Samantha Bond

Samantha Bond played a wide variety of characters in stage, television and film productions, but fans of superspy 007 especially cherished her turns as Miss Moneypenny, the sexy MI6 secretary who would trade double entendres with the British agent. The husky-voiced London native first made a name for herself in the long-running play "Daisy Pulls it Off" (1983-86). After several more productions, she performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company and also became a regular face on British television. When it was decided to replace Timothy Dalton following the release of "License to Kill" (1989), the part of Miss Moneypenny was also up for grabs. Bond's screen presence allowed her to make a significant impression in the limited screen time customarily afforded that character and she was invited back for the next three installments. While Bond also undertook a number of additional movie and television assignments, her primary focus was the stage, where she portrayed most of the primary female characters in the works of Shakespeare. She also later gained additional exposure as Lady Rosamund Painswick on the popular drama "Downton Abbey" (ITV, 2010-16), which quickly developed an international following. While Miss Moneypenny was likely the role that earned Bond her most widespread appreciation, she enjoyed a remarkable run across three mediums and proved decisively that the infamous "Bond Girl Curse" was indeed a fallacy.