Horror heroine Ingrid Pitt has died unexpectedly at the age of 73. A Holocaust survivor who, it is claimed, swam the Danube to escape from Eastern Europe, she had a formidable screen presence. If Christopher Lee made vampires sexy, it was Ingrid who revealed their feminine side, yet she was no mere decorative starlet. Her striking beauty and prominently displayed cleavage couldn't distract from a personality that seemed almost too big even for the melodramatic roles in which she excelled.
With her love of playing villains as much as helpless heroines, Ingrid firmly established herself as Hammer Horror's foremost female lead, with a revolutionary effect on how the genre treated women. Her Elisabeth Bathory (in Countess Dracula) was a tour de force, and she is also much admired for her work in lesbian horror The Vampire Lovers, not to mention classic The Wicker Man. Her joyful sexuality and fierce charisma continue to delight new viewers to this day.
I had the pleasure of meeting Ingrid on several occasions and always found her charming. She was warm and good humoured, clearly enjoying her persistent celebrity status even if she was a little bemused by the affection shown by some of her fans. "They say I'm more beautiful now than I was 25 years ago. All lies of course, but sweet," she told one interviewer, perhaps forgetting the impact on fans of meeting someone who was, for many, their first crush.
Alongside her film work, Ingrid appeared in Doctor Who, of which she was a lifelong fan. She wrote several books, enjoyed flying planes, became a karate expert and even made a record with Cradle Of Filth. She always lived her life with vigour.
Ingrid was taken to hospital a few days ago after collapsing at home. The cause of her death has not yet been revealed. She is survived by her daughter Steffanie, also a horror actress.
