For Your Ears Only by Nikki van der Zyl: The Voice of the Stars

By: FSWL team

Published:
2011-09-15

Publication of For Your Ears Only, the autobiography of Nikki van der Zyl. The book features a foreword by the Academy Award winning sound designer Norman Wanstall.
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UPDATE 21/12/2012: A signed special limited edition (only 250 copies available) of Nikki's book is now available from her website, order it here.
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Everyone remembers the iconic scene in the first Bond film, Dr. No (1962), where actress Ursula Andress emerges from the sea as Honey Rider singing Underneath the Mango Tree, but very few people realise that the character’s sexy voice was actually that of Nikki van der Zyl.

In her explosive autobiography Nikki spills the beans on one of the best kept secrets in the film industry and tells how she provided the voice for many of the Bond actresses as well as Raquel Welsh in One Million Years BC. Nikki talks honestly about what it was like to be on set of the Bond films and getting to know some of the famous actors who starred in them such as Roger Moore.

The book begins as Nikki flees Nazi Germany as a child to start a new life in England, and goes on to describe the many twists and turns in her professional and personal life. Nikki reveals how her training as an actress lead to her becoming a successful re-voicing star and how the collapse of her first marriage unexpectedly prompted a new career as a barrister.

Nikki takes the reader behind the scenes at the House of Commons and further afield at the EEC in Brussels.

In this fascinating autobiography, Nikki explains what prompted her return to acting in 1994, when she appeared in a production of Blood Wedding to rave reviews, and why these days she prefers to spend her time singing, painting and writing poetry.

For Your Ears Only is the remarkable story of a multi-talented actress who never received the acclaim she deserved. This book will appeal to all fans of the Bond movies and to anyone interested in finding out more about the woman who gave a voice to some of the best-loved characters in film history.

About the author:

Nikki van der Zyl lived with her mother and Rabbi father in Berlin until the age of three. In 1939 the family fled Nazi Germany and moved to England, where the young Nikki dubbed a children’s film into English from German, sparking an interest in the movies.
After training as an actress at the Central School of Speech and Drama, Nikki went on to appear in several West End plays, such as The Pet Shop, before joining the Brian Rix Company at the Whitehall Theatre. Nikki re-voiced Ursula Andress and other female characters in the first James Bond film, Dr. No, leading on to a successful career as a re-voicing artist. Nikki worked on several of the Bond film and also re-voiced Raquel Welsh in One Million Years BC (1966).

Having successfully represented herself in the High Court when she divorced her first husband, Nikki decided to read for the Bar and won a scholarship to the EEC in Brussels. After qualifying as a barrister, Nikki joined MP David Mellor as his political assistant and worked in the Press Gallery of the House of Commons going on to become a lobby correspondent. Nikki’s book of poetical biographies of MPs and Ministers, earned her the title ‘Poetess Laureate of the Press Gallery’.

In 1994, Nikki founded a theatre company and appeared in their production of Blood Wedding at Edinburgh Fringe Festival to rave reviews. Having won first prize in a painting competition, Nikki was commissioned by Barnet General Hospital to create ten mixed media wall panels for a hospital waiting area.
Nikki has always enjoyed singing and still performs at Rotary Clubs, residential homes and other venues. She is also available for talks and poetry readings of her own work.

Nikki lives in north London with her husband George Rooker and has two grown up children.

Visit Nikki van der Zyl's website for more information.

Cover below:
The book cover to Nikki van der Zyl's autobiography, For Your Ears Only. © 2012 Indepenpress Publishing. All rights reserved.

Visit Nikki van der Zyl's official website for more inoformation about her talents and career:
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1780034512/fromswedenwit-20/

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#biographies

#norman_wanstall

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For Your Ears Only by Nikki van der Zyl: The Voice of the Stars

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