Chamlong Allen

  Chamlong Allen (27 April 2005)

Before her death Chamlong had told friends that her husband Irvin had beaten her in the past and that she was thinking of returning to her native Thailand. She had already left her husband several months before her murder, which was two days before a custody hearing about their three daughters. Chamlong received multiple stab wounds and her body was left in a lock-up garage. Her husband stood trial for her murder in February 2006, and was found not guilty of her murder due to lack of evidence. Irvin Allen was 6’5″, a former boxer and Bond-film actor.

From Mynottinghill (03 May 2005):

MARKET STALL HOLDER “MRS TASTY” MURDERED

Notting Hill is reeling from the shock murder of popular stallholder Chamlong Allen, known as “Mrs Tasty”. Her husband Irvin Allen has been charged.

Market stallholders are expressing their disbelief after Mrs Allen’s body was found in a Lonsdale Mews garage lock-up on Wednesday last week. Her husband, who played bad guy Che Che in Bond blockbuster On Her Majesty’s Secret Service was arrested shortly after.

The couple had been married for 15 years, and lived in Notting Hill with their three children, however neighbours are reported as saying there was no exterior signs there was problems in the marriage.

However, it was rumoured that Mr Allen had recently accused Mrs Allen of taking a large sum of money from him, but stall holders deny this is true. Recently, Mrs Tasty had lost her van and was working only part time on the market, arousing suspicion that she was having personal problems.

Mrs Allen, 48, was originally from northeast Thailand, and Irvin Allen was a “well known local character” who had been working on the market for at least 20 years.

An unnamed market stallholder is reported as saying. “We are all in deep shock. Everyone around here knew Mrs Tasty. She was a lovely woman and was always really friendly and cheerful.”

A retired actor, Mr Allen was no longer working on the stall following hip replacement surgery. During his acting career, Mr Allen had played opposite Roger Moore in The Spy Who Loved me, and his first movie appearance was in Stanley Kubrick’s 1962 film Lolita where he played a hospital attendant. Amongst other minor roles, he also appeared in the 1978 movie Revenge Of The Pink Panther.

From Newcriminologist (03 May 2005):

IRVIN ALLEN PLAYED A JAMES BOND VILLAIN, NOW HE IS A REAL-LIFE MURDER SUSPECT

A man who played a James Bond villain was arrested on Friday for the murder of his wife.

Actor Irvin Allen starred in the 1969 Bond movie ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’ opposite George Lazenby and Telly Savalas, as a towering 6″5 inch evil henchman named Che Che. In a bizarre case of truth being stranger than fiction, the ageing actor is charged with brutally stabbing his wife to death.

Allen, now in his late 60s, had retired from acting to run a restaurant in Portobello Road Market in London’s fashionable area of Notting Hill, named ‘Mr. Tasty’. He opened the eatery just over twenty years ago, and ran it with his Thai wife of fifteen years, Chamlong Allen, 49. Her Thai cuisine proved so popular with their customers that she was nicknamed ‘Mrs. Tasty’.

Chamlong’s body was discovered in a lock-up garage close to the couple’s home in Ladbroke Grove, West London on Wednesday, where she was pronounced dead at the scene by police officers. Results of her post mortem revealed that she died from multiple stab wounds to her body.

Allen was arrested on Friday and formally charged with Chamlong’s murder on Saturday.

Customers of ‘Mr. Tasty’ and people who know Allen were shocked at the arrest. The once huge and powerful man, is now a frail old man who walks with a walking frame, following hip replacement surgery. A motive for the murder has yet to be released by police.

Irvin Allen was a successful actor in the 1960s and 70s. He also appeared in the 1977 Bond classic, ‘The Spy That Loved Me’, with Roger Moore playing James Bond.

His other movie acting credits include a role in Stanley Kubrik’s, Lolita, and a part in the Peter Seller’s classic comedy, ‘The Revenge of the Pink Panther’. TV credits include cult British cop series ‘ZCars’, and, again starring with Roger Moore in ‘The Saint’.

From MI6 News (29 Apr 2005):

FORMER JAMES BOND BADDY IRVIN ALLEN ARRESTED OVER WIFE’S MURDER

A former James Bond villain was tonight being quizzed by Murder Squad detectives after his wife was found dead in an exclusive west London suburb.

