Solitaire is mostly on this list because she’s so memorable and a lot of fans love her. She is a psychic who can only see the future if she remains a virgin. This voodoo psychic is definitely one of the more ridiculous Bond girls that have appeared through the years, but that's probably what made her stick in the audience's minds so well.
Jane Seymour noticed the issues with the character, but she did her best to give the character earnestness through dedication. While this was a major role for Seymour, she's probably best known to audiences as the eponymous Dr. Quinn of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman--which garnered her two Emmy nominations.
(Image via Pinterest; James Bond Wiki)
Pam Bouvier was incredibly tough, which was a refreshing reminder that Bond girls could kick some butt, too. While there were a few times that she showed the typical love-swooning garbage we’ve grown used to with Bond girls, she still had some fantastic moments. That barroom brawl when she used a shotgun to blast a hole in the wall? Iconic.
Bouvier was portrayed by actress Carey Lowell, and this is generally seen as the biggest role of her career. While she did retire from acting in the 2000s, Lowell eventually reprised the role of Pam Bouvier for the 2012 video game 007 Legends.
Her Body is drop-dead gorgeous, and that's fitting because she's absolutely lethal! Needless to say, Pam Bouvier left her mark on Bond fans everywhere.
Tatiana was technically the first bad girl turned good by Bond, but she wasn’t all that bad to begin with. The worst thing she ever did was not intervene when Bond was attacked—he could hold his own anyway. Tatiana comes off innocent, and that’s something we really dig, and we can see why Bond would want to save her.
Romanova is one Bond girl that took multiple actresses to help her come to life. In From Russia with Love, Tatiana is portrayed by Italian actress and model Daniela Bianchi. However, that's not her voice you're hearing in the film. Instead, her lines were dubbed by British actress Barbara Jefford.
Domino is definitely one of the prettiest Bond girls on the list. She was the foil to the devilish Fiona Volpe, so she was very Snow-White-esque. Regardless of this, she doesn’t fall into the same trope as Tatiana. She has her own character arc and possible growth, which was a huge step for earlier Bond girls.
Domino also takes out the evil villain with a harpoon in the back (with no remorse!). Now that’s a girl after my own heart. Domino was originally portrayed in Thunderball by actress Claudine Auger. However, a version of the character was later portrayed by Kim Basinger in Never Say Never Again.
Domino Duvall embodies what it means to be a Bond girl. She's dangerous, sexy, and not afraid to take care of business! We'd like to say her storyline is what landed her on this list, but you can see for yourself why fans are drooling for her...
Elektra King has one of the best twists in the series. Not only is she a Bond girl, but she’s also a Bond villain! The whole time, we think it’s Renard, but he’s just a puppet for this powerful chick. Her only downfall is that she’s too cocky. She tries to turn Bond to her side by offering him the world, but (as per the title of the movie) the world is not enough.
Elektra King was portrayed by French actress Sophie Marceau, who had other hit roles in movies like Braveheart and Anna Karenina. Marceau ended up with an Empire Awards nomination in 2000 for her portrayal of the iconic Bond character, but she didn't end up nabbing the win.
A lot of people don’t like May Day, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t one of the best Bond girls. She was a great henchwoman and much bolder than her predecessors. After all, she betrayed her boss and lover, Max Zorin. Instead of getting mad, this girl gets even. Considering how strong she is, the idea of her getting even is terrifying.
When it comes to punny Bond girl names, May Day definitely wins the award for the most (and probably only) family-friendly name. She was portrayed by the indomitable Grace Jones, who described the character like this--"My character in A View to Kill was very much of the attitude that if you messed with her, she was going to kill you."
Who better to play a Bond girl than Grace Jones? She's statuesque, strikingly beautiful, and isn't afraid to go there! Grace Jones was born for this role, and she delivered a killer performance.
Natalya was the lone survivor of Ourumov and Onatopp’s murderous spree, which gives her a pretty good backstory. Her fiery temperament couldn’t be ignored, and she even played a vital role in the mission. One thing we liked most about Natalya was the fact she was so self-aware.
There were several moments when she examines a lot of the shining knight tropes from the previous films. That’s pretty impressive for a 1995 movie. Natalya was portrayed by Polish-Swedish actress Izabella Scorupco. While she's got a few acting credits under her belt, this role is definitely her biggest to date.
Jinx was both a great Bond girl and a slight disappointment. We loved the callbacks, like how she emerged from the water the same way Honey had. We also love how she is just as risky and as brave as Bond. It’s almost like they’re a match made in Heaven.
Still, the writers should have given her more. Maybe it’s because Halle Berry played her, but we’re standing firm that she could have had an amazing storyline on her own. There were plans for a spin-off movie for the character, but ultimately, those never went anywhere.
