30. Manuela
Played by: Emily Bolton
Appears in: Moonraker
Bond’s ally in Rio, Manuela is an MI6 operative who did her how-to-seduce-007 homework: out-racing him on the streets of Brazil, making a shaken martini, and immediately proposing sex. He didn’t stand a chance. While Manuela’s personality doesn’t really extend beyond exposition-delivering companion-du-jour, she is a crucial part of the scene where Jaws is dressed like a clown. And that earns her a lot of points.
29. Strawberry Fields
Played by: Gemma Arterton
Appears in: Quantum of Solace
Hey, remember when they covered a girl in gold paint in Goldfinger? What if it was oil! You know, because it’s the late 2000s! Look, Fields is something of a dichotomy. On the one hand, she almost explicitly exists as a fanservice-crafted callback to expendable Bond Girl tropes. But on the other hand, she’s got more chemistry with Bond than Camille. Fields is an odd Bond Girl for an odd Bond movie. In our brief time with her, we witness her professionalism, her flaws, and her charm. It would have been great to see more of her but alas, Quantum of Solace is not a film where nice things thrive.
28. Mary Goodnight
Played by: Britt Ekland
Appears in: The Man With The Golden Gun
Mary Goodnight might not be the most skilled agent that Bond has partnered with in the field, but we have to give her bonus points for trying. Even when she messes up, there’s something kinda fun about her in a screwball-y way. It helps that Britt Ekland nails the ’70s style of her character and looks damn good in a bikini. Even though the role is somewhat thankless, we stand by the fact that Mary Goodnight deserved better.
27. Jill Masterson
Played by: Shirley Eaton
Appears in: Goldfinger
Who among us would not turn on our bosses if a powder blue romper-wearing James Bond walked into our hotel room? Jill loses points for not lasting very long into the film’s runtime, but she certainly gains points for being a relatable example of the “bad girl turned good” variety of Bond Girl. Had she not been killed by gold paint suffocation, Jill had real stellar Bond Girl potential. She remains iconic.
26. Tilly Masterson
Played by: Tania Mallet
Appears in: Goldfinger
We love a girl with murder on her mind. The sister of the ill-fated Jill Masterson, Tilly is hellbent on putting a bullet in Goldfinger’s sweaty forehead. While her aim might not match her bloodlust, Tilly captures Bond’s attention when, in her haste, she almost runs him off the highway. While Tilly ultimately winds up on the receiving end of Oddjob’s lethal bowler hat before Bond can make a move, the spark was there.
25. Ruby Bartlett
Played by: Angela Scoular
Appears in: On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
Ruby Bartlett writing her room number in lipstick on the inside of a kilt-wearing James Bond’s thigh is one of the hottest things in the entire Bond franchise. Her attempt to flirt by gnawing on a chicken leg is less of a success, but you can’t argue with the results. And we stan an assertive woman. Even if said woman is an unwitting sleeper agent trained to unleash a biological weapon on all of Britain.
24. Lupe Lamora
Played by: Talisa Soto
Appears in: Licence to Kill
A Bond-Girl-Who-Also-Dates-The-Baddie, Lupe has one foot in Franz Sanchez’s bed and the other in Bond’s. A confused metaphor? Perhaps. But Lupe is confused, too. Even though her drug lord boyfriend whipped her with a manta ray tail that one time. Lupe: here’s hoping you find someone who treats you right. The bar is very low.
23. Fiona Volpe
Played by: Luciana Paluzzi
Appears in: Thunderball
Fiona Volpe and Connery-era Bond aren’t all that different: both use sex to accomplish their missions. Game recognize game. An assassin for SPECTRE, Fiona becomes the trusted mistress of a NATO pilot in order to steal a vessel containing two atomic bombs. When Bond meets Fiona he immediately clocks her SPECTRE ring and (say it with me) sleeps with her anyway. Fiona gets bonus points for roasting Bond after the gig is up. Once Bond pulls a “this was business, not pleasure” move, Fiona calls a spade a spade and underlines the bullshit of “I had to sleep with all those women…for my job.” While yes, Bond does use Fiona as a human shield, they had something. No matter what Bond says.
22. Honey Ryder
Played by: Ursula Andress, voiced by Nikki van der Zyl
Appears in: Dr. No
I’m willing to bet a tin of my best caviar that when you think of Bond Girls, you think of Honey Ryder. You may not think of her name (though who doesn’t love an eyebrow-raising pun?) or any of her personality traits or characteristics. But you certainly think of her bikini. She emerged from the Atlantic, hair slicked back, clad in a white two-piece with a knife at her side, and the icon of the Bond Girl was born. Though she’s mostly an afterthought as far as the script is concerned, we do learn that she knows a thing or two about revenge and has more bite than her demure nature towards Bond might suggest. She’s not a bad start as far as the franchise’s women are concerned, but there’s a reason we all remember her bikini more than anything else about her.
21. Madeleine Swann
Played by: Léa Seydoux
Appears in: Spectre
Dr. Swann is a combination of a couple of Bond Girl tropes: the crime daughter, the medic, the pacifist. She’s a doctor and a psychologist, not a female action surrogate by any stretch but hardened and capable in her own way. It’s to Seydoux’s credit and the movie’s shame that, watching Spectre, you kind of wish it was her film. Her backstory is one of the most compelling things about Spectre. Meanwhile, her chemistry with Bond has the vitality of a limp hagfish. All that to be a damsel in distress. Very cool. You deserved better, Dr. Swann!
Related Topics: Bondathon, James Bond
