What is a Bond movie without his stunning allies and dangerous enemies? The Bond girls who are almost synonymous with the Bond movies were earlier seen to play the role of only the love interests later seen in more riveting sometimes even controversial roles that delivered twists enough to shock the audience, going to extent of changing their allegiances. There have been stunners who played the coveted Bond girls and raised the oomph factor in the movies.
In this video, we have gathered some of the underrated Bond girls who are absolute head-turners. Let there be peace for your eyes!
Solitaire
Live and Let Die is memorable for several reasons including starring Roger Moore in the titular role for the first time. Bond is investigating the mysterious death of some intelligence officers. This movie comes with a supernatural twist that makes it an instant hit. Solitaire plays an important role here working as a psychic medium for Dr. Kananga, the main antagonist.
Solitaire has inherited her powers from her mother. However, there is a catch, in order to preserve his powers she must remain a virgin. When Kananga’s illegal drug and trafficking activities are threatened by investigating British and American agents, he naturally has them killed.
Although Solitaire is successfully able to predict Bond’s arrival, she cannot resist his seduction that well. She succumbs to his charms and ends up losing her virginity to him that also takes away her psychic powers, putting her at the mercy of Kananga’s wrath. Solitaire is one of those characters who start off on the wrong side but are able to redeem themselves eventually.
One of the most memorable scenes remain when she is sent foe executing by Kananga for her betrayal and tied to the alter by her arms. Soon enough, a poisonous snake is let on her that is about to deliver its fatal poison but not before Bond comes to her rescue.
In the end, it all pans out for the good as Kananga is defeated, and Bond does what is does best – have his way with the ladies! The gorgeous Jane Seymour was roped in to play the role, and she did a fabulous job of being the adorable psychic lady.
Elektra King
Some Bond girls manage to flutter our hearts even in the garb of a villain. Elektra King, is one such example, as the character is the daughter of an evil oil tycoon and one of the main villains in the movie The World is Not Enough. If you were stumped by the charming Pierce Brosnan as 007, there is no way that you have missed out on this breathtakingly beautiful character of Elektra King.
Elektra, played by the gorgeous Sophie Marceau is a spoilt girl owing to her lavish upbringing. Elektra eventually joins her father’s company and acquires almost instantaneous popularity with the media and the public.
However this is all a deception as her diabolical mind plots to blow up her own family’s pipeline. She carries the drama well and to that extent dates James Bond who initially was not aware of her true intentions. She even gets M kidnapped, and her showdown with Bond is one of the great cinematic moments in James Bond movies. We won’t forget the moment when Bond fatally shoots her with a single gunshot and exclaims, “I never miss.”
There is a long history of Bond’s love-interests who betray him, but Elektra King is special because it is one of the first times that a negative female role was the main villain in a Bond movie. However, her character in the film might have been, we were in awe of her ravishing beauty and didn’t even mind the missing right earlobe!
Aki
Cinematic buffs are always engaged in a fervent debate about who has been the best Bond among the string of brilliant actors who have reprised the role and we always seem to have a slightly clear winner- Sean Connery.
The recently deceased actor owned the character with his charisma. In the movie You Only Live Twice he is accompanied by the stunning Akiko Wakabayashi from Japan who played the role of a Japanese Secret Service agent and rescues Bond from time to time in the movie.
We first see her when she takes Bond to meet Mr. Henderson, their contact in Japan. During the meeting, Henderson is killed, and when Bond is captured by the baddies, Aki steps in with her remarkable driving skills.
One of the unforgettable moments in the movie was when a bikini-clad Aki invites 007 to spend the night together! She helps out Bond one more time when he is pursued by gunmen and even guides him to investigate a ship that he suspects of being used by the antagonists. Their unique relationship blossomed a bit too nicely for us to grasp her sudden death when an assassin was sent to poison James Bond in his sleep.
In the last second, Bond moves in his sleep, and Aki takes his place, thereby taking the fatal shot of the poison that kills her. It is hardly a setback for Bond though, as he soon celebrates his victory with Kissy Suzuki! As for us, well, we missed her then, and we miss her now!
Sylvia Trench
The first two official James Bond films announced the arrival of an iconic spy character in the fictional stage. Sean Connery’s brilliance, coupled with the action-packed, thrilling stories, made for a perfect success strategy. Sylvia Trench was one of the first Bond girls to have wooed the audience. Sylvia appeared as Bond’s recurring love interest in back to back movies, Dr. No and From Russia with Love.
