.Pamela played a somewhat more serious role as Matt's attorney on “Matt Houston.” As C.J., she utilized an amazing computer nicknamed “Baby” that contained information on all living and dead people.
Matt Houston (Lee Horsley) was a playboy-oil fortune heir who operated a private detective agency. He drove expensive cars, piloted a private helicopter and captained his own boat.
Airing from 1982-85, the show was as cheesy as many of the jiggle shows of that era. “Matt Houston” featured attractive young women in skimpy swimsuits and revealing outfits.
Born in Glendale, California to a veternarian father and an actress mother (Gail Kent), Pamela entered the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London and studied theatre for three years before returning home to launch her career in Hollywood.
Her first TV job was as a model on “The New Treasure Hunt,” in 1973, and she was signed by Universal Studios as a contract player. Pamela guest-starred in a number of TV series in 1974: “Emergency!” “Kojak,” “Adam-12,” and “McMillan and Wife,” among them.
Classic TV Beauties 1980s Countdown
PAMELA HENSLEY as Ardala in "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century" and C.J. Parsons in "Matt Houston"
As Princess Ardala, Pamela starred in only a handful of episodes the first season of the futuristic series, but wow did this dark, smoldering sexpot make an impression on the libidos of young male sci-fi fans.
Several years later, she toned down the sexuality but was still smoking hot as an attorney in the private detective drama “Matt Houston.”
In “Buck Rogers,” Pamela played the villainess and nemisis of Colonel Wilma Deering (Erin Gray). Ardala attempted to seduce Buck – he famously said, “She had the nicest set of horns at the ball “ – and rule the galaxy.
Outfitted in an array of revealing space costumes – spandex; sparkling bikinis; low-cut bras – Ardala showed ample flesh. Considering this was 1979 television, it's amazing that Ardala's racey attire was allowed on network TV. Then again, the series has often been called “science fiction T&A.”
“This is a broad,” Erin said of Princess Ardala years later. “This is all woman. There's nothing little girlish about her..
"What you see is what you get, you get it straight between the eyes."
Said producer Glen A. Larson, “Princess Ardala did appear a little fleshy, but we wanted to appeal to an adult audience.”
Ardala's bad girl villianess offset Wilma's good girl heroine, and this pair of lovelies reopened the Ginger-Mary Ann debate. Ardala was a slutty and sexy vamp, Wilma a virtous girl next door.
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She gained more screen time when she appeared as a regular on “Marcus Welby MD” in the1975-76 season, appearing in 21 episodes as Janet Blake.
Pamela's most memorable movies were “Rollerball,” and “Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze,” both in 1975.
After “Matt Houston,” Pamela vanished from Hollywood. She married TV producer E. Duke Vincent and basically retired from acting. She re-emerged in 2004, publishing a cookbook “The Jewish-Sicilian Cookbook.”
No interviews with Pamela can be found on the internet, and even an unofficial website dedicated to her (www.pamela-hensley.com) mused that, “Some artists have peculiar careers and Pamela is one of them...(she) completely disappeared at the end of the show we saw her the most in.”
And while Wilma had her legion of fans, Princess Ardala's admirers preferred sex appeal to wholesomeness. Consider a sampling of compliements to Ardala on the internet:
“A half naked princess with an amazing body and eyes that are practically screaming 'Take me to bed.'”
“Ardala is not just hot, she's nuclear hot.”
“Ardala would trade your soul for sequin.”
“Ardala is the chick you meet in Vegas. Wilma is the girl you bring home to meet Mom.”
