Out of all the Bond girls, only a few have come close to capturing the heart of the elusive James Bond. What began in the early 1960s as a novel adaptation has transformed into a world-renowned film franchise centered on the gentleman spy James Bond and his ability to seduce women at the drop of a hat. However, Bond is not always as impartial as he appears, and he has also fallen for several women over the years.
As James Bond franchise has evolved over the years to feature a variety of well-written female characters, but each Bond actor also has one woman who stands out among the rest as the best Bond girl for them.
6 Sylvia Trench Played By Eunice Gayson
Sean Connery's Love Interest In Dr. No and From Russia With Love
For Sean Connery's Bond, Sylvia Trench is his most significant romantic partner. While Sylvia is not one of the better characters in the franchise as she lacks any complexity outside of her relationship with Bond, she is significant to his life. Eunice Gayson appears as Sylvia in both Dr. No and From Russia With Love. The fact that Bond even has a recurring love interest is huge for his character, given his typical disinterest in commitment.
Dr. No
- Release Date
- October 7, 1962
- Runtime
- 110 minutes
- Director
- Terence Young
Cast
James Bond
Ursula AndressHoney Ryder
WHERE TO WATCH
Dr. No is the first film in the James Bond series starring Sean Connery as the iconic British spy. Released in 1962, the film follows Agent 007 as he travels to Jamaica to confront Dr. No, a villainous scientist with a plan to disrupt the U.S. space program.
Sylvia also has a huge influence on Bond, as she was the one who gave him the idea for his iconic catchphrase by introducing herself as "Trench, Sylvia Trench." Sean Connery had several Bond girls, but Sylvia stands out as his closest attempt at love because only she appeared in his life twice. What her character lacked in complexity was made up by her recurrence.
5 Countess Teresa "Tracy" di Vicenzo Played By Diana Rigg
George Lazenby's Love Interest In On Her Majesty's Secret Service
Of all the Bond girls, Tracy di Venzo is Bond's ultimate true love. In On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Diana Rigg's Tracy meets George Lazenby's spy and the two develop a casual romance that soon turns into more. While Bond is wary of their relationship at first, he and Tracy fall in love in one of the most uncharacteristic events to happen in a Bond movie.
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On Her Majesty's Secret Service
- Release Date
- December 19, 1969
- Runtime
- 142 minutes
- Director
- Peter R. Hunt
Cast
-
George Lazenby
Diana Rigg
WHERE TO WATCH
James Bond tracks Blofeld to a Swiss mountain clinic, where the villain is brainwashing women to distribute biological weapons. Bond teams up with Tracy di Vicenzo, the daughter of a crime boss, to thwart Blofeld's plan. Their partnership turns romantic, culminating in Bond's unexpected marriage to Tracy.
Unfortunately, Bond's happy ending does not last forever. Near the end of the movie, Tracy is killed in a shooting. Tracy's effect on Bond is not limited to George Lazenby's version of 007. In For Your Eyes Only, Roger Moore's Bond leaves flowers at her grave, showing that the spy's love for Tracy sures the actors' limits as the character, an homage to the continuity in Ian Fleming's novels.
4 Octopussy Played By Maud Adams
Roger Moore's Love Interest In Octopussy
Maud Adam is Roger Moore's defining love interest because Octopussy is Bond's match. A brilliant mastermind and complex character, Octopussy stands out as being one of the best Bond girls. The two also had excellent chemistry and seemed to make great partners.
Maud Adams is the only woman to play two separate Bond girls. She played Andrea Anders in The Man With The Golden Gun and Octopussy in Octopussy.
Roger Moore's Bond was very charming, so he needed a Bond girl to match that energy, and Adams' Octopussy was that woman. So many Bond girls exist just to be in a relationship with Bond, but Octopussy stands out as being an entirely complex character on her own. Their similar status makes them a great pair and the closest that Roger Moore's Bond came to finding love.
