Actress Tania Mallet, the woman known for playing Bond girl Tilly Masterson in the 1964 James Bond film “Goldfinger,” has died.
CNN reported that the news of Mallet's death was announced on the official Twitter page of the film franchise.
“We are very sorry to hear that Tania Mallet who played Tilly Masterson in GOLDFINGER has passed away,” the tweet read. “Our thoughts are with her family and friends at this sad time.”
Vanity Fair reported that Mallet was born and raised in Blackpool, England, and worked as a model, appearing in Vogue. Mallet said in a 2003 interview with Bond fan site MI6 that she thinks one of her Vogue photo shoots got the attention of "Goldfinger" producer Albert "Cubby" Broccoli.
Mallet’s role as a Bond girl alongside Sean Connery’s Bond made her a household name. Her character, who wanted to avenge the death of her sister at the hands of Auric Goldfinger, was killed off by Oddjob when he threw his steel-rimmed hat at her.
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After the film, Mallet went back to modeling.
"It was not difficult to go back to modeling," Mallet told the MI6 fansite. "Filming had been an interesting experience but I was always more comfortable in a small studio with just the photographer and his assistant."
BBC News reported that Mallet is a relative of actress Helen Mirren. In her 2008 memoir, Mirren wrote that Mallet was a "loyal and generous person."
A cause of death has not been reported.
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