Ursula Andress (born 19 March 1936) is a Swiss-American actress and sex symbol.[1] She is best known for her role as Bond girl Honey Rider in the first James Bond film, Dr. No, for which she won a Golden Globe. She later starred as Vesper Lynd in the Bond-parody Casino Royale.
Ursula Andress | |
|---|---|
 Ursula Andress circa 1971. | |
| Born | 19 March 1936 Ostermundigen, Switzerland |
| Nationality | Swiss |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1954–2005 |
| Spouse | |
| Partner | Harry Hamlin (1979–1983) |
| Children | Dimitri Hamlin (b. 1980) |
Early life
Andress was born in Ostermundigen, Canton of Bern, Switzerland, the daughter of Anna, who was Swiss, and Rolf Andress, a German diplomat who was expelled from Switzerland for political reasons. He disappeared during World War II.[2]
Career
Andress became famous as Honey Rider, a shell diver and James Bond's object of desire in Dr. No (1962), the first Bond movie.[3] In what became an iconic moment in cinematic and fashion history,[4][5][6] she rose out of the Caribbean Sea in a white bikini sporting a large diving knife on her hip. Due to her heavy Swiss-German accent, her character's voice was provided by Nikki van der Zyl, while the calypso was sung by Diana Coupland.[7]
The scene made Andress the "quintessential" Bond girl,[8][9] Andress later said that she owed her career to that white bikini. "This bikini made me into a success. As a result of starring in Dr. No as the first Bond girl, I was given the freedom to take my pick of future roles and to become financially independent."[4][10] The bikini she wore in the film sold at auction in 2001 for £41,125 ($59,755).[11][12]
In 2003, in a UK Survey by Channel 4, her entrance in Dr. No was voted #1 in "the 100 Greatest Sexy Moments".[13] Andress won the Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year in 1964 for her performance in Dr. No.[14] In 1965, she posed nude for Playboy.[15] When asked why she had agreed to do the Playboy shoot she replied coolly, "Because I'm beautiful."[16]
Andress co-starred with Elvis Presley in the 1963 musical film, Fun in Acapulco, with Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin in 4 for Texas (1963), opposite Marcello Mastroianni in The 10th Victim (1965), alongside John Richardson in She (1965), and as the countess in The Blue Max (1966). She also appeared in the Bond satire Casino Royale (1967) as Vesper Lynd, an occasional spy who persuades Evelyn Tremble, played by Peter Sellers, to carry out a mission. Her heavy accent was dubbed over in Dr. No, but she used her own voice in Casino Royale.
In 1981's Clash of the Titans she worked with Laurence Olivier. During the making of the film, Andress linked up with leading man Harry Hamlin, who became the father of her child. In 1995, Andress was chosen by Empire magazine as one of the "100 Sexiest Stars in film history."
Personal life
Shortly before his death in 1955, James Dean became involved with 19-year-old Andress. In 1957, she married actor/director John Derek; they divorced in 1966. One of her longest affairs was with Jean-Paul Belmondo.[17] In 1980, she had a son, Dimitri, with American actor Harry Hamlin, her co-star in the film Clash of the Titans.[18][19][20] After her son's birth, Andress scaled back her career, which focused mostly on European TV and films.
On 18 May 2006, on the occasion of the inauguration of the Swiss Consulate General in Scotland, Ursula Andress celebrated her 70th birthday on board the Royal Yacht Britannia in Edinburgh in the company of an international crowd of celebrities.
