The actress who made Bond history as 007’s first Black love interest looked effortlessly glamorous during a rare outing in Los Angeles on Thursday—nearly 50 years after her breakout role in Live and Let Die.
The former model, now 76, was spotted running errands in a chic, casual ensemble, proving she’s still got the same star power that turned heads in 1973 when she starred opposite Roger Moore in his first turn as James Bond.
Her steamy, groundbreaking scenes with Moore made headlines and, as he later revealed in his memoir, caused real-life tension with his then-wife, Luisa Mattioli.
The Bond flick itself came with major star power: Live and Let Die featured a title track written and performed by Paul McCartney and Wings, becoming a classic in its own right.
Before landing the iconic role, the American beauty had worked as a Playboy Bunny at the New York Playboy Club and made her acting debut in For Love of Ivy—a 1968 film directed by Sidney Poitier.
So who is the trailblazing star who helped redefine the Bond girl legacy?
The actress who made Bond history as 007’s first Black love interest looked effortlessly glamorous during a rare outing in Los Angeles on Thursday—nearly 50 years after her breakout role in Live and Let Die
The former model, now 76, was spotted running errands in a chic, casual ensemble, proving she’s still got the same star power that turned heads in 1973 when she starred opposite Roger Moore in his first turn as James Bond
If you guessed Gloria Hendry, you nailed it.
Florida-born Hendry took on the role of Rosie Carver, the ill-fated CIA agent who meets a tragic end in Bond’s arms.
Her sultry scenes with Moore launched her into the spotlight, as Live and Let Die became a cultural milestone.
But while the chemistry sizzled on screen, it reportedly stirred tension behind the scenes.
In his memoir, Moore admitted that their love scene didn’t sit well with his wife at the time, Mattioli.
‘As Bond, I make love to Rosie Carver, played by the beautiful Black actress Gloria Hendry,’ Moore wrote. ‘And my wife Luisa has learned from certain Louisiana ladies that if there is a scene like that they won’t go to see the picture.
‘I personally don’t give a damn, and it makes me all the more determined to play the scene.’
Due to the film’s depiction of an interracial romance, Moore and Hendry’s scene was controversially cut from screenings in apartheid-era South Africa, where such relationships were banned by law.
Her steamy scenes with Moore made headlines at the time and, according to his memoir, sparked real-life tension with his then-wife, Luisa Mattioli
Before landing the iconic role, the American beauty had worked as a Playboy Bunny at the New York Playboy Club and made her acting debut in For Love of Ivy—a 1968 film directed by Sidney Poitier
If you guessed Gloria Hendry, you nailed it; (seen in 1973)
Florida-born Hendry took on the role of Rosie Carver, the ill-fated CIA agent who meets a tragic end in Bond’s arms
Her sultry scenes with Moore launched her into the spotlight, as Live and Let Die became a cultural milestone
In his memoir, Moore admitted that their love scene didn’t sit well with his wife at the time, Luisa Mattioli; (pictured)
Trina Parks broke ground as the first Black actress cast in a Bond film, appearing as the fierce and formidable Thumper opposite Sean Connery in Diamonds Are Forever (1971).
While she didn’t share romantic scenes with 007, Parks made her mark as one of his most memorable female foes.
Two years later, Hendry made history as the first Black Bond girl to share an on-screen romance with the iconic spy.
More than a decade after Hendry, Grace Jones stormed onto the screen in 1985’s A View to a Kill, playing the unforgettable May Day—a deadly henchwoman with undeniable presence, again opposite Moore.
In 2002, Halle Berry turned heads as Jinx in Die Another Day, becoming the first Black Bond girl in 17 years and making an instant impact opposite Pierce Brosnan.
Then came Naomie Harris, who brought a new energy to the franchise as Eve Moneypenny in Skyfall (2012) and Spectre (2015), helping redefine the role of Bond’s female counterparts for a modern era.