3 Kara Milovy Played By Maryam d'Abo
Timothy Dalton's Love Interest In The Living Daylights
Maryam d'Abo's portrayal of Kara Milovy in The Living Daylights proves that Kara is the closest that Timothy Dalton's Bond came to finding love. Kara is a complex character with her own motivations and fears, while she works well with Bond. A cellist-turned-spy, Kara avoids the trope of the damsel in distress, can stand on her own and meet Bond at his level.
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The Living Daylights
- Release Date
- July 31, 1987
- Runtime
- 130 minutes
- Director
- John Glen
Cast
Timothy DaltonJames Bond-
Maryam d'AboKara Milovy
WHERE TO WATCH
The Living Daylights is the fifteenth entry in the James Bond series and the first to feature Timothy Dalton as the iconic British spy. Released in 1987, the film follows Bond as he uncovers a complex arms deal while protecting a defecting Soviet general. Featuring Maryam d'Abo as his ally, the movie blends action, espionage, and intrigue in a Cold War setting.
Kara starts off as an antagonist to Bond, but they start to develop a close relationship the longer they work together. They also outsmart each other a few times, but in the end, decide that working together is better than fighting. The final moments of The Living Daylights solidify the view that Kara is Bond's true love of that era when he surprises Kara in her dressing room with Moore's most romantic line: "You didn't think I'd miss this performance, did you?"
2 Wai Lin Played By Michelle Yeoh
Pierce Brosnan's Love Interest In Tomorrow Never Dies
Since most of Pierce Brosnan's love interests as Bond turn out to be villainous killers, his list of female counterparts that have the potential to be his true love is fairly short. As a result, only one name makes it to the top of the list and that is Wai Lin, played by Michelle Yeoh. Wai is not only a great ally to Bond in Tomorrow Never Dies, but she is also an incredibly skilled agent.
Pierce Brosnan's Biggest 007 Change Makes A James Bond 26 Casting Even More Important
The Bronsan era of the James Bond franchise made a major change to one character, meaning Bond 26 must now find the perfect person to play them.
Their overlapping skills and romantic tension solidify Wai Lin as Bond's best Bond girl of Brosnan's era. While Bond and Wai had less potential for love than some of the other Bond girls, they still made a good match. Her initial rejection of Bond's attempts to seduce her also paints her as one of the more realistic female characters in the Bond franchise and acts as a refreshing change of pace for Pierce Brosnan's Bond.
1 Vesper Lynd Played By Eva Green
Daniel Craig's Love Interest In Casino Royale
No other Bond girl can take the place of Vesper Lynd as Daniel Craig's true love in his era of playing 007. Bond's indifference towards love can be traced back to his tragic love affair with Eva Green's Vesper. As a double agent, Vesper gains Bond's trust in Casino Royale, only to betray him later on. Feeling overwhelmed by guilt, Vesper chooses to lock herself in an elevator that is slowly filling with water, making Bond incapable of saving her.
Bond's indifference towards love can be traced back to his tragic love affair with Eva Green's Vesper.
Bond's response to Vesper's death highlights the heartbreaking nature of their relationship. He can no longer open himself up to love the same way he could in Casino Royale, as Vesper's betrayal and final goodbye continue to haunt him. While love is uncommon in a James Bond movie, Vesper Lynd is definitely one of the most striking examples of love in the franchise.
- Created by
- Ian Fleming, Albert R. Broccoli
- Films
- James Bond 26
- Genres
- Action
- First Film
- Dr. No
- Latest Film
- No Time to Die
- First TV Show
- Fleming: The Man Who Would be Bond
The James Bond franchise follows the adventures of British secret agent 007 as he combats global threats. With a license to kill, Bond faces off against various villains and criminal organizations, employing high-tech gadgets, espionage, and charm. The series spans multiple films, featuring exotic locations, thrilling action sequences, and memorable characters. Bond's mission to protect the world and uphold justice remains central, making the franchise an enduring icon in the spy genre.
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