Often a sex symbol, sometimes a fellow secret agent, the Bond Girl has gone from an afterthought to an integral part of the 007 universe.
TV & Movies It’s been a long journey. James Bond is part of our cultural DNA, and so too is the “Bond girl” — the woman who aids, fights, and loves the British super-spy. Historically, there are a few options for Bond girls: the enemy who’s wooed to Bond’s side, the accomplice, the competent “female James Bond.” And then there are a few that exist out of these categories entirely, though traditionally, they’ll either die, or they end the movie as Bond’s love interest. Over the years, the Bond girl has at times been afflicted with the worst aspects of the franchise — specifically, its sexist, racist, classist, and generally stereotypical tendencies. (Some people don’t even like to use the term Bond girl, labeling it dismissive.) The benefit of the franchise’s longevity is that this archetype has been given time to evolve. But, as this list shows, for every empowered woman lead, there’s another who loses her agency and sometimes her life in service to the MI6 agent. Recent films have fortunately fared better, and 2021’s No Time to Die seems like it’s no exception: The movie will see Nomi (Lashana Lynch) take up the mantle of 007, and a brilliant, lively performance from Ana de Armas, in addition to the return of Spectre Bond girl Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux). While this list doesn’t include every single Bond girl ever, it provides a timeline of important, iconic, and influential characters who have helped shape the Bond universe. Each one has added something important to our understanding of the Bond girl, whether it be a crucial step forward, or several embarrassing steps back. The first Bond girl ever! Eunice Gayson (voiced by Nikki van der Zyl) as Sylvia Trench stuns in an orange-red ballgown and flirts with Bond at a London club. She was initially going to be a recurring character and, in fact, she did make a cameo in the later Bond film From Russia With Love. She’s also one half of what would become an iconic exchange: Bond: “I admire your courage, Miss, er…?” Trench: “Trench, Sylvia Trench. I admire your luck, Mr…?” Bond: “Bond, James Bond.” Of course, when you think Bond girl, you probably think about the second woman who appears in Dr. No: shell diver Honey Ryder (played by Ursula Andress, dubbed by Nikki van der Zyl and Diana Coupland). Her introduction, in which she rises from the sea in a white bikini, is iconic. She gets drawn into the plot somewhat by accident, and isn’t given a lot of actual agency and, but the fact that she’s suspicious of Bond and brandishes a knife at him augurs things to come — even if she does end the movie, like so many Bond girls, in a passionate embrace with the spy. Even this early in the franchise, fans did catch glimpses of “the competent Bond girl.” Tatiana (Daniela Bianchi, voiced by Barbara Jefford) is a fervently patriotic Russian agent and former ballerina, who’s forced to reevaluate her devotion to duty and country when she meets Bond. After starting out as a naive SPECTRE pawn, she reclaims some of her agency over the course of the film. Rosa Klebb (Lotte Lenya), while not a Bond girl in the typical sense — she’s a SPECTRE agent with a knack for torture — absolutely merits a mention on this list. An efficient killer with a devilishly smart assassination technique (specifically, sticking someone to death with a knife concealed in her shoe), Klebb falls into the unfortunate stereotype of the “evil/psychotic lesbian” (it’s made even more explicit in Ian Fleming’s book of the same name, on which the film is based). But she’s still notable for as an early female villain who has what it takes to go toe-to-toe with Bond. If you’re unfamiliar, this is the Bond girl who’s best known for her cause of death: gold paint, slathered all over her body. She’s not in many scenes, and she follows a typical trajectory: woman works for the bad guy; woman is swayed over to Bond’s side; woman is immediately murdered. The death was creative and spawned a (false) urban legend that the actor Shirley Eaton actually died from being painted gold, but it’s also a depressing plot device that’s solely added for shock value. Aside from the patently ridiculous name, Pussy was a queer-coded, feisty nemesis with fighting skills, who showed an initial disinterest in Bond. Her fight-turned-love scene with Bond is interpreted by many as an assault, and Fleming’s portrayal of the character in the book on which the film is based is now seen as offensive. Honor Blackman, then 39, was the oldest Bond girl at the time; she also did her own stunts, and took issue with the term “Bond girl .” To call Fiona “ formidable ” would be an understatement. She’s a SPECTRE assassin who has no issue killing anyone who gets in her way or screws up the mission. The femme fatale beds Bond and then immediately turns on him, getting in a few insults before engaging in a chase that (sigh) leads to Bond using her as a human shield for a bullet meant for him. Domino (played by Claudine Auger, voiced by Nikki van der Zyl) is initially the mistress of SPECTRE leader Emilio Largo, but her allegiances chance when she learns Largo killed her brother. She joins forces with Bond and — unlike some of the women before her — does not die. She actually manages to kill Largo herself, and she’s glad she did it. For a character dragged into the action, she really holds her own. You Only Live Twice is now known as the immensely racist film where Bond dons yellowface, but Japanese actor Akiko Wakabayashi gives a great performance, and is a bright spot in the otherwise less-than-great movie. Her character actively assists Bond as an agent — but then is murdered midway through the film with poison meant for Bond. Also, she’s forced to say this line when Bond takes her to bed: “I think I will enjoy very much serving under you.” Yikes. Kissy (Mie Hama, dubbed by Nikki van der Zyl) plays Bond’s “wife” as part of his bid to remain undercover. She doesn’t have as large of a role, but the part made the actor a celebrity in her native Japan. She subsequently distanced herself from acting and from being a Bond girl, saying, “I didn’t want that image to stick with me.” Tracy (Diana Rigg, in a typically stellar performance) doesn’t just match Bond — she exceeds him in every way with her energy and talent. Largely considered one of the best Bond girls ever, in part due to her rich backstory as a grieving heiress, she’s also the only woman to marry Bond. Spoiler alert: she is immediately murdered. I guess that’s one way to preserve Bond’s single status, but it’s still a tragedy.