Filmography
| Film | Year | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Un americano a Roma | 1954 | Astrid | |
| La catena dell'odio | 1955 | Unknown | |
| Le avventure di Giacomo Casanova | 1955 | ||
| Thriller | 1962 | Luana | TV series |
| Dr. No | 1962 | Honey Ryder | Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year - Actress |
| Fun in Acapulco | 1963 | Marguerita Dauphin | |
| 4 for Texas | 1963 | Maxine Richter | |
| Nightmare in the Sun | 1965 | Wife | |
| She | 1965 | Ayesha | |
| What's New Pussycat? | 1965 | Rita | |
| Up to His Ears | 1965 | Alexandrine Pinardel | |
| The 10th Victim | 1965 | Caroline Meredith | |
| The Blue Max | 1966 | Countess Kaeti von Klugermann | |
| Once Before I Die | 1966 | Alex | |
| Casino Royale | 1967 | Vesper Lynd/007 | |
| Anyone Can Play | 1968 | Norma | |
| The Southern Star | 1969 | Erica Kramer | |
| Perfect Friday | 1970 | Britt | |
| Red Sun | 1971 | Cristina | |
| Loaded Guns | 1974 | Nora Green | |
| Stateline Motel | 1975 | Michelle Nolton | |
| The Sensuous Nurse | 1975 | Anna | |
| Africa Express | 1975 | Madeleine Cooper | |
| The Loves and Times of Scaramouche | 1976 | Josephine De Beauharnais | |
| Sex with a Smile II | 1976 | Marina | |
| Safari Express | 1977 | Miriam | |
| Double Murder | 1977 | Principessa Dell'Orso | |
| Slave of the Cannibal God | 1978 | Susan Stevenson | |
| Tigers in Lipstick | 1979 | The Stroller and the Widow | |
| The Fifth Musketeer | 1979 | Louise de la Vallière | |
| Clash of the Titans | 1981 | Aphrodite | |
| Red Bells | 1982 | Mabel Dodge | |
| Manimal | 1983 | Karen | TV series |
| The Love Boat | 1983 | Carole Stanton | TV series |
| Liberté, égalité, choucroute | 1985 | Marie-Antoinette | |
| Peter the Great | 1986 | Athalie | TV mini-series |
| Falcon Crest | 1987–88 | Madame Malec | TV series |
| Il Professore – Diva | 1988 | Susy Kaminski | TV movie |
| Man Against the Mob: The Chinatown Murders | 1989 | Betty Starr | TV movie |
| Klassäzämekunft | 1990 | Agnes | |
| Ti ho adottato per simpatia | 1991 | TV movie | |
| Fantaghirò 3 | 1993 | Xellesia | TV movie |
| Fantaghirò 4 | 1994 | Xellesia | TV movie |
| Alles gelogen | 1996 | ||
| Cremaster 5 | 1997 | Queen of Chain | |
| Vogelpredigt, Die | 2005 | Madonna |
References
- ^ Tom Lisanti, Louis Paul (2002). Film Fatales: Women in Espionage Films and Television, 1962–1973. McFarland. p.38. ISBN 0-7864-1194-5.
- ^ Mark Anstead (7 December 2002). Bond girl who made a killing. The Guardian. Accessed 2008-06-30.
- ^ Dr No bikini for sale (12 January 2001). BBC News. Accessed 2008-02-16.
- ^ a b "Former Bond girl to sell Dr No bikini". The Daily Telegraph. 13 January 2011. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
- ^ Bensimon, Kelly Killoren (5 June 2006). The bikini book. Thames & Hudson. ISBN 978-0-500-51316-3. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
- ^ Lindner, Christoph (4 August 2009). The James Bond Phenomenon: A Critical Reader. Manchester University Press. ISBN 978-0-7190-8095-1. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
- ^ Actress Diana Coupland dies at 74 (10 November 2006). BBC News. Accessed 2008-02-16.
- ^ Rebecca Thomas (19 November 1999). One girl is not enough. BBC News. Accessed 2008-02-16.
- ^ Kathryn Westcott (5 July 2006). The bikini: Not a brief affair. BBC News. Accessed 2008-02-16.
- ^ Weekes, Karen (5 April 2007). Women know everything!: 3,241 quips, quotes, & brilliant remarks. Quirk Books. p. 419. ISBN 978-1-59474-169-2. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
- ^ Bond bikini sells for £35,000 (14 February 2001). BBC News. Accessed 2008-02-16.
- ^ Christie's Auction Result (14 February 2001). Christie's Auction. Accessed 2012-06-16.
- ^ Andress scene voted 'most sexy' (30 November 2003). BBC News. Accessed 2008-02-16.
- ^ Ursula Andress. GoldenGlobes.org. Accessed 2008-02-18.
- ^ Ursula Andress Playboy.co.uk.
- ^ Julie Burchill (10 October 2011). Selling sex... why be coy about it?. The Independent. Accessed 2011-10-10.
- ^ Elaine Sciolino (21 January 2009). French star as he is, stroke and all. New York Times. Accessed 2012-04-04.
- ^ Logan Bentley (5 May 1980). Urged by Her 28-Year-Old Lover, Harry Hamlin, Ursula Andress Faces Motherhood at 44. People. Accessed 2010-12-14.
- ^ David Wallace (4 July 1983). 'I Want to Be with Him,' Says Ursula Andress, but Harry Hamlin Just Wants to Be on His Own. People. Accessed 2010-12-14.
- ^ David Hutchings (9 April 1984). For Harry Hamlin, Life After Ursula Andress Is a Time to Awake and Sing. People. Accessed 2010-12-14.
External links