It's pretty sad too, Jinx could have been the greatest Bond girl of all time. But the whole performance felt a bit...canned. Maybe they were trying to hard to pay hommage to Bond girls gone by. We would have loved to see Jinx step into her own character identity...but she did leave us wanting more!
Anders is like Galore—her name makes her memorable. Even if you aren’t a fan of the series, you know Octop*ssy. On top of that, she’s the only Bond girl to have a movie named after her. She has her own female henchmen, and she doesn’t turn to the good side just because Bond tried to woo her. She only swaps over after she finds out her allies double-crossed her. Even then, she doesn’t team up with Bond. Mad respect.
This iconic character was portrayed by actress Maud Adams, but this actually wasn't her only appearance in a Bond film--just her most famous. Several years before this role, she appeared in The Man with the Golden Gun as Adrea Anders. However, it's clear that her role in Octop*ssy is definitely the superior performance.
Tiffany Case is one of the sexiest Bond girls; she’s even played by Jill St. John. Tiffany was also one of the first Bond girls to have an agenda of her own—smuggling. This makes her a little more interesting than her predecessors, especially since she doesn’t change after becoming Bond’s lover. Listen, it takes a strong woman to pair with Connery’s Bond.
Tiffany Case marked an interesting first in the James Bond franchise--she is officially the first American Bond girl of the movie series. Until this point, Bond had his eyes on European beauties, but his tastes have clearly changed by the time Diamonds Are Forever takes place.
There's something about a gorgeous woman who has plans of her own! Who better to gain the interest of 007 than a girl with a bit of mystery? She also has an awesome pun in her name, Tiffany refers to the ultra-high-end design company Tiffany & Co.
We knew Melina Havelock would be unique when she first appeared on camera. She was a ball of rage, and that intensity is why we like her so much. Unlike some other girls, Melina isn’t distracted by 007’s looks, and she only sleeps with him once she’s completed her goal.
It would have been unimaginable for her not to; otherwise, we can see her not doing the deed altogether. She was the character that paved the road for characters like Wai Lin. Havelock was portrayed by actress Carole Bouquet, who is probably equally famous for her time as the face of Chanel No. 5.
If you look up “bad girl” in the dictionary, you’ll see a picture of Fiona Volpe’s face. She’s gorgeous, but dang, is she mean. She uses the same tactics as Bond and kills her targets with a smile on her face. Scary, right? There’s even the joke where Bond says that Volpe makes love so savagely that she should be caged in a zoo.
Volpe was portrayed by Italian actress Luciana Paluzzi, who had originally auditioned for the role of Domino Vitali--which would ultimately go to fellow Bond girl Claudine Auger. Unlike many of the Bond girls on this list, Fiona Volpe doesn't appear in the original novel and was only created for the film.
A tantalizing mistress, Volpe was an iconic and spontaneous addition to the Bond girl lineup. She's sexy and dangerous...a night with her might just end with you tied up and six feet under. Don't let those bedroom eyes fool you, she has you right where she wants you.
Anya Amasova, code name Triple X, was 007’s KGB counterpart, and she is tough. Her goal is to kill the man who murdered her lover. Of course, that was 007 because her lover came after him. Unfortunately, she had to work with him to save the world before killing him.
Our only complaint is that her character arc would have been infinitely better if she hated Bond throughout. We can see the ending with her telling him that she’d give him a head start before she tracked him down. Anya Amasova was portrayed by actress and model Barbara Bach.
It's just hard to believe that 007's charisma magically eeks his way through sticky situations without any opposition. What happened to Anya's rage-fueled vengeance? Sure they spent some time together, but it feels like Anya could definitely have held her ground against Bond's charm more so than depicted.
Famke Janssen knows how to bring a character to life, and Onatopp is no different. Xenia is like Fiona Volpe to the extreme. Even the way she kills people is unique—by squeezing them to death. Then, there’s all the confidence she exudes. Heck, most people can’t even remember the main Bond girl in GoldenEye because Janssen did so well. It’s Natalya, by the way.
Xenia Onatopp made such an impact on fans and the franchise because she inhabited a role that hadn't been seen in the Bond series in a long time--the femme fatale. While this sort of role had fallen out of style in the Bond movies over the years, Onatopp proved that there was still a market for dangerous, alluring ladies.
Honey Ryder is high on the list for one reason: she is the Bond girl all Bond girls are compared to. She’s also one of the most memorable Bond girls on the list—no one can forget her emergence from the Jamaican ocean. That’s precisely why they recreated the scene with Jinx in a later film.
