By Jeff Salter
Well, I guess everybody who’s seen a James Bond movie has a favorite female from the series. For me, however, it’s impossible to select just one “favorite.” So, please indulge me while I go over my list.
But first, I should clarify that – while I saw all the Sean Connery movies and George Lazenby’s single appearance – I’ve only seen two of Daniel Craig’s, bits of two with Pierce Brosnan, and parts of one (I think) with Timothy Dalton. As for Roger Moore’s multiple appearances, they’re frankly a blur — I think I’ve seen two or three in their entirety and probably portions of another couple.
I detail that only to clarify that I have not seen ALL of the Bond females — and while the Resident Foxes this week have been listing names… several don’t register with me. So my list, below, of favorite Bond girls, could be amended when/if I ever see the rest of the canon.
[And by the way, I’m sure somebody may be offended that nearly everyone refers to the Bond FEMALES as “girls”. Hey, don’t shoot me… I’m just using the term that is nearly universal, despite the fact that all the female characters and all the actresses who played them were grown women.]
My Favorites
The most memorable was Shirley Eaton in Goldfinger. Even though she died in the first reel, she was the most gorgeous female I had ever seen on screen (whether flesh-colored or painted gold) at the time that movie was released.
I was also a big fan of Ursula Andress, but didn’t think she was all that great in Dr. No. [I realize, in saying that, that I’ll raise the ire of numerous 007 fans, to whom Ursula epitomizes the Bond Girl. Tough.]
I have a special place in my (juvenile) heart for Jill St. John. Even though she didn’t do much justice to her role in Diamonds are Forever, I still loved her from other films in that time frame.
I’m also a big fan of Jane Seymour. Her acting in Live and Let Die was rather tepid, in my opinion, but she’s had a wonderful career and still looks great… so she gets a special place on my list.
Three other Bond Girls stand out for me, because they are gorgeous. Even though I have not seen the movies in which they appear, I’ve seen still photos which suggest they were at their loveliest when 007 had his clutches on them. They are Halle Berry from Die Another Day, Tanya Roberts from A View to a Kill, and Teri Hatcher from whichever movie she was in.
BTW, the lovely Lana Wood – Natalie Wood’s kid sister – played a very brief (and largely un-draped) role in Diamonds Are Forever … before she was tossed from an upper story into a pool. For her single minute on film, I thought she was pretty cute.
Special Note
While we’re on this subject of Bond Girls, let me clarify that I “met” most of those females in Ian Fleming’s novels before I ever saw them on the screen. After seeing the film version of From Russia With Love (and maybe Goldfinger), I got hold of the novels and read them all. When you’ve visualized a person from the author’s text, sometimes it’s a let down to see how the movie-makers cast those roles.
Question:
Who was YOUR favorite Bond Girl? Why?
Angela Schroeder
Patricia Kiyono
Elaine Cantrell
Jeff Salter
Joselyn
Tonette Joyce
Four Foxes, One Hound 
I don’t know what all the hubbub is about them being ‘girls’; they are.They don’t mind.I think it’s rather like when people say “Native Americans”, when the people call themselves “Indians”. Anyone who comes after you for calling them a ‘girl’,unless you use it directly as an insult to a grown female to insinuate that she is immature, IS immature.
I will add that there is also the European-use of the word ,’girl’, tantamount to calling someone a “hooker”, but I digress.Not all Bond girls are professional, just enthusiastic hobbyists.In the case of Jane Seymour, not even that.
I’m glad you mentioned Lana wood and there are others who made brief but notable appearances in the Bond films.Some of the gals were there, as in her case, as eye candy, an extra gal for the guys to drool over.I cannot recall the woman’s name, but there was a real bombshell that played an assassin in the very beginning of “Tomorrow Never Dies”. Bond never got his hands on her, but va-va-voom! She was something!
I am off to work on tomorrows post, because, well….(see above).
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Okay. I just didn’t want any heat from the people who DO get incensed when women from age 9 to 90 are all lumped together as “girls”. As long as everybody understands I didn’t invent this categorization. Ha.
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Go girl …. ehrm …. Tonette! Fully agree re the girls!
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I’m very pleased to be a girl! (Flower Drum Song’s “I Enjoy Being a Girl” running through my head!)
