It was fortuitous that I started collecting autographs of the Bond Girls when I did, because on January 12, 2013, one of the so-called ‘reunions’ of the Bond Girls was taking place at the Hollywood Show in Los Angeles. And I was there. And I collected. I didn’t get every single one; I had to draw the line somewhere – but I did get a smattering. If you’re interested in Bond Girls, you can click here to check out the start of my series of Bond Girl encounters from various celebrity shows, but if not, you can just check out three of the five that I met at this particular one…
Kicking things off at this show was my encounter with Gloria Hendry. She had portrayed Rosie Carver in the Bond film Live and Let Die opposite Roger Moore. She was in fact the first African-American actress to be a love interest for James Bond. Her film career beyond her Bond association didn’t hold that much interest for me, with most of her roles in Blaxploitation films of the 1970’s: Black Belt Jones, Hell Up in Harlem, and Black Caesar.
Next up was Lynn Holly Johnson. She had starred as figure skater Bibi Dahl in the Bond film For Your Eyes Only, also opposite Roger Moore. Johnson had been chose for this role because she was a professional ice skater who had recently turned to acting and starred in the lead role opposite Robby Benson in Ice Castles in 1980. In between the two films, she had starred in the Disney film Watcher in the Woods.
Finally in this installment, we visit with the third Bond girl who has worked with Roger Moore. Britt Ekland is perhaps the most famous name of the three, having portrayed Bond’s assistant Mary Goodnight in The Man with the Golden Gun. She also gained a degree of fame due to her whirlwind marriage to Peter Sellers, with whom she co-starred in a trio of films. Her celebrity status during the 1970’s was more about her good looks and attractive figure, and she was one of the most photographed women of the era.
It was little surprise that her autograph fetched a bit more. At $30 for the autograph/photo op combo, she was $10 higher than the Gloria Hendry and Lynn Holly Johnson, who weren’t charging for the photo ops.
My quest for the Bond girls wasn’t finished by a longshot… not even at this show. Stay tuned!
The Bond Girls will continue…
Celebrity encounters from the Winter 2013 Hollywood Show will continue…
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