The Bond Girl. It's an iconic film history designation.
The role of the romantic foil to legendary British super spy James Bond has worked as a jump-off to stardom -- or the movie version of a one-hit wonder.
From the very first, Ursula Andress, to Denise Richards and Halle Berry, some major names kickstarted and furthered careers as Bond Girls.
Over the years, there have been seven actors who've portrayed the British super spy on the big screen. But there have been 79 Bond Girls -- although that counts nearly every actress who ever brushed by Bond's tuxedo in the films.
For example, Madonna would be far and away the wealthiest ex-Bond Girl – with a net worth of $850 million – except she only made a cameo in "Die Another Day" (2002) as the fencing instructor, Verity. The Bond Girl title is usually reserved for the main female character in the film with whom 007 spends the most scenes.
Below we rate the 10 most economically successful actresses who have played a Bond Girl, listed by net worth.
Grace Jones - $7 Million- May Day - "A View to a Kill" (1985)
Starting her incredibly diverse career as a model turned-new-wave singer – in 1999, she ranked 82nd on VH1's 100 Greatest Women of Rock and Roll list – Jones dabbled in acting too, and became one of the first Black love interests in a Bond film.
Trina Parks is generally considered the first Black Bond Girl, in 1971's "Diamonds are Forever." Lashana Lynch was the first Black secret agent in a Bond movie, "No Time to Die" (2021).
Eva Green - $10 Million- Vesper Lynd - "Casino Royale" (2006)
Lynd was a double-agent working for the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs while wooing 007 in the first Bond film featuring Daniel Craig in the lead.
Gemma Arterton - $13 Million- Strawberry Fields - "Quantum of Solace" (2008)
Arterton has since expressed some regret for taking the role of Strawberry Fields, considering the oft-debated anachronism of the character. As she told People in 2020, "At the beginning of my career, I was poor as a church mouse, and I was happy just to be able to work and earn a living. I still get criticism for accepting 'Quantum of Solace,' but I was 21, I had a student loan, and you, know, it was a Bond film. But as I got older I realized there was so much wrong with Bond women."
Denise Richards: $12 Million- Dr. Christmas Jones - "The World is Not Enough" (1999)
The future (now ex) Mrs. Charlie Sheen was mostly known as a TV actress and for parts in movies like "Starship Troopers" when "The World is Not Enough" helped push her towards stardom.
Jill St. John - $20 Million- Tiffany Case - "Diamonds are Forever" (1971)
St. John was the first American Bond Girl. "Diamonds are Forever" – named after the ad phrase used by De Beers to help sales right after the Depression – was her biggest film success. She went on to a long career mostly in television.
Ursula Andress - $25 Million- Honey Rider - "Dr. No" (1962)
While some will argue for Eunice Gayson in the same film, Andress is generally regarded as the very first Bond Girl. She set the physical template, and her character's moniker also set the standard for the often cheeky names used for Bond Girls.
Michelle Yeoh - $40 Million- Wai Lin - "Tomorrow Never Dies" (1997)
The first Chinese Bond Girl, Yeoh recently appeared in Jon M. Chu's 2018 film, "Crazy Rich Asians," which was one of the first Hollywood films in 25 years to feature an all-Asian cast. She was also the lead in 2022 hit sci-fi film "Everything Everywhere All at Once."
Teri Hatcher - $50 Million- Paris Carver - "Tomorrow Never Dies" (1997)
Fresh off her successful run as Lois Lane on ABC's hit series, "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman," Hatcher nabbed the Bond Girl role often reserved for newcomers.
Jane Seymour - $60 Million- Solitaire - "Live and Let Die" (1973)
While in 1973, Jane Seymour was an up-and-coming British actress, she has since established herself as one of the most consistently successful actors to come from the role of Bond Girl.
In addition to that iconic surf-rock instrumental theme that gets reprised in every Bond film, the movies often feature a new, credits-roll song that often becomes a hit. Paul McCartney & Wings' titular song here was one of the biggest hits of the 1970s. The #1 selling Bond song though belongs to Adelle's "Skyfall" from the 2012 film of the same name.
Halle Berry - $90 Million- Jinx - "Die Another Day" (2002)
As opposed to most Bond Girls, the Cleveland, OH native was already an established film and TV actress by the time she was offered the role of Jinx. Her fame only grew after that, with frequent starring roles in big budget movies, including a number of "X-Men" films. It could be argued she is the most famous actress to ever portray a Bond Girl.
