The evolution of the Bond Girl is incredibly fascinating. From scantily-clad damsels in distress to perilous sidekicks to actual villains, the eras of the James Bond franchise have allowed the heroines to change as much as 007 himself over the years. Women are no longer on the sidelines as the films have adhered to modern standards. Find out which of your favorite Hollywood actresses have been featured alongside the likes of Daniel Craig and Pierce Brosnan!
Ursula Andress, Dr. No
In 1962, Ursula Andress played Honey Ryder in the film Dr. No. Andress was the first-ever legitimate "Bond Girl," and popularized the role for decades to come. Look at how she rocks that gold bikini, too.
The Bird Preachers
At age 85, Andress still manages to keep up her acting career. She is still a fashion icon and aged naturally rather than opting for cosmetic surgeries to maintain her looks. Her most recent role was in a small comedy project called The Bird Preachers.
Eunice Gayson, Dr. No
Eunice Gayson played Bond's girlfriend in Dr. No and From Russia With Love in 1962 and 1963. Her character Sylvia Trench appeared in two films, which was atypical for a Bond Girl. Their introduction is the first time Bond ever uses the line, "Bond, James Bond" while hoping to impress her.
"The First Lady of Bond"
Gayson sadly died in 2018 at the age of 90. She did, however, attend the Skyfall premiere in 2012. She also released an autobiography that same year, "The First Lady of Bond."
Daniela Bianchi, From Russia With Love
Actress Daniela Bianchi played a Soviet Army Intelligence Corporal named Tatiana Romanova. Despite playing a Russian character, her voice was dubbed by actress Barbara Jefford because she had a heavy Italian accent. She's another actress who is most well-known for playing a Bond girl aside from the rest of her filmography.
Retired in 1970
Now at age 77, Bianchi has since retired from acting. She quit the industry at a very young age, way back in 1970. She starred in various small Italian and French films and later went on to appear in a 2012 documentary called "We're Nothing Like James Bond" after a 40+ year hiatus.
Honor Blackman, Goldfinger
The iconic character from 1964's Goldfinger Pussy Galore was played by Honor Blackman. She quit her job on The Avengers to appear in the Bond film, and the rest really is history. What set her apart from previous Bond Girls was that she had experience in Judo.
A Doctor Who Regular
Blackman's last couple film roles included 2012's Cockneys vs Zombies and a stint on the sitcom You, Me, and Them, where she played a self-described "selfish" character she wasn't fond of. She also appeared on Doctor Who as Professor Lasky for a time.
Taia Mallet, Goldfinger
Tania Mallet's modeling portfolio was sent to the Bond producers, and she landed the role of Tilly Masterson based on her photos. The photo that stood out, in particular, was a swimsuit shot while lying on some rocks. She also tested for Bianchi's role in From Russia With Love but landed Tilly.
A Model For the Ages
Unfortunately, Mallet died in 2019 at the age of 77. She had appeared in one more film, 1976's The New Avengers, before returning to modeling. She always knew the direction her career was going, and it wasn't toward film.
Margaret Nolan, Goldfinger
In 1964, Margaret Nolan appeared in the Bond film Goldfinger as his masseuse, Dink. However, she also did much of the film's PR work. She appeared in ads for the soundtrack and on the film's cover as a gold-painted woman.
The Power of Three
Nolan hasn't appeared in many major films since 1986. She did, however briefly play a role in 2011's The Power of Three. She now works as an artist, and her medium is montaging old publicity images.
Shirley Eaton, Goldfinger
After playing the role of Jane Masterson in 1964's Goldfinger, Shirley Eaton became a Hollywood sex symbol. She was best knows as the Bond girl who dies from being completely covered in gold. Even if the role ended in tragedy, the images from the film are iconic.
A Quiet Life
Eaton retired from acting just five years after appearing in Goldfinger so she could raise her family. She wrote an autobiography, "Golden Girl" that was released in 1999. She also published a book of poems called "Shirley Eaton's Golden Touch."
Claudine Auger, Thunderball
The French actress Claudine Auger made waves when she played Dominique "Domino" Derval in the 1965 film Thunderball. Before she broke into film, she was the runner-up for the 1958 Miss World contest.
The Red and the Black
Despite a huge break into Hollywood with Thunderball, Auger has lived a pretty quiet life. She went back to doing pretty much exclusively foreign films until she retired in 1997. Her last film role was in The Red and the Black.
