Honor Blackman, best known for her turn as Pussy Galore in the 1964 James Bond film Goldfinger, has died at the age of 94. According to the Guardian, Blackman’s family confirmed her death on Monday. “She died peacefully of natural causes at her home in Lewes, Sussex, surrounded by her family,†they told the Guardian. “She was much loved and will be greatly missed by her two children Barnaby and Lottie, and grandchildren Daisy, Oscar, Olive and Toby.â€
Before fans memorialized the British actress as a beloved Bond Girl across from Sean Connery’s 007, Blackman joined The Avengers as anthropologist/judo champ Cathy Gale in 1962, a role she left after two seasons to do Goldfinger, much to the dismay of viewers. Her back-to-back action roles and judo training also inspired a book, 1966’s Honor Blackman’s Book of Self-Defense.
The actress would go on to a prolific career, both on the screen and on the stage, with roles ranging from Hera in 1963’s Jason and the Argonauts to Laura West on ‘90s sitcom The Upper Hand, the British adaptation of Who’s the Boss?, as well as turns on Doctor Who and Coronation Street. In 2001’s Bridget Jones’s Diary, Blackman cameoed as Penny Husbands-Bosworth, a guest at the film’s Tarts And Vicars party with whom Bridget’s father hopelessly attempts to flirt.