Stephanie Beacham

Hunted and haunted by the ghost of her ex-chauffeur and ex-lover Elias Lundy, Stephanie Beacham portrayed the role of Martha van Lewen in the season 2 episode of Charmed entitled Reckless Abandon. Elias' obsession with Martha began to get out of had and one night, she took him out to the ground of her family estate by the old oak tree and shot him in the back. Thinking it was Martha's husband, Elias haunted and killed several of Martha's family's member, he even tried to attack her grandson. After Elias killed her son, Martha's daughter-in-law left the baby with the police, where Phoebe Halliwell found him and had a premonition of Elias attacking. The girls then made it their mission to protect the infant and find out what happened to the van Lewen family.

Martha admits it was she who shot Elias, after which he he holds her captive, electrocuting her with his powers trying to kill her. Once the Charmed Ones reveal that Elias can be vanquished by destroying the object of his curse, Martha throws her self over the rail on the second level of her home, killing herself and then banishes Elias to hell.

Biography
Born in Barnet, England on February 28th, 1947 to her mother Joan, a housewife, and her father, an insurance executive and the managing director of the Grosvenor estate. Shortly after birth, she was diagnosed as being completely deaf in her right ear, as her mother had contracted chickenpox during her pregnancy. She has about 75% of normal hearing capacity in her left ear. After leaving St. Michael's Catholic Grammar School, Stephanie travelled to Boulogne-Billancourt in Paris, France to study mime with Étienne Decroux, before attending Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. Her initial goal was to teach dance movement to deaf children, but she began a career in modelling, and was then cast for several parts in films.

After many appearances in television series such as The Saint and Jason King, Stephanie's first major film role was opposite Marlon Brando in 1971's The Nightcomers directed by Michael Winner. She starred in several films and television series thereafter then in 1988, she was invited to reprise the role of Sable on Dynasty, playing opposite Joan Collins in a season-long "battle of the bitches". Dynasty was experiencing declining ratings at the time and this proved to be its final season. After she returned to England and starred in several series and films abroad.

Reuniting with Dynasty producer Aaron Spelling, she also had a recurring guest role in the popular teen drama Beverly Hills, 90210', playing Iris McKay, the estranged mother of Luke Perry's character. She eventually appeared in at least four different television series produced by Spelling, including The Colbys, The Love Boat, Burke's Law, and Charmed.

Also in the nineties, she played Dr. Kristin Westphalen in sci-fi TV series SeaQuest DSV and returned to British screens five years ago playing Phyl Oswyn in prison drama Bad Girls. Last year, Stephanie was teamed with Vincent Simone on Strictly Come Dancing, but was eliminated in the first round.

Since then she appeared on Coronation Street, UK's Celebrity Big Brother and Casualty.

She now lives in Malibu, California but also has homes in London and Morocco.

Career
Special Branch
 * The Queen's Traitor
 * The Saint
 * The Jazz Age
 * Armchair Theatre
 * Public Eye
 * Callan
 * The Games
 * Sentimental Education
 * UFO
 * Tam-Lin
 * ITV Saturday Night Theatre
 * The Nightcomers
 * The Aries Computer
 * Jason King
 * Dracula AD 1972
 * Man at the Top
 * The Adventurer
 * Si può essere più bastardi dell'ispettore Cliff?
 * The Protectors
 * And Now the Screaming Starts!
 * Blossom
 * Burke's Law
 * seaQuest DSV
 * A Change of Place
 * Legend
 * No Bananas
 * Wedding Bell Blues
 * Charmed
 * Relative Values
 * Having It Off
 * Unconditional Love
 * The Witches Hammer
 * Seven Days of Grace
 * Love and Other Disasters
 * Bad Girls
 * New Tricks
 * Plot 7
 * Free Agents
 * Coronation Street
 * Celebrity Big Brother
 * Material Girl
 * Casualty