The actress most famously played the female lead opposite Sean Connery in ‘Goldfinger.’
Honor Blackman, who famously portrayed the Bond girl Pussy Galore, has died, ET has learned. She died of natural causes unrelated to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19 at the age of 94.
“It’s with great sadness that we have to announce the death of Honor Blackman aged 94. She died peacefully of natural causes at her home in Lewes, Sussex, surrounded by her family. She was much loved and will be greatly missed by her two children Barnaby and Lottie, and grandchildren Daisy, Oscar, Olive and Toby,” her family said in a statement to ET.
“As well as being a much-adored mother and grandmother, 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 endeavours she contributed to some of the great films and theatre productions of our times,” the statement continued.
Born Aug. 22, 1925, Blackman grew up in Essex, England, eventually taking an interest in acting before making her West End debut in 1947. That same year, she landed her first screen role -- a nonspeaking part in Fame Is the Spur -- before moving on to bigger and more notable parts in films like A Night to Remember, about the sinking of the Titanic, and Shalako with Sean Connery.
Blackman rose to prominence thanks to her role as Cathy Gale on The Avengers series, on which she appeared for two seasons from 1962 to 1964.
After leaving the series, she reunited with Connery in the 1964 James Bond film Goldfinger as the iconic Pussy Galore, the titular villain’s pilot and leader of an all-female flying team known as the Flying Circus. Galore would go on to become one of the franchise’s most iconic characters and most notable Bond girl.
In the decades that followed, Blackman regularly appeared on TV as Professor Lasky on Doctor Who and Rula Romanoff on Coronation Street. She also appeared in 2001’s Bridget Jones's Diary with Renee Zellweger. Her last screen role was Rose Walker in the Acorn TV series You Me & Them in 2015.
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