1961, Deaths: British actress Belinda Lee dies in a car crash

Baker, California, US, March 13, 1961, British film star Belinda Lee, 25, was killed and her fiancé, Italian director Gualtiero Jacopetti, 41, injured when the car in wich they were passengers skidded more than 300 meters and crashed upside down. The left rear tyre blew as the car was going more 160 km/h, the car leaped a ditch and threw Belinda Lee 19 meter away from the car. The actress died 15 minutes after the accident without regaining consciousness.

Belinda Lee, born in Budleigh Salterton, Devon, on June 15, 1935, made her stage debut in 1953 as a RADA student in Nottingham, and appeared in her first film “Runaway Bus” the following year when she signed a film contract with the Rank Studios.

Belinda Lee with David_McCallum in "The Secret Place" (1957)

Ian Carmichael with Belinda Lee in "The Big Money" (1958)

Belinda Lee in "La Venere di Cheronea" (1957)

Her films included “The Belles of St Trinian's” (1954), “Footsteps in the Fog” (1955), “The Secret Place” (1957), and “Miracle in Soho” (1957). In 1957 British exhibitors voted her the 10th most popular British film star.

Louis Jourdan with Belinda Lee in "Dangerous Exile" (1958)

Belinda Lee in "Miracle in Soho" (1957)

Belinda Lee with Renato Salvatori in "I Magliari" (1959)

Belinda Lee in "The Belles of St. Trinian's" (1954)

In 1954 she married the photographer Cornel Lucas. After her separation from Lucas in 1957 she moved to Italy and in 1959 she divorced Lucas. While in Italy she starred in “I Magliari” (1959) and “La lunga notte del '43” (1960) and she had a love affair with Italian Prince Filippo Orsini witch led to her attempted suicide in 1958.

Italian News (16-03-1961)