The Avengers Star And Bond Girl Honor Blackman Passed Away Aged 94

Apr 06, 2020 by apost team

Honor Blackman, best known for her role in the 1964 James Bond film Goldfinger, has passed away of natural causes aged 94.

Her family released a statement today revealing the actress died in her home in Sussex, surrounded by her family.

The statement, obtained by Metro, stated the actress died of natural causes. 

“She died peacefully of natural causes at home in Lewes, Sussex surrounded by her family. She was much loved and will be greatly missed by her two children Barnaby Kaufmann and Lottie Croft, adopted during her marriage to Maurice Kaufmann and her four grandchildren.

“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.”

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Blackman first shot to fame in the 60s, when she portrayed Cathy Gale in the TV series The Avengers, where she starred opposite Patrick Macnee as John Steed.

In 1964, she went on to star alongside Sean Connery as Pussy Galore in the James Bond movie, Goldfinger. Her skills in martial arts alongside her acting skills and signature tight outfits made her an instant success in Hollywood.

The actress learned Judo for her role in The Avengers, a skill that proved to be useful for her role in Goldfinger as the villain Pussy Galore. 

In an interview with TV Times, the actress stressed that Galore was no Bimbo, according to Metro. 

“Pussy Galore was a career woman - a pilot who had her own air force, which was very impressive. She was never a bimbo."

"Pussy's flying a plane, so she's got to be a strong feminist, but then she collapses into Bond's arms at the end," she added. "Deary me. Unfortunately women do do that. We're good at our jobs, but if we fall in love, we're a bit stupid."

She had also starred in many other iconic films and TV series, even guest-starring on the long-running British soap opera, Coronation Street. 

In another interview, Blackman said she would never retire from acting, as cited by Metro.

“I don’t see any reason to stop as long as people ask you to do something and it is interesting and fun.”

Apart from acting, she also experimented with music, with a single she recorded in collaboration with the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra as well as a Top 10 hit, Kinky Boots, in 1990. She was married twice: to Bill Sankey and Maurice Kaufmann and adopted 2 children with the latter, Lottie and Barnaby.

Our condolences go out to the Blackman family.