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Agree 🙂 Woman sounds old, responsible and mature …. which I’m not, except one perhaps 😉
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Hi Jeff! As you well know, I have no favorite Bond girls (unless I cruised the internet and chose one on a spur of the moment reason.) AFA the use of the term “girl” in reference to ANY female, I have to agree with Tonette. I think this world has gotten TOO politically correct and people have gotten TOO sensitive! I don’t see what’s wrong with calling a female a “girl” (unless the term is used derogatively), or with a male being called a “boy” (unless the same as before).
For that sake, I fully understand your use of a disclaimer. 🙂 Anymore, you never know who you are going to unintentionally offend for whatever reason
The same goes with your mention of native folk, or could be applied to any other nationality. They call themselves names, but God Forbid if any others do! You know I am proud to claim my Native status, but it does not offend me to have sports teams called, “Indians,” “Braves,” or whatever, as I have heard it does others. I look at it as a sign of respect that someone would want to call their team by such a name. Now, I DO prefer to refer to myself as Indigenous instead of NA, but that is bc this land was not America before my ancestors occupied it. Although, the name NA does not offend me as it does those more “sensitive” folk I have mentioned.
Have A Great Day!
Janette
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Thanks, Janette.
Yeah, I can understand how some Native Americans might not like caricatures or other uses of references which they consider derogatory.
But as one who has both Choctaw and Seminole blood in my line, I don’t take offense at the use of “Braves” for team members. Cleveland used to have a team called the “Indians” and it was a tribute to the tribes who once lived in that area. Kansas City has “Chiefs” and invoked it likewise. Of all the team names used, I think “Redskins” is the worst … but even that does not offend me. Perhaps if my own bloodline had a higher percentage Native American I would feel differently.
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Really Jeff? Teri Hatcher ? I think if we were to continue into October and have a “worst” Bond Woman …. LOL … GIRL …. Teri would’ve been one of them. Not her personally, don’t get me wrong, but the role and her acting weren’t …. hmmm … good. But then again, I think the whole movie is one of the bad ones. Whatever his name is, wasn’t a good bad guy either, a bit pathetic in my eyes ….
I had no idea about Lana Wood … gotta check that one out. And agree with all the other Bond girls 🙂
Nobody seems to have liked Grace Jones …. she was soooooooo bad, she was good! LOL
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Ha. Don’t forget, I said I had not seen the Bond film with Teri H. I just included her on the list because I thought she was so good in the TV show “Lois & Clark”. Also, she’s cute.
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Ok, you’re forgiven 😉 LOL. you might change your mind once you’ve seen the movie … which btw has some nice shots of Hamburg!
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I really would like to take a few months and catch up on some movies & TV shows which I never got to see. But I’m always at my computer!
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Actually, O think Teri Hatcher looked her absolute BEST in “TND”…look at my note on Halle Berry Friday….I could include Teri as the Bond GIrl, too, on the list
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I think they are all lovely. It’s just some are better actresses than others. And some didn’t really need to be good as long as they were sexy and pretty. It’s all good, right, Jeff? I think Honor Blackman should get a nod, too. She’s a classic beauty.
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Honor Blackman was in a special category. She was already an accomplished British actress BEFORE Goldfinger. Most of the Bond girls were in their first major role with 007. I thought she was cute, but when I was 13 I’m not sure I even knew what a lesbian was … so I may have been slightly confused.
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I really liked Halle’s Jinx. I had hoped they’d make her a film of her own. (Alas, female action adventure stars don’t do all that great.) That said … yeah, being covered in gold paint is pretty memorable. (BTW — I’ve had this screen open for DAYS!)
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Louisa, the film with Halle’s Jinx is one of the several Bond movies I have not yet seen. Of course, I’ve seen her photo in that bikini several times, and I know they deliberately fashioned it after the one Ursula wore in Dr. No.
Re: the golden girl — Life magazine (at the time) had a full photographic spread of Shirley Eaton and how she was prepared for those scenes in gold. You can imagine how that interested a boy age 13!
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Wasn’t Maud Adams a Bond girl? I thought she was gorgeous but I’m pretty thin on Bond knowledge altogether except to wonder why he liked his martinis shaken, not stirred.
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Yes, Theresa, Maud was in two Bond films, as I recall — as two different characters. One was the title role in Octopussy. don’t recall the other.
The big deal about the martinis was that stirring them supposedly “bruised” the gin. Ha.
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