Honor Blackman, whose roles as Pussy Galore in “Goldfinger” and black-leather-clad martial arts bombshell Cathy Gale in “The Avengers” were a beacon to women, has died.
She was 94.
Her family released a statement on Blackman’s official Twitter account.
“It’s with great sadness that we have to announce the death of Honor Blackman aged 94,” the family said. “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,” the family told The Guardian.
“As well as being a much-adored mother and grandmother, Honor was an actor of hugely prolific creative talent,” the family said. “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 endeavors, she contributed to some of the great films and theatre productions of our times.”
Other strong female roles included Hera in “Jason and the Argonauts,” and Laura West in the 1990s sitcom “The Upper Hand.” Her career also extended onstage to “The Sound of Music,” “My Fair Lady” and “Cabaret.”
Blackman started out when she received elocution lessons for her 16th birthday. Her teacher was an inspirational woman, BBC News said, “who introduced her to poetry and the theatre and who advised her father to enroll her in the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.”
She went, and never looked back, studying part time while working an administrative job in the government, then as a motorcycle dispatch rider in World War 2, BBC News said.
After a number of roles, she was picked up in 1961 to star alongside Patrick Macnee in The Avengers. Her character’s wit and intelligence combined with her ability to “hold her own in a melee,” made her something of a feminist icon, as BBC News noted.
She and Macnee also recorded the song “Kinky Boots,” which became a runaway hit, BBC News noted.
Blackman recounted her appreciation for the independence of her “Goldfinger” character Pussy Galore.
“In so many of the films, the girls just looked at James and fell flat on their backs,” Blackman told the magazine TV Times in 2014, according to the Associated Press. “Yet Pussy Galore was a career woman — a pilot who had her own air force, which was very impressive. She was never a bimbo.”
James Bond himself – his Twitter account, at least – released a tribute to one of the franchise’s most memorable characters, in the words of the producers.
“Today we mark the passing of a film icon, Honor Blackman, who shall forever be remembered as Pussy Galore in Goldfinger,” said producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli. “She was an extraordinary talent and a beloved member of the Bond family. Our thoughts are with her family at this time.”
With News Wire Services
