40. Nancy
Played by: Catherine Schell
Appears in: On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
Nancy is similar to Ruby Bartlett, though unfortunately, she can’t hold a candle to the antics of her fellow allergy-suffering and sex-starved co-patient. She does succeed at seducing an undercover Bond, though, so that’s gotta count for something. Plus, we have to admire the lengths she goes to in order to recover from her potato allergy — if becoming a SPECTRE sleeper agent means getting to have hashbrowns again, then a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.
39. Kissy Suzuki
Played by: Mie Hama
Appears in: You Only Live Twice
In You Only Live Twice, in order to not look suspicious while investigating some Japanese islands, Bond gets fake married and “goes local.” It’s as bad as you’re picturing it. In isolation from the idiocy of the plan itself, Kissy is skilled and courageous. You’d have to be with the way Connery’s yellow face looks. In any case, their fake relationship eventually develops into something legitimate. And hey, she holds the unique distinction of being one of the few Bond Girls who doesn’t need to be saved/rescued/etc. at some point.
38. Corinne Dufour
Played by: Corrine Cléry
Appears in: Moonraker
When you extract intelligence from a henchman, you have to make your peace with the fact that they are probably going to get put to death. Which makes Bond’s habit of sleeping with his female interrogation subjects a little morbid. On brand, but morbid. While being romanced by Bond, the bedazzled Corinne reveals details about her evil boss’ secret project. And then she’s eaten by dogs. How Bond sleeps soundly we’ll never know.
37. Magda
Played by: Kristina Wayborn
Appears in: Octopussy
Magda exists as a pretty standard henchwoman; she’s there to seduce and betray Bond, selling him out to the villain Kamal. But when it comes to loyalty, Magda serves Octopussy first and foremost. She might not ultimately sway allegiances for the sake of Bond, but we can at least admire that she’ll do anything for the film’s eponymous ring leader.
36. Stacey Sutton
Played by: Tanya Roberts
Appears in: A View to a Kill
Overshadowed in every way by the much more captivating May Day, Stacey barely stood a chance. A thwarted oil-heiress with her own vendetta against Max Zorin, it’s no surprise that she and Bond team up to take him down. Stacey is all breathy line deliveries and very little bite, but in a film this bonkers, it’s helpful that the primary Bond Girl isn’t the star of the show — she’d just distract from the real highlights (*cough* May Day).
35. Octopussy
Played by: Maud Adams
Appears in: Octopussy
Yes, there is actually a character called Octopussy in the film Octopussy. She’s a wealthy jewel smuggler whose father studied octopi and nicknamed her Octopussy, a totally normal nickname to give a child. Anyway, Octopussy (jesus christ) has a pet octopus and runs an Octopus Cult full of loyal, deadly women. Ostensibly she bears no ill will and is only aligned with the baddies for the cash. Naturally, when she learns of the thousands of innocent deaths her co-conspirators have planned, she flips (in the nick of time), and helps Bond save the day. She and Bond have a lot of fun flirt-fighting that ultimately leads to one of the goofiest Bond-has-sex codas in the franchise: a barge-crew chanting “in, out, in, out” as they row 007’s boinking barge into the sunset.
34. Jinx Johnson
Played by: Halle Berry
Appears in: Die Another Day
The first heavy-hitter African-American Bond Girl since A View to a Kill’s May Day, Jinx is tough, fashion-forward, and capable. The Bond Girl triad! However, like just about everything in Die Another Day, Jinx is kind of weird. In attempting to make a Bond Girl who felt like Bond’s equal, Jinx’s fun, flirty, strong, sexy disposition leaves her feeling more like an alternate dimension Bond than a fully realized character in her own right. Jinx is very much a prototypical Badass Modern Action Woman, but she’s burdened with all the shortcomings that come along with that archetype.
33. Christmas Jones
Played by: Denise Richards
Appears in: The World Is Not Enough
On paper, a capable nuclear physicist seems like a compelling subversion of Bond Girl expectations. Richards’ performance is frequently cited as a low point for Bond Girls…which is wildly unfair because Tiffany Case exists. Really, the worst thing you can say about Dr. Christmas Jones is that she’s underwritten and not given a lot to do. Criticizing a character who resents being dismissed for her appearance solely on the basis of her appearance feels a little ironic. Merry Christmas we say!
32. Kara Milovy
Played by: Maryam D’Abo
Appears in: The Living Daylights
When it comes to Kara, the concert cellist girlfriend of a villainous KGB General, Bond’s on babysitting duty. While Kara isn’t as grating as Tiffany Case, she’s a formidable rival when it comes to sheer, mission-threatening incompetence. Kara’s more of an escort mission than a love interest, bringing little to the table other than glassy-eyed (if earnest) affection for 007. There have been many reasons to dismiss Bond over the years, but sticking Kara behind the wheel of a military transport plane is an unconscionable offense. The girl couldn’t drive a shopping cart.
31. Countess Lisl von Schlaf
Played by: Cassandra Harris
Appears in: For Your Eyes Only
In a film where James Bond is actively pursued by a child, his fling with Countess Lisl hits as an age-appropriate relief. The mistress of smuggler Milos Columbo, Bond meets the “Austrian Countess” (really just a Liverpool native) at a casino. She later deploys the most enticing offer of all time (“I’m a night person. I have champagne and oysters in the fridge. Why not come in for a bite?”). Damn. In a fun reversal, the Countess is pulling one of Bond’s old tricks, admitting that her seduction is actually a mission to gather intelligence. She is later unceremoniously mowed down with a dune buggy.
Related Topics: Bondathon, James Bond
