Producers of Bond films are apt to shift the profile of a Bond girl every so often. They originally used European models and actresses, then switched things up to American-born leading Bond ladies. Maud Adams, a Swedish-born Actress, brought the Bond girl back to her European roots. She held two roles in the Bond series, once in 1974’s The Man with the Golden Gun, when she played Andrea Anders.
Her role as the doomed mistress of the villain propelled Adams to international fame. The second role came in 1983, when she played the title role, Octopussy. Adams has said that although being a Bond girl may not indicate continued success, the fact that you are a Bond girl is, in itself, special.
Lana Wood
Lana Wood is the younger sister of the famous film actress, Natalie Wood. Natalie died under suspicious circumstances at the height of her career. Lana followed the path of her older sister into Hollywood and starred in several film and TV shows. Her breakthrough role came in the 1971 Bond film, Diamonds are Forever, where she played Plenty O’Toole.
She has appeared in more than 20 films and 300 television series, including The Fugitive, Bonanza, Mission: Impossible, Starsky & Hutch, and Capitol. She retired from acting in 1982 to focus on a career as a producer but decided to return to acting in 2008. She has appeared in several low-budget films since.
Michelle Yeoh
Before landing a role in 1997’s Tomorrow Never Dies, Malaysian-born Michelle Yeoh was having major success as an actress in Asia, in the 90s. She starred in some of China’s biggest hit movies at the time. Owing to her kick-ass style in many martial arts action films, she landed a role as a Bond girl.
Following the part, she landed the lead role in 2000s Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, an Academy Award-winning film. She was also nominated for a BAFTA best actress award. She has continued acting, making another notable appearance in the romantic comedy-drama film, Crazy Rich Asians.
Daniela Bianchi
Bianchi was born in Rome, Italy. Prior to playing one of the Bond girls, she was a model and the first runner-up in the 1960 Miss Universe pageant. This led her to land several film roles in Italy and France. She finally had her career breakthrough when she starred alongside Eunice Grayson, in From Russia With Love, playing the role of Tatiana Romanova.
Her voice was dubbed due to her heavy accent. She retired from acting long ago, in 1970, but will forever be remembered for her role in the Bond film.
Akiko Wakabayashi
Akiko Wakabayashi was a known actress in Japan in the 50s and 60s. Her breakthrough came when she was cast to play a minor role in the 1962 film, You Only Live Twice, but after her acting was much better than producers had expected, they gave her a larger role.
She played Aki and became the first non-European Bond girl in the series. After the film, Akiko retired from acting.