One thing we do love about Honey is her fierce attitude. Heck, she pulled a knife on Bond when they first met. Honey Ryder was portrayed in the film by Swiss actress Ursula Andress; however, because of Andress' heavy accent, her lines were dubbed by voice-over artist Nikki van der Zyl.
Honey Ryder set a whole new standard for the franchise. She's tall, blonde and can keep up with Bond's thirst for danger. For that reason, she's one of our favorites on the list!. Everyone had a poster of Honey hanging in their bedroom!
Sure, this may seem crazy, but M is 100% a Bond girl—or rather, a Bond woman. During Skyfall, Moneypenny is mostly pushed aside and doesn’t get to participate in the end like all other Bond girls. You know who does? M. Judi Dench is unequivocally one of the best Bond girls out there because few relationships have been as meaningful as the one 007 has with M.
M is one Bond girl that makes appearances in multiple films. In fact, Judi Dench portrayed the role all the way from 1995 until 2015, starting with GoldenEye and ending with Spectre. But that wasn't the end of her role in the franchise, she's also reprised the character for several James Bond video games.
Galore is the original Queen Bee of the Bond franchise, and there are quite a few things that make her so unique. First? She’s into girls. This Bond girl had her own Bond girls! Second, she was brave enough to turn against Goldfinger (one of the best Bond villains to date). Honestly, we could watch a full movie on her alone.
This iconic and profane Bond girl was portrayed in Goldfinger by British actress Honor Blackman. Blackman got the role thanks to the success of the British TV show The Avengers, which she starred in. Interestingly enough, like the James Bond franchise, The Avengers was a show about espionage.
Vesper Lynd was cold-hearted, blunt, and absolutely vicious. She was one Bond girl that wouldn’t swoon at Bond’s looks and attitude. No, she wanted mutual respect, and that had to be earned. As they work together, they eventually begin to feel differently for each other, but that just makes her betrayal so much worse. It’s so bad that it shapes Bond’s view of emotional attachment from that point on.
This is another Bond girl who has made multiple appearances in the franchise over the years. In 1967, she was portrayed by actress Ursula Andress (who also portrayed Honey Ryder) in the James Bond-themed and often-forgotten original Casino Royale. For the 2006 remake, she was portrayed by Eva Green.
This was a toughie. Wai Lin was almost number one because she’s so fierce. She’s incredibly savvy and can hold her own without Bond’s help. During the movie, she acts as Bond’s true equal, something that’s pretty rare in a 007 movie. By the end, you respect her as a Bond girl, especially since she doesn’t just surrender herself to Bond immediately. She’s got some butt to kick!
Wai Lin was portrayed by Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh, who is no stranger to action-packed roles. In addition to her part in Tomorrow Never Dies, she's also famous for her role in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon as Yu Shu Lien. For many of these intense roles, Yeoh would actually perform her own stunts!
Teresa is the first Bond girl to turn Bond wife, and that’s what makes her the best Bond girl to date. Unlike many of the other vintage Bond girls, Tracy has a sharp wit and plenty of complexities that made her stand out much more than her ditzy counterparts. As fans, there are few Bond girls we loved more, and that’s what made her demise so devastating.
This iconic role was portrayed by British actress Diana Rigg. Despite this being all the way back in 1969, Rigg has had a successful acting career in the years since--including the role of Olenna Tyrell in HBO's TV adaptation of Game of Thrones.
One of the best storylines in the history of the Bond Girl is perhaps Holly Goodhead. She’s not just a NASA astrophysicist, but she’s also an undercover CIA agent, proving that women can be super intelligent and kick butt at the same time. Who could ever forget the end of the film when Goodhead pilots the Drax space shuttle while Bond takes down capsules of nerve gas heading for Earth with a laser gun?
Holly was portrayed in the film by actress Lois Chiles. Interestingly enough, this was not Chiles' first opportunity to star in a James Bond film. A few years earlier, she had been approached to star in the Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me, but she declined the role because she was taking a break from acting at the time.
One could not make a list of Bond Girls without the mention of Jill Masterson’s exit from Goldfinger. Although the enigmatic blond starts out as Goldfinger’s kept lady, she becomes impressed by Bond’s daring and ends up in his bed. To get revenge on his flame, Goldfinger sends his henchman to kill Masterson by painting her body entirely in gold paint and leaving her to die of skin asphyxiation.
This iconic role was portrayed by actress Shirley Eaton, who was the subject of an urban legend that persisted for years after the movie's release. Because the character dies of "skin suffocation" (which isn't a real condition), a rumor began to spread that Eaton herself had died during filming. In the 2000s, she appeared on an episode of Mythbusters to dispel this rumor.
