20 Best Bond Girls of All Time, Ranked

Much like Bond himself, the very notion of a “Bond Girl” has evolved dramatically over the years, but all Bond eras have presented compelling women for audiences to be intrigued by. From some of the cinematic legends featured in the early Bond movies to the more nuanced characters displayed in more recent times, and even some all-time greats from underrated films of the franchise, these are the 20 most iconic Bond women of all time.

20 Fiona Volpe

Played by Luciana Paluzzi in ‘Thunderball’ (1965)

While she is still shrouded in the overt sexualization that many of the female leads in the earlier Bond films were presented with, Fiona Volpe (Luciana Paluzzi) is a capable adversary to 007 in Thunderball. In fact, she is strikingly similar to James Bond himself, particularly in her use of sex as an asset to her success, as evinced when the SPECTRE agent seduces a NATO pilot in order to steal his plane and the two atomic bombs it carries.

She tries the same technique on Bond, who lets himself succumb to her advances even though he knows who she works for. There is more than a dash of the old noir femme fatales about Volpe, and the action punch she brings to the franchise makes for a great Bond Girl. She is, however, also a bit of a wasted one, as she is quickly and too easily killed when Bond uses her as a human shield when one of her henchmen tries to shoot him in a nightclub.

19 Sylvia Trench

Played by Eunice Gayson in ‘Dr. No’ (1962) & ‘From Russia with Love’ (1963)

If we are to refer to Bond Girls simply as any of the women who have become romantically involved with 007, then Sylvia Trench (Eunice Gayson) is not only technically the first ever Bond girl, but one of the few recurring ones as well. It is Trench who gives Bond the idea for his famous name catchphrase when the two begin exchanging witticism and flirtations over the poker table.

Trench was initially conceived as being a recurring character, a casual love interest for Bond who would appear consistently throughout the franchise. While that was axed after just the second film, Trench is still a quiet gem of the franchise’s earliest days. She may not be the most combative or hard-edged Bond girl, but she shares 007’s lustful appetite and his knack for surprises, as evinced when she sneaks into his apartment and leaves him somewhat shocked in From Russia with Love.

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18 Tatiana Romanova

Played by Daniela Bianchi in ‘From Russia with Love’ (1963)

In terms of the mechanisms of the plot, Soviet Intelligence Corporal Tatiana Romanova (Daniela Bianchi) is arguably the integral character of From Russia with Love. Unwittingly used as bait by SPECTRE in a conspiracy to assassinate Bond, the Russian operative poses as an agent wanting to defect to the West with valuable Soviet equipment.

While Bianchi exhibited all the glamour, sophistication, and daring that has defined many iconic women of the series, she stamped herself as one of the franchise’s best in the film’s climax. With Bond caught off-guard by Rosa Klebb (Lotte Lenya), she turns on her superior to save Bond’s life, and it is suggested she never returned to Russia. From Russia with Love still stands as one of the more psychological Bond movies, and Romanova is a huge reason for this quality enduring over the decades.

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17 Pam Bouvier

Played by Carey Lowell in ‘Licence to Kill’ (1989)

Timothy Dalton’s tenure as Bond, albeit being just two movies, is the most underrated era in the Bond franchise’s long and illustrious history. Nestled within it are some of the most raw and engaging characters the Bond films have to offer, which is brought to the fore in Licence to Kill as it combines the Bond movie formula with a gritty revenge narrative.

As Bond strives to avenge his friend and colleague Felix Leiter, he finds a valuable ally in Leiter’s CIA collaborator Pam Bouvier (Carey Lowell). A former fighter pilot for the U.S., Bouvier is more than capable of looking after herself and even rescues Bond several times as they both seek justice for their fallen colleague and trusted ally.

16 May Day

Played by Grace Jones in ‘A View to a Kill’ (1985)

Grace Jones was one of the biggest cultural icons of the 1980s and her appearance as May Day in A View to a Kill makes for one of the franchise’s landmark characters, male or female. While introduced as Max Zorin’s (Christopher Walken) bodyguard, assassin, and lover, she proves to be a hero of the film after betraying Zorin and sacrificing her life to thwart his murderous scheme.

The striking character also proved to be the most energetic and daring aspect of the otherwise lackluster Bond film. From her unnatural strength to her compelling character arc, and even her eyebrow-raising sex scene with 007, May Day was by far the film’s most intriguing component and remains a defining moment of the Bond franchise in the 1980s.

15 Madeleine Swann

Played by Léa Seydoux in ‘Spectre’ (2016) & ‘No Time to Die’ (2021)

An accomplished psychologist and the daughter of Spectre agent Mr. White, Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux) was introduced in Spectre as Bond agrees to protect her from Spectre for Mr. White. However, it was the next Bond film, No Time to Die, where she was able to make more of an impact.

With Bond led to believe she betrayed him, the two characters part on unpleasant terms before re-uniting five years later, at which time Bond discovers that Swann has a young daughter who may well be his. While Swann doesn’t engage in elaborate stunts like many other women of the franchise, the emotional weight her and Bond’s relationship brought to Daniel Craig’s farewell film saw the franchise break new ground.