Luciana Paluzzi, Thunderball
In 1965's Thunderball, Luciana Paluzzi appeared as SPECTRE agent Fiona Volpe. She originally auditioned for the role of Domino, but producers thought she was better suited for Volpe. She's a stunning face and had lots of chemistry with the Bond actor.
A Low-Profile Career
After Thunderball, Paluzzi continued to appear in a handful of films through the 1960s. She is now married to former Warner Bros. International Television president Michael Solomon. She has since been on a hiatus from acting.
Martine Beswick, Thunderball
British actress Martine Beswick appears in 1965's Thunderball. She portrays Bond's assistant Paula Caplan who is kidnapped by a team of enemy spies. She also plays the role of Zora in From Russia With Love.
A Prolific Career Through the 1990s
After the Bond franchise, Beswick continued to land small film roles up until the 1990s. She appeared in One Million Years B.C., The Six Million Dollar Man, and Falcon Crest. She also appeared on an episode of Masterchef in 2013 with other former Bond Girls.
Karin Dor, You Only Live Twice
In the 1967 film You Only Live Twice, actress Karn Dor appears as SPECTRE assassin Helga Brandt. Her character ultimately dies a gruesome death when she is fed to piranhas. Brandt passed away in 2017, but she'd appeared in the German film I Am the Other Woman before her death.
Diana Rigg, On Her Majesty's Secret Service
Diana Rigg appeared in the 1969 Bond film, On Her Majesty's Secret Service as Bond's wife, Tracy. She also played a role in the popular 1960s show, The Avengers. She is still in acting today, and her most prominent role is Lady Olenna Tyrell in Game of Thrones.
Jill St. John, Diamonds are Forever
Jill St. John played a diamond thief named Tiffany Case in the 1971 Bond film, Diamonds are Forever. She'd originally been offered the role of Plenty O'Toole, but that instead was given to Lana Wood. St. John worked on five films with her husband Robert Wagner before she retired from acting in 2002.
Lana Wood, Diamonds are Forever
Lana Wood was ultimately given the role of Plenty O'Toole in 1971's Diamonds are Forever. Though her time on screen is short, she leaves an impact on audiences. She recently reemerged from her two-decade hiatus to appear in several films, and wrote a memoir about her sister Natalie Wood, titled "Natalie, A Memoir by Her Sister."
Jane Seymour, Live and Let Die
Jane Seymour plays tarot card reader Solitaire in Live and Let Die in 1973. The actress Gayle Hunnicutt was also offered the role, but she had to decline because she was pregnant. Seymour has had a longstanding acting career and has appeared in everything from Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman to Wedding Crashers.
Gloria Hendry, Live and Let Die
Gloria Hendry played agent Rosie Carver in 1973's Live and Let Die. She was the first African American Bond girl to have a romantic relationship with the spy. At age 70, she has appeared in several other films like Black Caesar and Hell Up in Harlem.
Britt Ekland, The Man With the Golden Gun
Britt Ekland appeared in The Man With the Golden Gun in 1974 as Bond's assistant, Mary Goodnight. She originally wanted to play Andrea Anders, but that role was given to Maud Adams. Now at age 77, Ekland has appeared on both television and stage.
Barbara Bach, The Spy Who Loved Me
1977's The Spy Who Loved Me features Barbara Bach in the role of Triple X, a Soviet KGB agent. However, Bach didn't love the role, and spoke out against the Bond series, calling him a "chauvinist pig who uses girls to shield him against bullets." Now, Bach is married to former Beatle Ringo Starr.
Caroline Munro, The Spy Who Loved Me
Caroline Munro's character Naomi appears in 1977's The Spy Who Loved Me. She was the first woman Bond ever killed in a movie. Now, Munro acts in sci-fi and horror films like House of the Gorgon and The Fourth Horseman.
Lois Chiles, Moonraker
CIA agent Holly Goodhead was portrayed by Lois Chiles in the 1979 Bond film, Moonraker. When she and Bond first meet, he believes she is an astronaut, which she isn't. Since then, Chiles has appeared in films like The Way We Were and The Great Gatsby.
