Sarah Douglas (born 12 December 1952) is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Ursa in Superman (1978) and Superman II (1980), Queen Taramis in Conan the Destroyer (1984), Pamela Lynch in Falcon Crest (1983–85), and Jindah Kol Rozz in Supergirl (2018).
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Early life and career
Douglas was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, the second daughter of Beryl (née Smith), a physiotherapist who often worked upon RSC actors, and Edward Douglas, a career member of the Royal Air Force. She attended Alcester Grammar School before training with the National Youth Theatre and the Rose Bruford College.
Eventually, Douglas's career took her in front of the camera with small appearances in the 1973 film The Final Programme (alternatively known as The Last Days of Man on Earth) and Rollerball in 1975. After this, she became known to British television audiences in the 1970s by appearing in The Howerd Confessions, the 1973 television edition of Dracula, The Inheritors, Space: 1999, and Return of the Saint, and appeared in the film The People That Time Forgot (1977) and the controversial film The Brute (1977), in which she played an abused wife.
After an intensive casting call in which she beat out over 600 actresses for the part, including Caroline Munro and Marilù Tolo, Douglas secured her first major feature film role as the supporting antagonist Ursa in Superman (1978) and Superman II (1980); her performance garnered critical acclaim and became her signature role. She then accepted the role of the main antagonist Queen Taramis opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger, Grace Jones and Olivia d'Abo in the sword-and-sorcery epic fantasy film Conan the Destroyer (1984).
