A feature about actresses who didn’t kill their careers by being in a James Bond film. This one was sparked by the release of Gone Girl, David Fincher’s big-hitter in which Rosamund Pike has the female lead. So she hasn’t done too badly, for example. Ditto Diana Rigg and Famke Janssen. Some forumites and tweeters didn’t quite understand the point of this, which may be my fault rather than theirs. I got complaints that Michelle Yeoh, Halle Berry, Sophie Marceau and Teri Hatcher were already successful before Bond. I never said they weren’t. The point is that being a “Bond Girl” wasn’t the kiss of death for them as it was for many others. Ach, well…
March 2016 update: Amusingly, this page, despite currently having almost nothing on it, is one of the biggest drivers of traffic to this site. So I’m now going to turn it into a gratuitous Bond Girls gallery to see if it gets even more hits.
June 2017 update: You wouldn’t believe the traffic this page gets now… I don’t know if that’s funny or sad. It’s kind of both, right?
Ursula Andress – “Honey Rider” in Dr. No.Daniela Bianchi – “Tatiana Romanova” in From Russia With Love.Daniela BianchiHonor Blackman – “Pussy Galore” in Goldfinger.Honor BlackmanShirley Eaton – “Jill Masterson” in Goldfinger.Margaret Nolan – “Dink” in Goldfinger.Margaret NolanClaudine Auger – “Domino” in Thunderball.Martine Beswick – “Paula” in Thunderball (also “Zora” in From Russia With Love).Martine Beswick, Claudine Auger and Luciana Paluzzi, during the shooting of Thunderball.The women of 1967’s Casino Royale.Mie Hama – “Kissy Suzuki” in You Only Live Twice.Diana Rigg – “Tracy di Vicenzo” in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.Jill St. John – “Tiffany Case” in Diamonds Are Forever.Lana Wood – “Plenty O’Toole” in Diamonds Are Forever.Lana WoodTrina Parks and Lola Larson – “Thumper” and “Bambi” in Diamonds Are Forever.Jane Seymour – “Solitaire” in Live And Let Die.Jane SeymourBritt Ekland – “Mary Goodnight” in The Man With The Golden Gun.Maud Adams – “Andrea Anders” in The Man With The Golden Gun.Barbara Bach – “Anya Amasova” in The Spy Who Loved Me.Barbara Bach in Playboy, 1977.Caroline Munro – “Naomi” in The Spy Who Loved Me.Caroline MunroValerie Leon – “Hotel Receptionist” in The Spy Who Loved Me and “Lady in Bahamas” in Never Say Never Again.Lois Chiles – “Holly Goodhead” in Moonraker.Carole Bouquet – “Melina Havelock” in For Your Eyes Only.Kim Basinger – “Domino Petachi” in Never Say Never Again.Kim Basinger in Playboy, 1983.Barbara Carrera – “Fatima Blush” in Never Say Never Again.Maud Adams – “Octopussy” in Octopussy.Grace Jones – “May Day” in A View To A Kill.Tanya Roberts – “Stacey Sutton” in A View To A Kill.Maryam d’Abo – “Kara Milovy” in The Living Daylights.Maryam D’abo in Playboy, 1987.Carey Lowell – “Pam Bouvier” in Licence To Kill.Talisa Soto – “Lupe Lamora” in Licence To Kill.Carey Lowell and Talisa Soto.Famke Janssen – “Xenia Onatopp” in GoldenEye.Izabella Scorupco – “Natalya Simonova” in GoldenEye.Michelle Yeoh – “Wai Lin” in Tomorrow Never Dies.Michelle YeohTeri Hatcher – “Paris Carver” in Tomorrow Never Dies.Denise Richards – “Christmas Jones” in The World Is Not Enough.Denise Richards in Playboy, 2004.Sophie Marceau – “Elektra King” in The World Is Not Enough.Halle Berry – “Jinx” in Die Another Day.Rosamund Pike – “Miranda Frost” in Die Another Day.Eva Green – “Vesper Lynd” in Casino Royale.Olga Kurylenko – “Camille Montes” in Quantum of Solace.Olga Kurylenko in Maxim magazine, 2009.Gemma Arterton – “Strawberry Fields” in Quantum Of Solace.Berenice Marlohe – “Severine” in Skyfall.Monica Bellucci – “Lucia Sciarra” in Spectre.Léa Seydoux – “Madeleine Swann” in Spectre.
Owen Williams 