The 5 Hottest Older Women from Bond Movies
Few things in this world are as universally sexy as espionage, a truth that has helped to keep the Bond franchise alive and thriving with a legacy spanning six decades.
For 007, the spy’s lifestyle of adventure overseas, assassinating threats to her Majesty with martini in-hand is famously accompanied by a string of gorgeous, single-serve love interests, or Bond Girls as they’re usually known. These women, each uniquely beautiful yet uniformly youthful, are seen as the ‘ubiquitous symbol[s] of glamour and sophistication’ each time a new film is released. It’s exciting, therefore, to see an older woman, 50 year old Monica Bellucci – who, for reference, prefers the term Bond Woman – will be co-staring with Daniel Craig, 47, in the forthcoming Spectre.
When asked about her new role, she told Event magazine: ‘My first thought was, “How can I be a Bond girl at 50?”
‘Compared to the Bond girls who have gone before me, I am so much more mature.
‘I told Sam [Mendes, director] he would be a hero among women for casting me in Spectre.’
What does this mean for the audience? Well, it’s claimed that for the first time in history we will be seeing a woman of a similar age to the lead actor playing Bond. But is this really the first sexy older woman in Bond’s life? Or has he been surrounded by such women all along? Here are some memorable faces from Mr Bond’s past who might beg to differ.
1. Halle Berry, Die Another Day
Halle Berry
at The Hollywood Reporter’s Annual Women in Entertainment Breakfast
48 year old Halle Berry was admittedly 13 years younger at the time Die Another Day was released – but by Bond Girl standards this made her still somewhat older. She played the NSA agent Jinx, who shares a steamy exchange with then Bond Pierce Brosnan surrounded by thousands of diamonds.
Not long after starring in the 2002 action hit, Berry began dating Canadian model Gabriel Aubry, who is 9 years her junior with whom she has one daughter. Some girls have all the fun, eh?
2. Honor Blackman, 39, Goldfinger
After finding success in spy drama The Avengers, British actress Honor Blackman was chosen by Albert R. Broccoli to be cast as Pussy Galore. At the time, co-star Sean Connery was only 34, making Pussy one of Bond’s first cougars.
Upon seeing her for the first time, Bond is overcome by her beautiful blonde frame and they famously exchange the words:
James Bond: Who are you?
Pussy Galore: My name is Pussy Galore.
James Bond: I must be dreaming
Que lots of flirting and scenes like this:
3. Diana Rigg, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
Fan’s of HBO’s epic fantasy drama Game of Thrones may recognize Diana Rigg as the outspoken and somewhat mysterious Olenna Tyrell. But long before she was grandmother to the Queen of Westeros, she was Countess Teresa di Vicenzo, the daughter of the leader of a powerful Corsican crime syndicate.
Age 31 at the time, she was a whole year older than Bond and is the only Bond Girl ever to marry the eponymous character when they starred together back in 1969. Perhaps he’s always been preferred women a little older than him after all…
4. Caterina Murino, Casino Royale
This beautiful 37 year old actress from Sardinia came to a sharp and unpleasant end in 2006’s Casino Royale. In true Bond style, this film sees him travelling to the Bahamas to track down Alex Dimitrios, a known associate of terrorist banker Le Chiffre. With Dimitrios gone, instead he meets Solange (Murino), and the two enjoy a passionate affair – all in the name of research of course, as she lets slip to Bond that her husband is flying to Miami.
She is then executed by Le Chiffre and left in a hammock on the beach.
5. Judi Dench, M 1995-2002
Okay, M is not widely recognized as a Bond girl (she has shown too much longevity for one thing!) But the 80 year old actress is too fierce and beautiful not to make this list.
Surviving many adventures with Bond, starring from 1995 to 2002, Judi Dench was the third and only female to take over the role as head of the Secret Intelligence Service. After becoming the subject of a somewhat Freudian tug of war between Bond and villain Raoul Silva, M met a sticky end in the most recent film Skyfall. Will Ralph Fiennes look quite so good filling the role of M in Spectre? We’ll soon find out.
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