Wanda Ventham 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." She was born in 1939 in Brighton, England.
A well-known face on British television Wanda is probably better known to sci-fi afficionados 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 may also be recognized by fans of the Hammer horror films as the vampiric Lady Durward in Captain Kronos - Vampire Hunter.
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.