'Goldfinger' Bond Girl Tania Mallet Dies at 77

The world of James Bond lost a familiar face this weekend, as it was announced that model and [...]

By Charlie Ridgely

The world of James Bond lost a familiar face this weekend, as it was announced that model and actress Tania Mallet had passed away at the age of 77. Mallet was best known for her role as Bond Girl Tilly Masterson opposite Sean Connery in 1964's Goldfinger. At this time, no details regarding her death have been made available.

First official word regarding Mallet's death came on Sunday, when the James Bond Twitter account broke the news to fans on social media.

"We are very sorry to hear that Tania Mallet who played Tilly Masterson in Goldfinger has passed away," wrote the 007 account in the tweet. "Our thoughts are with her family and friends at this sad time."

Mallet's appearance as Tilly Masterson was the only real screen credit to her name, as she focused mainly on her career as a model both before and after Goldfinger. In the movie, Tilly Masterson was after the villainous Goldfinger to get revenge for her sister's death. However, she wasn't able to accomplish her goal as she was killed by Oddjob's steel-rimmed hat.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Mallet had initially auditioned for the role of Tatiana Romanova in From Russia With Love in 1957. While the part eventually end to Italian actress Daniela Bianchi, the producers liked Mallet and decided to bring her back for Goldfinger, the third Bond film.

After working on Goldfinger, Mallet chose to continue modeling instead of pursuing a further career in acting.

"Filming had been an interesting experience but I was always more comfortable in a small studio with just the photographer and his assistant," Mallet told Bond fan site MI6 in 2003. "Besides which, the restrictions placed on me for the duration of the filming grated, were dreadful and I could not anticipate living my life like that. For instance, being forbidden to ride in case I had an accident, not being allowed to go abroad etc."

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