We all know that they should not have sent a woman to reign in James Bond. However, when Ms. Strawberry Fields shows up on the scene to bring Bond back to London after he went rogue, she seems to assert herself over him… for at least a while. Eventually, she too succumbs to the agent—and in her last act attempts to alert him to danger before she, herself is murdered.
Fields was portrayed by actress Gemma Arterton, but after the movie's release, she had lots of complaints about Quantum of Solace and the allegedly sexist nature of her character. She said, "At the beginning of my career, I was poor as a church mouse and I was happy just to be able to work and earn a living. As I got older I realized there was so much wrong with Bond women. Strawberry should have just said no, really, and worn flat shoes."
Miranda Frost is one of the most intelligent Bond girls we’ve ever seen. Armed with a Harvard education, Olympic fencing skills, and working for the Secret Intelligence Service and MI6 at the same time, she seems to be a refreshing change. She was portrayed by actress Rosamund Pike.
The whole film, she works alongside Bond only for Bond to find out that she’s a double agent working for the same villain they have been chasing. But Jinx comes and saves the day by taking out our double agent, and all is well in Bond’s world again.
As the mistress of smuggler Milos Columbo, she seeks out and seduces Bond to extract information for Columbo. She comes onto the scene Countess Lisl von Schlaf, Austrian nobility, however, it is soon discovered when she lets her guard down in front of Bond that she’s actually British.
The following morning, she is murdered by Aris Kristatos’ thug and Bond spectacularly avenges her death by kicking the thug off the edge of a cliff. The countess was portrayed by Australian actress Cassandra Harris. While Harris had a few acting credits to her name, her career and life were tragically cut short by cancer about a decade after the movie's release.
This doctor makes this list because of her dedication to her job. As physician to the MI6 agents, when she diagnoses Bond with a dislocated collar bone and advises him to stay off duty, he of course seduces her into clearing him, instead. In her notes for his clearance the good doctor wrote “Has exceptional stamina” to which Miss Moneypenney replies, “I’m sure she was touched by his dedication…to the job at hand.”
Dr. Warmflash was portrayed by British actress Serena Scott Thomas. At the time of filming, she was most famous for portraying Princess Diana in the TV movie Diana: Her True Story. However, her turn as a Bond girl quickly became her biggest role to date, although she has had a few TV appearances over the years.
Heir to a vast oil company, Stacey Sutton goes off to college to become a geologist so she can come back home and learn the family business. However, Sutton’s father dies before she can learn the family business and it is taken over by billionaire Max Zorin who secretly plans to cause a double earthquake with the oil wells.
Enter Bond. James Bond. And these two are off on a few wild adventures, eventually ending with Sutton succumbing to Bond’s charms. Sutton was portrayed by actress Tanya Roberts, who was famous at the time for playing Julie Rogers in the Charlie's Angels TV series. She later found more fame for her recurring role on That 70s Show.
A past flame of Bond’s, the wife of media baron and criminal, Elliot Carver, Paris is none too pleased to see Bond back in her world. After her initial denial to help him, Paris changes her mind after she sees Carver’s henchmen attempt to kill Bond. She, of course, succumbs to Bond’s charms again only to end up killed by another of her husband’s thugs the same night.
Paris Carver was portrayed by actress Teri Hatcher, who, at the time, was not a big name in Hollywood. However, only a few short years after the premier of Tomorrow Never Dies, she was cast in a little TV show called Desperate Housewives, which made her fame skyrocket.
Severine is an enigmatic, soft-spoken, representative of terrorist Raoul Silva with a dark and sinister past. As the plot unfolds, we find out that she is actually an unwilling slave of her boss. Joining forces with Bond, Severine then plots to help him overthrow Silva. Unfortunately, the beauteous Severine doesn’t make it out of the film alive.
Severine was portrayed by French actress Berenice Marlohe, who looked backwards into the James Bond franchise to find inspiration for her character. She said that she based her performance in Skyfall on iconic Bond girl Xenia Onatopp from the 1995 film GoldenEye. However, not all audience members were fans of her story or performance.
Although she never gets far enough to actually be called a “Bond” girl, she earns a spot on this list since she took the most graceful fall out of a hotel window into a pool just for being acquainted with him. The storyline for Ms. Plenty is a little cut up due to filming edits, but unfortunately pools just aren’t her thing. In the film, she goes to the home of Tiffany Case to confront her and ultimately winds up dead in Case’s pool.
This minor but memorable character was portrayed by actress Lana Wood. She actually nabbed the role because her pictures (and her poetry) had recently been published in an issue of Playboy. She was only on screen for roughly three minutes, but this still remains Woods's most iconic performance.