Carole Bouquet, For Your Eyes Only
Bouquet played the role of Melina Havelock in For Your Eyes Only in 1981. Her character was the daughter of murdered marine archaeologists. She'd previously auditioned for the role of Holly Goodhead in Moonraker. After, she appeared in various Chanel ads through the 1990s.
Lynn-Holly Johnson, For Your Eyes Only
Figure skater Lynn-Holly Johnson played an Olympic up-and-comer in 1981's For Your Eyes Only. The 1980 Lake Placid winter Olympics were underway, so the producers decided to capitalize on all of the commotion and enlist some real-life athletes into the cast. Now, she has since retired and focuses on raising her family.
Maud Adams, Octopussy
Adams had played Andrea Anders a decade earlier in the film, The Man With the Golden Gun, and returned to play the titular character in 1983's Octopussy. Now, Adams has since retired from acting, but she still frequents all the Bond premieres.
Kristina Wayborn, Octopussy
Swedish actress Kristina Wayborn appears as Octopussy's henchwoman Magda in the 1983 film. Bond encourages Magda to steal a Fabergé egg with tracking devices, which is centric to the film's plot. After Bond, Wayborn appeared in The Loveboat, Dallas, and Baywatch.
Tanya Roberts, A View to a Kill
Tanya Roberts, formerly a Charlie's Angel, appeared in 1985's A View to a Kill as geologist Stacey Sutton. Bond actor Roger Moore later revealed that he didn't really feel a spark between him and Roberts during filming. Later, she landed a role on That '70s Show before retiring from acting.
Grace Jones, A View to a Kill
Jamaican model and singer Grace Jones takes on the role of May Day in A View to a Kill in 1985. She plays villain Max Zorin's bodyguard and lover. Now at age 71, she still continues to perform her music and was accompanied by Zendaya on the runway for a Tommy Hilfiger show.
Maryam d'Abo, The Living Daylights
Model Maryam d'Abo played Kara Milovy in the 1987 Bond film The Living Daylights. She'd originally auditioned for Pola Ivanova in A View to a Kill, but producers thought this film suited her better. In 2002, she co-wrote the documentary, Bond Girls Are Forever with other former stars.
Carey Lowell, Licence to Kill
Carey Lowell plays pilot and former CIA agent Pam Bouvier in 1989's Licence to Kill. This film was the first Bond movie to use a title that wasn't directly influenced by author Ian Fleming's work. Now, Lowell has been seen on Law & Order and Bull.
Famke Janssen, GoldenEye
Janssen appears across from Pierce Brosnan as Xenia Onatopp in 1995's GoldenEye. She was a crime syndicate, and her purpose in the film is to seduce and kill Bond. Now, she's one of the leading roles in the X-Men franchise from the 2000s.
Michelle Yeoh, Tomorrow Never Dies
Michelle Yeoh played Colonel Wai Lin in 1997's Tomorrow Never Dies with Pierce Brosnan. She and Bond have a short-lived romance in the film, but nothing more. Today, Yeoh has starred in films like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and Memoirs of a Geisha.
Teri Hatcher, Tomorrow Never Dies
Desperate Housewives star Teri Hatcher plays Bond's ex-girlfriend Paris Carver in 1997's Tomorrow Never Dies. Bond attempts to seduce her in the film, but instead, she ends up dead. After appearing in Desperate Housewives, Hatcher went on to play a role in CW's Supergirl.
Denise Richards, The World Is Not Enough
Denise Richards played the role of Dr. Christmas Jones in 1999's The World Is Not Enough. However, Richards faced a lot of backlash because of the character's ridiculous name and outfits, even though she had no say in the matter. Today, Richards has starred in various television shows, most prominently The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
Halle Berry, Die Another Day
Berry's character, NSA agent Jinx Johnson, has a prominent role in 2002's Die Another Day. Jinx and Bond are romantically involved throughout the film, and she and Pierce Brosnan definitely had some intense chemistry. Berry has had a hugely popular acting career, appearing in everything from X-Men to The Call to John Wick.
Rosamund Pike, Die Another Day
Rosamund Pike plays M16 agent Miranda Frost in the 2002 film, Die Another Day. Since then, Pike starred in 2014's Gone Girl across from Ben Affleck and even received an Oscar nomination. She also starred in Pride & Prejudice, An Education, and Jack Reacher.
Eva Green, Casino Royale
Casino Royale kicked off the Daniel Craig-era of James Bond films. Green plays Bond's love interest, Vesper Lynd, in the film. Their story starts when Lynd finances Bond in a poker game, with the results being life or death.
