4/6/2020 by Mike Barnes for The Hollywood Reporter
The judo expert shockingly quit the popular British TV series after two seasons to star as Bond girl Pussy Galore in the third 007 film.
Honor Blackman, the beguiling British actress who portrayed the leather-clad Cathy Gale on TV’s The Avengers and then Pussy Galore in Goldfinger, has died. She was 94.
Blackman, who first won recognition for her performance as Elizabeth Taylor’s friend in the MGM spy tale Conspirator (1949), died at her home in Lewes, Sussex, of natural causes unrelated to the coronavirus, her family told The Guardian.
“As well as being a much-adored mother and grandmother,” her family said, “Honor was an actor of hugely prolific creative talent. With an extraordinary combination of beauty, brains and physical prowess, along with her unique voice and a dedicated work ethic, she achieved an unparalleled iconic status in the world of film and entertainment and with absolute commitment to her craft and total professionalism in all her endeavors she contributed to some of the great films and theater productions of our times.”
The London native with the icy blue eyes also played a woman who believes that she has nothing to live for in A Night to Remember (1958), one of the retellings of the Titanic disaster. And five years later, she starred as the goddess Hera in Jason and the Argonauts (1963).
Considered a real-life goddess to her adoring fans, Blackman joined the British series The Avengers for its second season in 1962 as Mrs. Gale, a widowed anthropologist and black belt in judo who quite ably assists the bowler-wearing, umbrella-toting John Steed (Patrick Macnee) in solving crimes. (Gale started out as a revamped version of another character, Doctor Keel, played by Ian Hendry, who had left the series).
READ MORE HERE.
RIP Honor, You were one of the best and seductively attractive Bond Girls and Goldfinger is one of the best Bond films.
Goldfinger and You Only Live Twice are my two favorite Sean Connery Bond movies
One of the best lines ever
Bond to Goldfinger
” Goldfinger do you expect me to talk” Reply ” no Mr Bond I expect you to die”
As a young fellow, in the Honor Blackman – Patrick MacNee era, she was one of those that sent me on to naughty thoughts while trying to pay attention in school.
Nowadays, when watching The Avengers reruns, is when I come to realize the wit and banter that she and Patrick had on the show was timeless.
13.
That scene in Goldfinger, everytime I watch it I can’t help but speak that phrase at the same time Goldfinger says it to Bond 🙂
As I said earlier I love Goldfinger as a Connery “Bond” movie. I only put You Only Live Twice above it as You Only Live Twice was filmed mostly in 1960’s Japan and I think it was a stunning location for a Bond movie.
That said I like any Connery and any Moore, (with Moore my favs are The Spy Who Loved Me, For Your Eyes Only and yes, I like Occtopussy a lot too) James Bond movies. That said I am good with pretty well all Bond movies with only the last two Brosnen ones being a little off for me. Daniel Craig as Bond is good too but I am not a big fan of over the top CGI and I find some of it in the Craig movies to be irritating to me.
But the best Bond girls are in the Connery and Moore Bond movies to me. Characters, Akie (??) in You Only Live Twice along with Pussy Galore for Connery and Agent XXX along with Melina Havlock for the Moore movies, all yummy babes. 🙂