The Bond franchise is known for many things. Suave and sassy dialogue, dynamic chases, Aston Martin's, Martini's... and women.
As the years have gone on, "Bond Girls" have become a far more active role in the films. But to be fair, not all of them have been simple love interests. I am going to list each of the main 27 goodie "Bond Girls" (as opposed to the femme fatales), and what has happened to them. There are others, in smaller roles, but these are the main girls.
1962 Dr No - Honey Ryder played by Ursula Andress. also appeared as Vesper Lynd in 1967's Casino Royale (not included in this list). This was her first major role, and her long career slowed in the 90's and her last was in 2005. The 88-year-old now spends her time with family, living in Italy and Germany.
1963 From Russia with Love - Tatiana Romanova played by Daniela Bianchi. At the time of the film, she had already won Miss Universo Italia 1960. Her Italian accent was so strong she was dubbed in the final edit. She retired in 1970 after less that 10 years acting, which included 1967's Operation Kid Brother alongside Sean Connery's brother, Neil. She married an Italian shipping magnate and lives happily in Italy.
1964 Goldfinger - Pussy Galore played by Honor Blackman. An already seasoned English actor at this point, Honor went on to act regularly until 1978 in films, and 1996 in television (The Upper Hand, 1990-96). She had a small number of films after 2001, including Bridget Jones's Diary (2001), and half a dozen TV roles in that time too. Honor Blackman passed away on April 5, 2020, in East Sussex, England.
1965 Thunderball - Domino Derval played by Claudine Auger. This French actor was another experienced casting choice, who starred predominantly in French Cinema throughout her career. Claudine, 78, passed away on December 18, 2019.
1967 You Only Live Twice - Kissy Suzuki played by Mie Hama. Picked up in 1960 while working as a bus conductor in Japan. She did various other jobs, including working on TV and Radio, and she was a successful author. By 1967, she had appeared in nearly 70 films, mostly Japanese, and would go on to appear in a total of nearly 90 by 1989. She retired, and lives quietly in Japan.
1969 On Her Majesty's Secret Service - Teresa di Vicenzo played by Diana Rigg. Diana died on September 10, 2020, after a career that included 33 stage shows, 21 film roles and 52 TV roles. Of her TV roles, the former wife of James Bond played Olenna Tyrell in Game of Thrones from 2013 to 2017, arguably the best character in the entire series.
1971 Diamonds Are Forever - Tiffany Case played by Jill St John. 20 years of acting put Jill St John on a pedestal to be a "Bond Girl". Jill would only appear in seven films after Diamonds, but was a regular on TV for 50 years. After 1989 she had just three more TV roles. Married four times, Jill dated a huge number of celebrities in between, including Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Jack Nicholson, Henry Kissinger, Frank Sinatra and Adam West.
1973 Live and Let Die - Solitaire played by Jane Seymour. Roger Moore's first "Bond Girl" was 22, less than half the age of Moore. It was just her fifth film, but to date she has 52 film credits to her name and even more from TV. She is still appearing on screen regularly and her latest film was Irish Wish (2024).
1974 The Man with the Golden Gun - Mary Goodnight was played by Britt Ekland. She acted regularly from 1962 to 1990, doing at least one per year in that time. The Man with the Golden Gun was the last in a run of six years doing multiple films per year. She still pops up here and there, but spends most her time enjoying the high life when she wants to.
1977 The Spy Who Loved Me - Anya Amasova was played by Barbara Bach. Barbara was halfway through her acting career when she teamed up with Roger Moore. In 1980, she met The Beatles drummer Ringo Starr on the set of Caveman (1981), and they married in '81. They would go on to go through rehab together in 1988, getting sober from alcohol and drug use. They have been ever since.
1979 Moonraker - Holly Goodhead was Lois Chiles' role. Only her sixth film, she went on to take 37 more TV and film roles, predominantly TV. She hasn't had a role since 2006's Kettle of Fish.
1981 For Your Eyes Only - Melina Havelock was played by Carole Bouquet after just four years of acting. Most of her career has been in French cinema and TV. Her last role was in 2022 in a TV series Ils s'aiment... enfin presque!
1983 Octopussy - Octopussy was the return of Maud Adams. She was one of three actors to come back in different roles, but Maud was the only one to "change sides". The Swedish actor was very well experienced and would go on to act regularly until 1990, with a few additional roles after that. in 1985, Maud would cameo in A View to a Kill in a crowd scene, so she made three Bond films. She lives quietly with her husband now.
1985 A View to a Kill - Stacey Sutton was played by a Charlie's Angel, Tanya Roberts. Charlie's Angels and That 70's Show were her biggest roles either side of Bond, and 2005 saw her last role. Sadly, after a short, non-Covid related illness on January 4, 2021.
1987 The Living Daylights - Kara Milovy was a Cellist played by Maryam d'Abo. She was five years into her 40+ year career. She pops up in many different TV series, and her film roles are mostly small or TV films. She has been busy for almost every year of her career since 1982, but has slowed up since 2020, with just two roles.
1989 Licence to Kill - Pam Bouvier was played by Carey Lowell. She is mainly a TV actor, but she did appear in Sleepless in Seattle (1993). A couple of longer running roles on TV in the mid to late 1990's was her main work. She still pops up on TV in odd episodes here and there.
1995 GoldenEye - Natalya Simonova was Izabella Scorupco's first English role. She works across American, Polish and Swedish cinema.
1997 Tomorrow Never Dies - Wai Lin was Michelle Yeoh's turn to shine alongside James Bond. Already a superb actor in her own right, she took Pierce Brosnan on in style. She's has branched into more voice acting roles in recent years, but she is still going strong, including the 2023 Oscar for "Best Performance in an Actress in a Leading Role".
1999 The World Is Not Enough - Dr. Christmas Jones was played by Denis Richards. She was not outstanding in any way, with all her screams forced and her entire character completely wooden. I assume she has improved as she has been working consistently since, and has two films in production.
2002 Die Another Day - Jinx Johnson came to our screens thanks to Halle Berry. Yearly work since 1991 has kept Halle on our screens in films like the X-Men Franchise (2000-2014), Catwoman (2004), Cloud Atlas (2013) and John Wick: Chapter 3 (2019). Her latest film is due out this year.
When Eon took Daniel Craig on as the new Bond in 2005, the franchise started its modern shift. Only Vesper Lynd and Madeleine Swann were intimate partners with Bond, but every one of the next five "Bond Girls" become far more active and independent characters. Lynd stands up to Bond frequently, Montes needs to be reeled in by Bond due to her desire for revenge and Moneypenny is Bond's equal as they run a mission together. Nomi becomes the new 007 after Bond's resignation in No Time to Die, and keeps him in his place as they work together. All these actors were relatively experienced, and continue to appear regularly in roles across global cinema and TV.
2006 Casino Royale - Vesper Lynd (Eva Green)
2008 Quantum of Solace - Camille Montes (Olga Kurylenko)
2012 Skyfall - Eve Moneypenny (Naomie Harris)
2015 Spectre - Dr. Madeleine Swann (Lea Seydoux)
2021 No Time to Die - Dr. Madeleine Swann (Lea Seydoux) and Nomi (Lashana Lynch)
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