Bond’s famous introductory catchphrase, Bond, James Bond might have been inspired by Sylvia who sits across his table in the casino and introduces herself in the same fashion. They have an interesting time together in the first movie Dr. No, where Bond must rush to the airport on the orders of M, but manages to sneak in some time to spend with his lady love.
In the next movie, From Russia with Love, Sylvia once again plays the role of Bond’s lady love as he is seen spending some quality time with her. However, once again, he is called for a mission, and despite her best efforts to make him stay a little longer, he departs for his mission! Like we have already mentioned, the initial days of Bond girls were pretty much the eye-candy, but with time the roles evolved.
Kudos to Bond, however, because we would have definitely stayed! Eunice Gayson, the delightful actress who played the role, was simply too irresistible.
Miranda Frost
If we have learnt anything so far in our James Bond cinematic journey is that the prettier the Bond girl, the more wary you must be of her intentions! Miranda Frost is a great instance of such devastating divas, as she is one of the major antagonists in the movie Die Another Day. She is shown to be working for the Secret Intelligence Service, but her real allegiance is with the diamond magnate Gustav Graves.
Miranda is a Harvard-educated, recipient of a gold medal for fencing at the Sydney Olympics. She poses as a secret agent and sends details of Bond’s mission to his adversaries. As a result of Miranda’s cunning plan, Bond is captured when he attempts to assassinate North Korean Colonel Tai-Sun Moon.
Miranda continues her work as a double agent while Bond remains oblivious to her true identity until an incredibly shot scene where her betrayal comes to the fore. 007 learns of her true colors as Gustav Graves holds him at gunpoint. On attempting to defend himself, it is then that Bond realizes that his gun had been emptied by Frost when they were in bed together. While Frost gives you enough reasons to hate her, one cannot help but admire the spark she lends to the plot of the movie.
Her climactic swordfight is going to please the action-fans, and even her cinematic death would strike a chord with the audience. Rosamund Pike, the blonde beauty from England, was perfectly suited for the role and did justice to the opportunity with a performance that will leave you spellbound!
Dr. Holly Goodhead
Roger Moore reprised Bond’s role for the fourth time in the movie Moonraker. The makers needed someone fittingly charming to be cast as the Bond girl, and they picked Lois Chiles for the role. She embraced the character of Dr. Holly Goodhead, and although there hasn’t been enough appreciation for her performance, she has been amazing!
What’s a James Bond flick without a larger-than-life villain! Moonraker sees an all-too-powerful antagonist that might have been too much for Bond too prompting him to join hands with his American counterparts to take on him.
Dr. Holly Goodhead is a CIA operative, and Bond soon gets to know that she is spying on their common enemy, Drax. However, despite being on the same side they seem to be disagreeable at time, indulging in banters that were loved by the audience.
The final moments of the film where Bond and Goodhead fight Drax’s thugs in a space shuttle is a scene that will keep you on the edge of your seats. Neither can we get over the intense, intimate moment between the two after the success of their mission, as the space shuttle makes a slow ninety-minute orbit down to Earth!
Melina Havelock
If a movie is titled For Your Eyes Only, one wouldn’t be wrong to expect a Bond girl with tantalizing beauty that would even heal the sorest of eyes. Melina Havelock fits the bill just right, all thanks to the casting of Carole Bouquet. Havelock stars opposite Moore portraying the role of British marine archaeologist Sir Timothy’s daughter. Not only does she play Bond’s love interest, she has a substantial part which she plays effectively impressing fans worldwide.
Melina Havelock was the daughter of two operatives who worked for the British Secret Service. However, when she goes to visit them during one of their missions, she witnesses them being murdered by a Cuban hitman.
She is determined on vengeance and tracks the killer with the help of a detective agency. After assassinating her parent’s killer, she takes the help of James Bond, to flee and soon they are together in the mission. There are some cracking moments in the movie, especially the underwater fight scenes when James Bond and Melina are trying to get to the shipwreck.
This was one more instance where the Bond girl was influential in the success of James Bond! Also, the last scene where they go skinny-dipping together is what the best dreams are made up of!