14 Natalya Simonova

Played by Izabella Scorupco in ‘GoldenEye’ (1995)

Whereas there have been a number of Bond films that have struggled to conjure up even one compelling Bond girl, GoldenEye treats its fans to two. While Famke Janssen‘s deadly assassin makes for one of the more memorable villainous aides in the franchise, Izabella Scorupco‘s crafty computer hacker Natalya Simonova has come to be viewed—quite rightfully—among the saga’s best and most underrated female characters.

The Russian programmer pairs with Bond after emerging as the sole survivor of an orbital EMP strike attack on the satellite control center she worked at that was carried out by Alec Trevalyen (Sean Bean). While she found herself in harm’s way quite often, her skills proved to be invaluable in the film’s final act when she proves to be, arguably, an even more important hero than Bond. Additionally, she is still the only Bond Girl to berate Bond for his cold demeanor so openly.

13 Jinx Johnson

Played by Halle Berry in ‘Die Another Day’ (2002)

The final installment of Pierce Brosnan’s Bond films did not do a hell of a lot right. The story and tone were unbalanced, the action in the Bond film largely missed its mark, and – considering the other spy movies of its time – it undermined the franchise’s history of cinematic relevance. However, it did find one glimmering highlight in the form of Halle Berry‘s Giacinta “Jinx” Johnson.

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12 Nomi

Played by Lashana Lynch in ‘No Time to Die’ (2021)

No Time to Die is something of a runaway highlight for women in the James Bond franchise. In addition to the aforementioned Madeleine Swann making her return as Bond’s love interest, it also made the ambitious advancement of Bond losing his status as a 00 operative. His replacement is Lashana Lynch’s Nomi, a highly skilled secret operative who shares the cocky self-belief that Bond exhibited when he stepped up into the role.

While there is a touch of a rivalry between her and Bond initially, Nomi proves herself to be a meaningful ally…

While there is a touch of a rivalry between her and Bond initially, Nomi proves herself to be a meaningful ally, fighting alongside Bond when he launches an attack on Lyustifer Safin’s (Rami Malek) secret base. In the end, it is Nomi herself who requests that Bond be reinstated as 007, a classy move that saw many fans go from enjoying her presence in the film to viewing her as one of the better characters of Craig’s era.

11 Paloma

Played by Ana de Armas in ‘No Time to Die’ (2021)

Another glowing highlight of No Time to Die, Ana de Armas proved that a Bond Girl doesn’t need to receive an abundance of screen time to make a huge impact. A Cuban intelligence officer who seems completely out of her depth despite her overjoyed demeanor, Paloma helps Bond infiltrate a party being attended by numerous people in SPECTRE’s command circles while also helping him outmaneuver Nomi and MI6.

It is quite the surprise when her bubbly and gleeful attitude subsides, and she begins fighting off numerous assailants at once with such skill and expertise that even Bond himself questions her claim that she had just three weeks of training. While her presence was only brief, Paloma injects a vibrant comedic levity into No Time to Die, and stands as one of the more unforgettable and beloved characters in the entire franchise.

10 Elektra King

Played by Sophie Marceau in ‘The World is Not Enough’ (1999)

Not only a criminally underrated Bond character and a pivotal part of The World is Not Enough, but the only female Big Bad in the franchise as well, Elektra King (Sophie Marceau) certainly made an impact. In the film, Bond is assigned to protect the daughter of a wealthy oil tycoon after her father is assassinated, and it is believed that she will soon be targeted as well.

While on the mission though, 007 discovers that Elektra is far from the innocent woman she presents as, and is actually in league with the international terrorist responsible for her father’s death. A cunning, sadistic, and manipulative villainess, she excels as one of the more complex antagonists Bond has ever faced, and a perfect adversary to usher the Bond franchise into the 21st century. It is a shame there haven’t been more major female villains in the saga since.

9 Melina Havelock

Played by Carole Bouquet in ‘For Your Eyes Only’ (1981)

Yet another underappreciated and genuinely incredible Bond Girl, Melina Havelock (Carole Bouquet) isn’t really considered to be that iconic a character, but she really should be. Smart, lethal, and fiercely determined, she seeks revenge on the Greek businessman who had her father killed and crosses paths with James Bond as he investigates the assassination.

The emotional weight behind her conquest made her a scene-stealing Bond deuteragonist as she threatened to overshadow Bond with her uncompromising nature and cold, focused demeanor. While it would have been better had she been the one to kill Kristatos and avenge her parents, the crossbow-wielding Bond Girl still stands as one of the franchise’s best supporting characters.

8 Xenia Onatopp

Played by Famke Janssen in ‘GoldenEye’ (1995)

While the Bond franchise has featured a great many amoral henchwomen who have served evil villains, none have been quite so passionate about their craft as the strikingly sadistic yet undisputably badass Xenia Onatopp. The former Soviet fighter pilot is as deadly a Bond Girl as there has ever been, as she loyally serves the former 006 agent Alec Trevelyan.

