Nicole Russell obit

Nicole, Duchess of Bedford

Nicole, Duchess of Bedford, who has died in Monte Carlo aged 92, was the third wife of Ian, 13th Duke of Bedford. From 1959, when the press first seized on the story of their romance, until their sudden departure to France in 1974, the Bedfords were seldom out of the news, flamboyantly leading the stately home business as they promoted Woburn Abbey all over the world.

 She was not on the list.

Nicole Milinaire was born on June 29, 1920 in Paris, France. She was a producer and actress, known for Foreign Intrigue (1956), Playhouse 90 (1956) and Sherlock Holmes (1954). She was married to John Russell and Henri Milinaire. She died on September 6, 2012 in Monte Carlo, Monaco.

Nicole Milinaire was the name she was professionally known by. Legally she was Nicole Marie Charlotte Pierrette Jeanne Russell through marriage. Her full birth name was Nicole Marie Charlotte Pierrette Jeanne Schneider.

Mother of Didier Milinaire, Caterine Milinaire, Gilles Milinaire and Anyes Milinaire.

Grandmother of Serafine Klarwein, Galaad Milinaire and Thea Milinaire.

She was the third and last wife of John Russell, the 13th Duke of Bedford, making her the Duchess of Bedford. They were married from 1960 until his death in 2002. It was his third and her second marriage.

Milinaire was the eldest child of Capt. Paul Schneider, a World War I flying Ace, and Marguerite Durand, of the noble Crouzet de Rayssac (or Raissac) des Roches family on her mother's side. Shortly after turning eighteen years old, her parents told her she would be married that December to Henri Milinaire, a painter 14 years older than herself whose family owned steelworks in France. With Henri she became the mother of four children: Didier Milinaire, Caterine Milinaire, Gilles Milinaire, Agnès Milinaire and three grandchildren: Serafine Klarwein, Galaad Milinaire and Thea Milinaire.

 

Producer

Playhouse 90 (1956)

Playhouse 90

8.4

TV Series

producer

1959

1 episode

 

Dick and the Duchess (1957)

Dick and the Duchess

7.6

TV Series

producer

1958

1 episode

 

Robert Mitchum, Frédéric O'Brady, Geneviève Page, and Ingrid Thulin in Foreign Intrigue (1956)

Foreign Intrigue

6.0

associate producer

1956

 

Sherlock Holmes (1954)

Sherlock Holmes

7.5

TV Series

associate producer

1954–1955

39 episodes

 

Actress

Ian Hendry and Janette Scott in Contest Girl (1964)

Contest Girl

5.9

Self: Rose of England Judge (uncredited)

1964