Jinxed?

by Ed Symkus


Is it really possible that 40 years have passed since the first "Bond girl" graced a cinema screen? Forty years since Ursula Andress, playing Honey Rider, walked out of the Caribbean in that tiny white bikini and into the life of Sean Connery's James Bond in Dr. No?


Though she couldn't have known it at the time, Andress was at the forefront of a piece of pop culture. Bond girls -- even the age of political correctness couldn't change the endearing term to "Bond women" -- were to become a more important component of the 007 films than Bond's fancy cars or his lethal Walther PPK.


Now the 20th Bond film, Die Another Day, is hitting theaters, and last year's Best Actress Oscar-winner Halle Berry is in the role of Jinx, the newest in the line of Bond girls. With her appearance come some questions. What happens to an actress who takes on one of these coveted roles? Is it a career-builder or a career-ender? Berry had already begun shooting the film when she won the Oscar. Did she make the right choice? Only time will tell.


Here's a look at what happened to some of the women who played the beauties that either fell for or went up against Bond... James Bond.





Ursula Andress (Honey Rider in Dr. No, 1962)


Best known for: Pulling a knife on Bond, but being subdued


Before Bond: A couple of small Italian films


After Bond: More Italian films and lots of "B" American films; most recent was Cremaster 5 in 1997.





Honor Blackman (Pussy Galore in Goldfinger, 1964)


Best known for: Her character's name


Before Bond: Two dozen small films, played Cathy Gale, the original female lead on The Avengers


After Bond: Two dozen more small films, lots of TV movies; most recent was To Walk with Lions in 1999.





Diana Rigg (Tracy Draco in On Her Majesty's Secret Service, 1969)


Best known for: Marrying Bond, then being murdered on their honeymoon


Before Bond: Played Emma Peel on The Avengers


After Bond: Lots of film and theater work, and her own TV series, Diana; longtime host of Mystery! on PBS





Jill St. John (Tiffany Case in Diamonds Are Forever, 1971)


Best known for: Turning from a smuggler to a Bond ally


Before Bond: Light comedies and action films


After Bond: Lots of TV films and mini-series; newest film is the upcoming The Trip.





Jane Seymour (Solitaire in Live And Let Die, 1973)


Best known for: Losing her virginity to Bond


Before Bond: A couple of films and British TV series


After Bond: Practically every other mini-series ever made, plus her own TV series, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman





Barbara Bach (Anya Amasova in The Spy Who Loved Me, 1977)


Best known for: Being a Soviet spy, on equal footing with Bond


Before Bond: A series of Italian films


After Bond: Married Ringo Starr, made a handful of direct-to-video movies.





Lynn-Holly Johnson (Bibi Dahl in For Your Eyes Only, 1981)


Best known for: Being the only woman Bond refused to sleep with (he says he'll buy her an ice cream instead)


Before Bond: Professional ice skater, starred in Ice Castles


After Bond: A few "B" movies; most recent was The Criminal Mind in 1996.





Maud Adams (Octopussy in Octopussy, 1983)


Best known for: Sleeping with Bond in a boat that's being rowed by a troupe of circus girls


Before Bond: Starred in Rollerball


After Bond: Lots of direct-to-video movies; most recent was Ringer in 1996.





Kim Basinger (Domino Petachi in Never Say Never Again, 1983)


Best known for: Killing the villain Largo with a spear gun


Before Bond: Lots of TV movies


After Bond: Leads and co-starring roles in two dozen major films; won Best Supporting Actress Oscar for L.A. Confidential; currently plays Eminem's drunken mother in 8 Mile.





Tanya Roberts (Stacey Sutton in A View to a Kill, 1985)


Best known for: Dangling from the Golden Gate Bridge, waiting to be rescued


Before Bond: Lots of "B" movies and a stint on Charlie's Angels


After Bond: More "B" movies and a regular role on That '70s Show.





Famke Janssen (Xenia Onatopp in Golden Eye, 1995)


Best known for: Instigating a sports car race with Bond down a twisting mountain road


Before Bond: A modeling career and a lead part in the film Lord of Illusions


After Bond: Lots of major film roles, including X-Men and the current I Spy.





Teri Hatcher (Paris Carver in Tomorrow Never Dies, 1997)


Best known for: Slapping Bond's face in their first scene


Before Bond: A few small movies and TV series, including The Love Boat and Lois & amp; Clark


After Bond: Lots of TV movies, along with a running series of Radio Shack ads with Howie Long.





Denise Richards (Dr. Christmas Jones in The World Is not Enough, 1999)


Best known for: Her character's name


Before Bond: Starred in flops such as Wild Things and Starship Troopers


After Bond: Starred in more flops such as Valentine; has a few films in the can and married Charlie Sheen.





Halle Berry (Jinx in Die Another Day, 2002)


Best known for: Walking out of the ocean in a tiny coral bikini (an homage to Dr. No)


Before Bond: A short stint on Knots Landing, a couple of Spike Lee films, X-Men, famously bared her breasts in Swordfish, won the Oscar for Monster's Ball


After Bond: The upcoming X-Men 2