Gemma Arterton, Quantum of Solace
Gemma Arterton plays Strawberry Fields in the 2008 film, Quantum of Solace. The role won her an Empire Award for Best Newcomer. She's recently been seen in Clash of the Titans: Prince of Persia, Murder Mystery, and The King's Man.
Bérénice Marlohe, Skyfall
Before her role in Skyfall as Sévérine, Marlohe was acting in French pictures. She has since landed larger roles thanks to the Bond film, playing parts in 5 to 7, Song to Song, and Twin Peaks.
Léa Seydoux, Spectre
Léa Seydoux reclaims her role as Dr. Madeline Swann in No Time To Die as well, something that most Bond girls don't do. Aside from two Bond movies, she's also been seen in Inglorious Basterds, Mission: Impossible, and Blue is the Warmest Color. She also has a role in the upcoming Wes Anderson film, The French Dispatch with Timothee Chalamet.
Kim Basinger, Never Say Never Again
Kim Bassinger's character in 1983's Never Say Never Again is pretty much just there to serve as sex appeal. The iconic animal print one-piece she wears to seduce Bond in the hot tub has gone down as one of 007's steamiest scenes.
Talisa Soto, Licence to Kill
1989's Licence to Kill's Talisa Soto is one of several love interests for Bond. She appears in a casino scene and attempts to seduce him, which is of course, successful. Doesn't take too much to distract 007.
Sophie Marceau, The World is Not Enough
1999's The World is Not Enough features dangerous seductress Sophie Marceau as Elektra King. She finds Bond in a situation that has him pretty "tied up" and it leads to a pretty intense scene of cat-and-mouse. Pierce Brosnan had no idea what hit him.
Naomie Harris, Skyfall
Harris plays Miss Moneypenny in 2012's Skyfall, and her outfits are to die for. She wears everything from formfitting sheaths of gold to dresses with hundreds of Swarovski crystals. Needless to say, the costume department has amped up their game from the bikinis that classic Bond Girls used to wear.
Monica Bellucci, Spectre
Bellucci plays a Mafia widow named Lucia Sciarra in 2015's Spectre. She helps Bond infiltrate the SPECTRE crime unit. She is also one of the classiest-dressed Bond girls to date, opting for fitted waistcoats and chic heels.
Daniel Craig, Casino Royale - No Time To Die
Meet our current James Bond, Daniel Craig. He's been on board since 2006's Casino Royale, and his era of films oozed class and portrayed Bond as a cold-blooded killer. He's not as much of a ladies' man as other Bonds have been, but he still has quite a few love interests. His final film, No Time To Die, hit theaters in 2020.
Pierce Brosnan, GoldenEye - Die Another Day
Pierce Brosnan came onto the scene in 1999's GoldenEye, and he decided to make his version of Bond a well-traveled playboy by day, killer by night. One key difference between Brosnan's Bond and other actors' is that this one didn't smoke due to Brosnan's personal distaste for it.
Timothy Dalton, 1986-1994
Timothy Dalton won the role of 007 over Jurassic Park star Sam Neill. He read several of Fleming's classic novels before finally appearing in 1986's The Living Daylights. His performance, however, received mixed reviews.
Roger Moore, 1972-1985
Roger Moore had to work around eccentric Sean Connery's involvement in the Bond films' titular role. Moore was featured in seven films, starting with Live and Let Die and ending with A View to Kill. Moore was the first English actor to take on the role.
George Lazenby - 1969
Only one film was made with George Lazenby. He was an interim-Bond after Sean Connery quit and before Roger Moore was hired. The only film Lazenby starred in was On Her Majesty's Secret Service. He was even nominated for a Golden Globe.
Daniel Niven - 1967
1967's original Casino Royale starred David Niven, and the result was a weird and wacky Bond-parody. The film was poorly received, whether the satire was intentional or not. Author Ian Fleming did agree, though, that Niven was the perfect actor to portray his vision of James Bond.
Bob Simmons, 1962-1964
Bob Simmons starred in the same Bond films as Sean Connery. He was Connery's stunt double. Remember that iconic gun-barrel sequence? That was not Connery. Even though he didn't play 007 in an official sense, he still counts as one of the many men who have portrayed him.