Bond girl
A Bond Girl is a character or actress portraying a love interest or sex object of James Bond in a film, novel or video game. They occasionally have names that are double entendres, such as "Pussy Galore", "Holly Goodhead" and "Xenia Onatopp."
Bond Girls are often victims rescued by James Bond, fellow agents or allies, villainesses or members of an enemy organisation. Some are mere eye candy and have no direct involvement in Bond's mission; other Bond Girls play a pivotal role in the success of the mission. Other female characters such as Judi Dench's 'M' and 'Miss Moneypenny' are not typically thought of as Bond Girls.
The role of a Bond Girl is typically a high-profile part that can give a major boost to the career of unestablished actresses, although there have been a number of Bond girls that were well-established prior to gaining their role. For instance, Diana Rigg and Honor Blackman were both Bond Girls after becoming major stars for their roles in the television series, The Avengers. Additionally, Halle Berry won an Academy Award in 2002 - the award was presented to her while she was filming Die Another Day.
Legend has it that appearing as a Bond Girl will damage an actress' subsequent career. Notable exceptions to this "curse" (actresses who went on to experience fulfilling careers) include Carey Lowell, Famke Janssen, Honor Blackman and Diana Rigg. Casting for the female lead in Casino Royale was hindered by the fears of potential actresses.
Ursula Andress as 'Honey Ryder' in Dr. No (1962) is often considered the first and quintessential Bond Girl, although Eunice Gayson, as 'Sylvia Trench', and Zena Marshall as 'Miss Taro' are seen in that film before her and therefore preceded her as Bond Girls. The character of Sylvia Trench is the only Bond Girl character who recurs in a film, (Dr. No and From Russia with Love (1963)) - she was meant to be Bond's regular girlfriend but was dropped after her appearance in the second film.
To date, only two Bond Girls have captured James Bond's heart. The first, Tracy di Vicenzo (Diana Rigg) was married by Bond in On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), though she is shot dead by Ernst Stavro Blofeld at story's end. Initially, her death was to have begun Diamonds Are Forever (1971); but that idea was dropped during filming of On Her Majesty's Secret Service when George Lazenby renounced the James Bond role.
The second was Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) in Casino Royale (2006). James Bond professes his love to her and resigns from MI6 to live a normal life with her, yet later he learns that she used him to free her true lover who is imprisoned in Algeria; she drowns in a canal in Venice.
In the series of films, three actresses have made reappearances as different Bond girls: Martine Beswick and Nadja Regin both first appeared in From Russia with Love, and then appeared in Thunderball and Goldfinger respectively. Maud Adams played 'Andrea' in The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) and the title character in Octopussy (1983); she also is an extra in A View to a Kill (1985).
Including the unofficial James Bond films, Casino Royale and Never Say Never Again, several actresses also have been a Bond Girl more than once; Ursula Andress in Casino Royale (1967); Angela Scoular, in On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) and Casino Royale (1967); Valerie Leon in The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) and Never Say Never Again (1983).
Often Bond Girls who have trysts with James Bond are later discovered as villainesses, e.g. Fatima Blush (Barbara Carrera) in Never Say Never Again (1983), Elektra King (Sophie Marceau) in The World Is Not Enough (1999) and Miranda Frost (Rosamund Pike) in Die Another Day (2002).
There have been many attempts to break down the numerous Bond Girls into a top 10 list for the entire series; characters who often appear in these lists include Anya Amasova, Teresa di Vicenzo and Honey Ryder, who is often at Number 1 on the list.
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