Natalya Simonova
We used to think that we are hard and tough men, but at the sight of her, we melted! We are, of course, talking about the incredibly stunning Natalya Simonova from the movie GoldenEye. Played to perfection by the beautiful Izabella Scorupco, Natalya is a beautiful and intelligent girl with the capability of making men go weak in their knees. Her chemistry with Pierce Brosnan as Bond was a much coveted topic of discussion.
Natalya Simonova is one of the most intelligent Bond girls and is a computer programmer working for the GoldenEye satellite system. She manages to survive when Trevalyan’s forces storm the building and slaughter everyone else.
Once they manage to steal the dangerous satellite weapon, Natalya joins forces with James Bond to stop the destruction. There are some adrenaline-pumping moments in the movie, especially when Bond takes on a train in a Russian T-55 Tank. He saves Natalya and in a nail-biting moment, and soon they attack Trevalyan’s base together in a plane.
In another heart-stopping scene, they manage to save London at the very last minute when the satellite is made to explode in space. The movie ends joyfully for Bond as he shares an intimate moment with Natalya in the middle of nowhere when suddenly a rescue party arrives to disrupt them. Seems like you can’t catch a break if you are 007!
Kara Milovy
The Living Daylights was a fairly decent attempt by Timothy Dalton who briefly played James Bond. The movie was made even better with the presence of the graceful British actress Maryam d’Abo, who played the Bond girl Kara Milovy. She is an interesting character with many shades. She is shown to the girlfriend of Georgi Koskov, a rogue Russian general.
Although her character is that of a cello player, she has some gripping action scenes, including her very first appearance where Bond shots the sniper rifle out of her hand. However, when Bond realizes that Kara, in reality, was a victim in the whole scheme, he helps her evade the KGB agents.
Kara dutifully abides by Koskov’s order until she realizes that he has been deceiving her the whole time. She switches allegiance to James Bond, but not before she gets him captured. They are taken to Afganistan, where they take the help of a Mujahideen group to attack a Soviet airbase.
The fight scene aboard a C-130 plane is worth viewing a hundred times, and the movie has a fittingly peaceful end where Kara is offered a special visa for her heroics that allows her to play all over the world.
This is yet another of those stories of a Bond girl being bowled over by his antics and turning to their good side! As for us, it was all about soaking in the fascinating screen-presence of this former model turned actress Maryam d’Abo.
Anya Amasova
Roger Moore starrer, The Spy Who Loved Me, was a global hit, and James Bond fans couldn’t stop gushing over the glamorous Barbara Bach who played the role of Anya Amasova. Although she is an American actress, her effortless portrayal of a Soviet spy working for KGB won many hearts. She is the lover of a notorious Soviet militia Sergei Barsov, and like always, eventually falls for Bond.
For most of the film, Bond and Anya work together with a common objective. In their attempts to outdo one another, they eventually end up falling in love with each other. During one of their train travels, Bond even saves her when she is attacked. Although intimacy grows between them, it changes when Anya learns that Bond managed to kill her lover. She promises revenge once the mission is complete! Throughout the film, we see her as a cunning and fearless lady who is also capable of letting go of her grudges.
In the course of the movie, Bond rescues her one more time, but after the job is done, she points her gun at him only to realize that she loves him too much to kill him! A jovial and happy climax greets the viewer as the duo continues their intimate moments as the movie goes into end-titles!
Tatiana Romanova
If you are into spy-thrillers, you have probably heard of the term honey-trapping! The character of Tatiana Romanova in the film From Russia with Love is just about that as she is sent to seduce James Bond.
It takes someone exceptional to be paired opposite Sean Connery, who played the role of Bond. Daniela Bianchi was the perfect choice for the role, and this blue-eyed blonde-beauty did a remarkably great job on her part.
Tatiana is associated with the Soviet Army intelligence, and in pursuance of her assignment she reaches the Soviet embassy in Istanbul. However, she secretly works for the notorious organization Spectre that makes her believe that her work is going to benefit the country.
Their real intention is to humiliate the British Secret Service, and they use Tatiana as a mere pawn. The love-making scene where Tatiana walks tantalizing in nothing but her birthday clothes is filmed by Spectre and used to humiliate Bond.
The film has some emotional moments, one of them being when Tatiana is caught between her duty to follow the orders and shoot Bond and her feelings towards him putting her in a spot. Eventually she does what is best and joins Bond’s side and subsequently the film ends on a happy note.