Actor Irvin Allen, who played bad guy Che Che in Bond blockbuster On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, was arrested shortly after the body of his wife Chamlong Allen was found in a lock-up garage in Notting Hill.

Mrs Allen, 48, ran a stall called Mr Tasty with her husband in trendy Portobello Market selling West Indian and Thai food – reports LSE.

Mrs Allen, who was born in north east Thailand, was known to regular customers and fellow stall holders on the market as Mrs Tasty.

The couple, who have been married for at least 15 years and have three children all under the age of 18, lived in a flat half-a-mile from the market in Ladbroke Grove.

Today market stallholders spoke of their shock following the arrest of six foot five inch Mr Allen who they described as a ‘well known local character’ who had been working on the market for at least 20 years.

Mr Allen, who played a baddie in two Bond movies, had retired from acting and was no longer working on the stall following hip replacement surgery which left him having to use a walking frame to get around.

Today the family’s home remained sealed off as a police forensic team conducted a painstaking fingertip search.

One Portobello Market stallholder, who asked not to be named, said: “We are all in deep shock. Everyone around here knew Mrs Tasty. She was a lovely woman and was always really friendly and cheerful.

“We thought that she had been having some problems because she suddenly lost the van she served her food out of a couple of months ago and no-one knew what happened to it.”

A family friend of the couple, now living in Thailand, said: “Irvin is a big face around the market. He’s a huge fellow and is very well known to everyone.

“He started off the stall about 20 years ago, selling goat curry, and then his wife started selling Thai food. Before that he was an actor and starred in a couple of James Bond films. He also did plenty of work as a film extra.”

The friend’s Thai wife added: “We still can’t believe she is dead. She was a lovely woman with three beautiful children. She would never harm a fly. I can’t understand why anyone would want to harm her.”

Another stallholder said: “Mrs Allen had been on the market for years and everyone would go to her to get their lunch everyday. But recently she has only been coming down to the market on Fridays and Saturdays.

“We hadn’t seen her recently, but no-one had any idea that there were any problems with the marriage.”

Gerry Collins, who lives in the flat above the Allens, said: “They seemed like a perfectly normal family who never had any problems with their relationship.

“They had lived in the flat for at least 10 years and their kids all went to school locally.

“We never heard them argue or fight. They kept themselves to themselves and would say ‘hello’ in passing.”

Mrs Allen’s body was found at around 10.30pm last night at a garage in Lonsdale Mews, Notting Hill.

Police say a man was arrested before being taken into custody at a central London police station.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: “The death is being treated as murder.”

Officers from the Met’s Serious Crime Directorate are heading the murder investigation.

In On Her Majesty’s Secret Service Allen’s character fights with Bond, played by George Lazenby, in the spy’s Monte Carlo bedroom.

Allen also played a henchman of Bond baddie Stromberg opposite Roger Moore in The Spy Who Loved Me.

His first movie appearance was as a hospital attendant in Stanley Kubrick’s 1962 controversial film version of Lolita and he also appeared in the 1978 movie Revenge Of The Pink Panther.

Allen also made guest appearances in popular 1960s TV series ZCars, Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea and The Saint, again opposite Roger Moore.

From Contactmusic News (15 Feb 2006):

Former JAMES BOND villain IRVIN ALLEN was cleared of the murder of his estranged wife in a London court yesterday (14FEB06).

The 71-year-old actor, who played bad guys in ON HER MAJESTY’S SECRET SERVICE and THE SPY WHO LOVED ME, was found not guilty of the murder of CHAMLONG ALLEN in the British capital’s Old Bailey, due to lack of evidence.

Thai-born Chamlong, 49, was found brutally murdered in a garage in west London in April 2005 – only days before she was set to battle the actor in a court hearing for custody of their three children.

Irvin’s lawyer SUCHETA SARKAS read a statement from the retired boxer and actor, saying, “I am thankful that this terrible ordeal has come to an end and I am found not guilty of the sad death of my wife.

“My thoughts at this moment are with my children that have stood with me throughout the long months that have taken to reach this moment.

“I now hope the police will reopen their inquiries and redouble their efforts to find my wife’s killers.”

   Irvin Allen, found “not guilty” due to lack of evidence.