters Affair" (season 3, episodes 28 & 29, 1967).
She appeared in 16 films with second husband Charles Bronson between 1970 and 1987, and was involved in two of Bronson’s other films as a producer. The last of these films, Assassination (1987), was her biggest role in terms of screen time, with Ireland playing the First Lady of the United States and Bronson a Secret Service agent assigned to protect her. During her marriage to Bronson, Ireland appeared in only one TV episode, one made-for-TV movie and one theatrical film that didn't star her husband.

## Personal life

In 1957, Ireland married actor David McCallum, whom she met while working on Hell Drivers. They had two sons, Paul and Valentine, and adopted a third, Jason. McCallum and Ireland separated in 1965 and divorced in 1967. Jason McCallum died of a drug overdose in 1989.
Villa Rides marked the first of many appearances by Ireland in films with her future husband Charles Bronson. In 1968, Ireland married Bronson. She had met him when he and McCallum were filming The Great Escape (1963) some years earlier. Together they had a daughter, Zuleika, and adopted a daughter, Katrina. They remained married until Ireland's death in 1990.

## Death and legacy

Ireland was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1984. After her diagnosis, Ireland wrote two books, chronicling her battle with the disease. At the time of her death, she was writing a third book and became a spokeswoman for the American Cancer Society. In 1988, she testified before the U.S. Congress about medical costs and was given the American Cancer Society's Courage Award by Ronald Reagan when US president.
In 1990, Ireland died of breast cancer at her home in Malibu, California. She was cremated and her ashes were placed in a walking cane which Charles Bronson had buried with him at Brownsville Cemetery in Vermont when he died in 2003.
For her contribution to the film industry, Jill Ireland has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6751 Hollywood Boulevard.
In 1991, Ireland was portrayed by Jill Clayburgh in the made-for-television film Reason for Living: The Jill Ireland Story. The film, which was based on Ireland's memoir Lifelines and listed her posthumously as an executive producer, received mixed reviews from critics. To prepare for the role, Clayburgh, who had never met Ireland, read Lifelines and listened to Ireland's recorded interviews.

## Filmography

Film :
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 1955 | No Love for Judy | The Other Woman | |
| 1955 | The Woman for Joe | Bit Part | Uncredited |
| 1955 | Oh... Rosalinda!! | Lady | |
| 1955 | Simon and Laura | Burton's Receptionist | |
| 1956 | The Big Money | Doreen Frith | |
| 1956 | Three Men in a Boat | Bluebell Porterhouse | |
| 1957 | There's Always a Thursday | Jennifer Potter | |
| 1957 | Hell Drivers | Jill, Pull Inn Waitress | Alternative title: Hard Drivers |
| 1957 | Robbery Under Arms | Jean Morrison | |
| 1959 | Carry On Nurse | Jill Thompson | |
| 1959 | The Ghost Train Murder | Sally Burton | Alternative title: Scotland Yard: The Ghost Train Murder |
| 1959 | The Desperate Man | Carol Bourne | |
| 1960 | Jungle Street | Sue | Alternative title: Jungle Street Girls |
| 1960 | Girls of the Latin Quarter | Jill | |
| 1961 | So Evil, So Young | Ann | |
| 1961 | Raising the Wind | Janet | Alternative title: Roommates |
| 1962 | Twice Round the Daffodils | Janet | Alternative title: What a Carry On: Twice Round the Daffodils |
| 1962 | The Battleaxe | Audrey Page | |
| 1967 | The Karate Killers | Imogen Smythe | |
| 1968 | Villa Rides | Girl in restaurant | |
| 1970 | Twinky | Girl at airport | Uncredited |
| 1970 | Rider on the Rain | Nicole | Alternative title: Le Passager de la Pluie |
| 1970 | Violent City | Vanessa Shelton | Alternative titles: Città violenta, The Family, Final Shot |
| 1970 | Cold Sweat | Moira | Alternative title: De la part des copains |
| 1971 | Someone Behind the Door | Frances Jeffries | Alternative title: Quelqu'un derrière la porte |
| 1972 | The Valachi Papers | Maria Reina Valachi | |
| 1972 | The Mechanic | The Girl | Alternative title: Killer of Killers |
| 1973 | Chino | Catherine Maral | Alternative titles: Valdez Horses, Valdez the Halfbreed |
| 1975 | Breakout | Ann Wagner | |
| 1975 | Hard Times | Lucy Simpson | Alternative titles: Street Fighter & The Streetfighter |
| 1975 | Breakheart Pass | Marica Scoville | |
| 1976 | From Noon till Three | Amanda Starbuck | |
| 1979 | Love and Bullets | Jackie Pruit | |
| 1982 | Death Wish II | Geri Nichols | |
| 1987 | Assassination | Lara Royce Craig | |
| 1987 | Caught | Janet Devon | (final film role) |
| Television ||||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1959 | The Voodoo Factor | Renee | Unknown episodes |
| 1960 | Juke Box Jury | | 1 episode |
| 1961 | Armchair Theatre | Sybil Vane | 1 episode |
| 1961 | Kraft Mystery Theatre | | 1 episode |
| 1961 | Ghost Squad | Anna | 1 episode |
| 1963 | Richard the Lionheart | Marianne | 1 episode |
| 1964 | Ben Casey | Julie Carr | 1 episode |
| 1964 | The Third Man | Julia | 1 episode |
| 1964 | Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea | Julie Lyle | 1 episode |
| 1964–1967 | The Man from U.N.C.L.E. | Imogen Smythe / Marion Raven / Suzanne de Serre | 5 episodes |
| 1965 | My Favorite Martian | Zelda | 1 episode |
| 1965–1966 | Twelve O'Clock High | Alyce Carpenter "The Hotshot"/Sara Blodgett "The Survivor" | 2 episodes |
| 1966 | The Wackiest Ship in the Army | | 1 episode |
| 1966 | Shane | Marian Starrett | 17 episodes |
| 1967 | Star Trek | Leila Kalomi | 1 episode "This Side of Paradise" |
| 1968 | Mannix | Ellen Kovak | 1 episode "To the Swiftest, Death" |
| 1969 | Daniel Boone | Angela | 1 episode "The Traitor" |
| 1972 | Night Gallery | Ann Loring | 1 episode "The Miracle at Camafeo"/"The Ghost of Sorworth Place" [second segment, "Ghost"] |
| 1980 | The Girl, the Gold Watch & Everything | Charla O'Rourke | Television film |
| 1991 | Reason for Living: The Jill Ireland Story | Executive Producer | posthumous credit, Television film inspired by Ireland's memoir Lifeline |

## Books

* Life Wish: a Personal Story of Survival (1987) ISBN 0-515-09609-1, ISBN 0-316-10926-6
* Lifeline: My Fight to Save My Family (1989) ISBN 0-7126-2531-3, ISBN 0-446-51480-2