Also a capable martial artist, she thrives as a lethal assassin who seems to find immense pleasure in crushing men to death with her thighs. Her sociopathic glee at executing people made her one of the franchise’s most striking and memorable antagonists.

7 Solitaire

Played by Jane Seymour in ‘Live and Let Die’ (1973)

The first of Roger Moore’s Bond films is viewed as one of his best, with the story’s embracing of paranormal elements one of its most engaging aspects. The major beneficiary of this commitment was Jane Seymour‘s Solitaire, a powerful psychic working for Dr. Kananga.

She lends the film many of its more remarkable qualities, from its dabbling in voodoo magic and superstition to the villain’s ability to pre-determine Bond’s actions. While the scene in which she and Bond make love is prefaced by a glaringly problematic ploy from 007, it does little to tarnish her impact as one of the most unique and engrossing Bond women, as well as one of the most book-accurate characters from the films.

6 Anya Amasova, aka Agent XXX

Played by Barbara Bach in ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ (1977)

While all her aforementioned competition is compelling, Barbara Bach’s KGB operative Anya Amasova is convincingly the best Bond Girl to come from Roger Moore’s era. The pair had a palpable tension as feuding operatives forced to work together to investigate missing submarines from Russia and Britain while, at the same time, trying to outwit each other.

The film handles the relationship dynamic rather well, especially through the first half where Amasova is shown to be Bond’s intellectual equal as their spy rivalry transpires. The raising of the stakes when Amasova vows revenge on 007 for killing her lover imbued the second half of the film with a dramatic tension that elevated Anya to be one of the best-balanced Bond female characters of the franchise, and made The Spy Who Loved Me an essential picture in the saga.

5 Wai Lin

Played by Michelle Yeoh in ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’ (1997)

A common theme of many of the greatest Bond Girls is their staunch refusal to just be treated as disposable eye-candy. Whether they’re scheming and deadly henchwomen or invaluable allies to Bond and MI6, the best of the Bond Girls are more than capable of looking after themselves, and few Bond women have embodied that capable independence quite like Wai Lin (Michelle Yeoh).

4 Honey Ryder

Played by Ursula Andress in ‘Dr. No’ (1962)

There have been 25 Eon-produced Bond movies released since the franchise debuted back in 1962, and yet all these decades later it is still tough to surpass the Bond Girl that started it all. While much of the James Bond formula was still finding its feet through the early Connery films, one thing the Bond saga got right from the outset was the romantic attraction, with Ursula Andress‘ Honey Ryder immediately establishing herself as a cinematic icon for the ages.

3 Pussy Galore

Played by Honor Blackman in ‘Goldfinger’ (1964)

The funny name aside, Honor Blackman’s Pussy Galore is widely celebrated as one of the definitive women of the Bond franchise, and it is easy to see why. As the leader of the all female aviator crew “Pussy Galore’s Flying Circus”, she is the best of the franchise’s villainous henchwomen, with her essential role in Goldfinger’s (Gert Fröbe) dastardly Operation Grand Slam.

While Galore isn’t exempt from the early Bond trope of changing her loyalties after succumbing to Bond’s charms (a somewhat problematic tendency upon reflection), it can be viewed that she is the true hero of Goldfinger. Being the one who contacts the U.S. government and replaces the Flying Circus’ nerve gas with a harmless substance, she ultimately undoes Goldfinger’s scheme while 007 throws a few punches and struggles to deactivate a bomb.

2 Vesper Lynd

Played by Eva Green in ‘Casino Royale’ (2006)

Some Bond women have been perfect for the films they appear in while others have been perfect characters for the franchise at a point in time; Eva Green’s Vesper Lynd was both of those things. With Casino Royale actively modernizing Bond, Lynd was afforded the opportunity to maintain a narrative weight that few (if any) Bond girls had wielded before her.

Green excels at bringing the character’s style, sophistication, and razor-sharp wit to the screen with a daring and richly rewarding punch, while complimenting her more striking traits with a nuanced vulnerability and depth. The ultimate revelation that she was a compromised double agent—and her ensuing death—gave Casino Royale a tragic edge and defined the Craig era’s grittier tone.

1 Teresa di Vicenzo (aka Tracy Bond)

Played by Diana Rigg in ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’ (1969)

Through a career spanning across decades, Diana Rigg cemented herself as a commanding television icon through her work in the 60s series The Avengers and, many years later, HBO’s Game of Thrones. However, her greatest claim to celluloid immortality should have come from her portrayal of James Bond’s great love, Teresa di Vicenzo (and, later, Tracy Bond), in George Lazenby’s sole 007 outing, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.

The daughter of an Italian criminal syndicate boss, she was the perfect match for Bond with her flamboyance, sophisticated wit, and reckless bravado masking a tormented past. To date, she is still the only woman in the franchise to have married Bond (barring the undercover marriage in You Only Live Twice), and her shocking demise remains one of the most devastatingly tragic moments in any Bond film.

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