The Late Great Veronica Carlson

Among the many actresses to appear in the Hammer Horrors, Veronica Carlson numbered among fans' favourites. She was a frequent guest at conventions, where she became known for her friendliness and her respect for her fans. I never had the opportunity to meet Miss Carlson, but I know people who did. What is more, Veronica Carlson and I had mutual friends. All of them adored her. Sadly, Veronica Carlson died on February 27 2022 at the age of 77.

Veronica Carlson was born Veronica Mary Glazer on September 18 1944 in Yorkshire. Her father was stationed in West Germany, so she spent much of her childhood there. She attended Thetford Girls' School and the High Wycombe College of Technology and Design, where she studied art.

Veronica Carlson worked as a model which led to bit parts in Casino Royale  (1967) and Smashing Time (1967). James Carreras of Hammer Production noticed a photo of Miss Carlson emerging out of the waves in a bikini that had appeared in a tabloid. She went in for an audition was was cast in the film Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (1968). In the late Sixties she also appeared in the movies Hammerhead (1968), Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1969), The Best House in London (1969), Crossplot (1969), Pussycat, Pussycat, I Love You (1970), and The Horror of Frankenstein (1970). She made her television debut in an episode of ITV Playhouse. She guest starred on The Saint, Department S, and Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased).

In the Seventies Veronica Carlson was a regular on the British TV series Spyder's Web. She also guest starred on Hine and Public Eye. She appeared in the films Vampira (1974) and The Ghoul (1975). In the mid-Seventies she went into semi-retirement. She moved to the Unites States and later settled in South Carolina. Miss Carlson was an accomplished and successful painter.

Veronica Carlson would return to film, appearing the movies Black Easter (1994), Freakshow (1995), Stellar Quasar and the Scrolls of Dadelia (2016), and House of the Gorgon (2019). She was set to appear in the movie The Refractory.

Veronica Carlson was a very good actress. In Dracula Has Risen from the Grave, she played the niece of a priest who very nearly comes under Dracula's control. In Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed she played the landlady Anna, who has the misfortune of having Dr. Frankenstein as a tenant. While The Horror of Frankenstein is a lesser effort from Hammer, she did well as Elizabeth in the film. In The Saint episode "The Man Who Gambled with Life," she was impressive as the daughter of an eccentric entrepreneur.

As mentioned earlier, Veronica Carlson was a favourite at conventions. Also as I mentioned earlier, we had mutual friends. They were all unanimous in their adoration of Miss Carlson. She was beautiful and elegant even as she grew older, yet she was so unassuming that one would not realize she was a well known actress if they did not know better. Miss Carlson also had a wonderful sense of humour. She was known for her kindness and thoughtfulness, and when someone talked to her, they had her total attention. Veronica Carlson was certainly known for her beauty, from those who met her and her close friends, she was a woman who had a beautiful soul as well.